All photos are by Joshua Brandenburg from www.JABphotos.com
One rarely thinks, “You know what would make a road trip epic? A train ride.” But that’s what happened when my brother-in-law and I took a road trip along the Bourbon Trail.
Bardstown, Kentucky is called, “The Bourbon Capital of the World,” and Rand McNally labeled the town, “The most beautiful small town in America.” If someone is visiting the Bourbon Trail, Bardstown is a location that must be toured. There are many distilleries in the area and great places to eat and sleep. While researching where to eat in Bardstown, I came across My Old Kentucky Dinner Train’s website.
My Old Kentucky Dinner Train travels 37 miles over the course of a 2 ½ to 3-hour period. There are many dining options, such as a murder mystery train, brunch, and regular dinners, but since we were traveling the Bourbon Trail, we decided on taking the Bourbon Excursion. The Bourbon Excursion includes a bourbon expert discussing the area’s bourbons and the spirits that accompany dinner.
My brother-in-law and I arrived right before the train was about to leave and found most of the folks on the train eating and having drinks. We shared a table with a couple that was celebrating a birthday and felt as though we were infringing upon their special day. I’m sure the last thing they wanted to do was sit across from two crazy guys. After a few minutes of being acquainted with one another, we were good friends.
During the time spent on the train, we enjoyed a delicious 3-course meal that included one of the biggest steaks I have ever seen. I have no problem scarfing down a steak, but even I couldn’t finish the savory steak. Joshua, my brother-in-law, and I were both stuffed and had to adjust our belts.
Besides the delicious meal and bourbon education, I appreciated staring out the window at the beautiful Kentucky countryside as we rolled down the rails. We passed distilleries, homes, and farms and got to see a view of Kentucky that we wouldn’t have been able to see driving down the road. For all of our road trip scheduling, the train ride helped us complete an amazing trip.
Advice for those going on the train ride:
- Our train ride began at 5, but people began boarding around 4:15. I recommend getting on the train 30 minutes early.
- If you are an introvert, prepare yourself to share a table with strangers. Unless you book as a group of 4.
- Most people dress up for the train. You could get away with jeans and a nice shirt, but most of the men wear dress shirts and dress pants.
- Purchase tickets ahead of time. To buy your tickets, click here.
Wow, that prime rib looked amazing. I’m hoping you got to see some Kentucky horse farms, with beautiful horses in the rolling green meadows.