The Bluegrass Scenic Railroad and Museum

The Bluegrass Scenic Railroad and Museum was founded in 1976. Widley known as another name of “Tyrone high bridge.” The track was originally laid by Louisville Southern Railroad in 1889. Its main purpose back then was to extract limestone from the nearby deposits. It also proved to be very helpful with transporting corn and helping soy farms in the area. Nowadays it’s used for tours on the 5.5 miles of the railroad that they own. On the tour they also visit the “Young’s high bridge” which stands over 268 feet high and 1,600 feet long. With it being so tall, this spot is also favored by thrill seekers and base jumping enthusiasts and I don’t blame them. In 2009, the railroad from the Kentucky River to Lawrenceburg, Kentucky was forgotten and sold to a scrapyard. The rails on Young’s High Bridge were removed as well and sold for scrap too. But luckily a private company has bought Young’s High Bridge itself and turned it into a tourist attraction known for its height. The museum itself has been moved just outside of Versailles due to a fire in 2006. However, the remains of the house were remodeled into the functional museum and station that thousands of people get to see every year, leaving with a golden nugget of history on the bluegrass railroads.

The Woodford Reserve Distillery

Starting in 1812, the Woodford Reserve Distillery would come to life. It wasn’t named that at the time as it was formerly known as the Old Oscar Pepper Distillery and later known as the Labrot & Graham Distillery. The Woodford Reserve Distillery is located about 8 miles away from Versailles with about 10 acres of land that they own. The grounds themselves are not only historic, as it is one of the oldest Distilleries running but absolutely beautiful and the tour guide gets you up close and personal with the distilling process. Back in 1993, Brown Formen would re-purchased the property and get it up and running again making it fully operational. Then only three years later, the Woodford Reserve brand was introduced to the market in 1996.

The Kentucky Castle

In 1969, The castle was created by Rex Martin and his wife Caroline Bogaert Martin. After they went to Europe for their honeymoon they were in awe with the beautiful architecture and they were inspired to have something similar. So once they got back to Kentucky they started the construction of their dream home. But it was never finished due to them getting a divorce. Since it never finished construction, it sat vacant for close to 30 years. Even though it hasn’t been completed it was still an eye catcher for everyone driving by. After Rex Martin’s death in 2003, the so-called “Martin Castle” was sold to Thomas Post, Who then changed the name to “The Castle Post.” Devastatingly, the main building had caught fire and most of the original structure was demolished. But Thomas didn’t want to give up. The reconstruction was completed just 4 years later in 2007. Thomas would then open the castle for guests of the B&B and occasional special events were granted access to the grounds even though they had new additions including luxury suites, a ballroom, library, tennis courts, and a swimming pool. But 10 years later in 2017 it was sold again and named what we know today as “The Kentucky Castle.”