When you come to Danville you’ll find a number of interesting and unique places to visit, plenty of events to entertain you throughout the year, and a nice variety of restaurants and hotels.
What you’ll also find is that Danville is a great basecamp for exploring Kentucky’s beautiful Bluegrass region, with numerous other places to experience just a short drive away. Once you’ve taken in all that Danville and Boyle County have to offer, you might want to check out other nearby opportunities including:
History
If you don’t already know it, you’ll learn during a visit to Constitution Square in Danville that Danville is the birthplace of Kentucky, where the state’s constitution was written. You’ll also find lots of other fascinating history here, from the groundbreaking surgery performed 200 years ago at the McDowell House to the “Battle for Kentucky” fought during the Civil War in Perryville.
The history you explore in Danville and Boyle County is fascinating, but neighboring counties are treasure troves of history as well. A pretty 13 miles drive north from downtown Danville along Highway 33 lands you at the entrance to Shaker Village, a 3,000-acre property that was home to the third largest Shaker community in the United States from 1805 to 1910. It has been preserved and is open to visitors.
(One of the preserved buildings at Shaker Village)
Camp Nelson National Cemetery and National Monument – a Civil War era cemetery – is 15 miles from Danville, an easy drive north on Highway 27. And you can continue your Civil War tour by heading 38 miles east to Richmond to visit the Battle of Richmond Visitors Center and Battlefield Park.
Bourbon distilleries
Ninety-five percent of the world’s bourbon is distilled in Kentucky and of that, a large percentage comes from distilleries within 60 miles of Danville. Some of it even comes from Danville’s own Wilderness Trail Distillery which is – like most distilleries – open to the public for tours and tastings. Just be sure and make your reservations on line in advance for any distilleries you want to visit as tours and tastings do tend to sell out. You can find information about many of Kentucky’s distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail website. And keep an eye on Danville in the near future as our second distillery – Luca Mariano – begins to take shape on the east side of Danville. Construction is underway and when finished, It too will be a destination that will welcome visitors.
(A tour of a rick house is part of the experience when you visit distilleries like Danville’s Wilderness Trail)
Wineries
Bourbon takes the spotlight, for sure, but Kentucky also has a long history of winemaking, with the first commercial winery established nearby in Jessamine County on the banks of the Kentucky River. There are around 70 wineries around the state, with several close enough to Danville to visit without having to drive far. Find out more about those here.
(Kentucky has around 70 wineries)
Lakes
Kentucky is known for its abundance of lakes and waterways, luring in fishing and boating enthusiasts. Just outside of Danville’s city limits, you can access the Dix River and Herrington Lake, giving you plenty of room to roam on your pontoon or bass boat. If fishing is your game, you’ll want to check out Cedar Creek Lake, which is 18 miles southeast of Danville, right along Highway 150. This 780-acre sportsman fishing lake is stocked with 500,000 fish, including large mouth bass, crappie, redear sunfish and blue gill.
(Cedar Creek Lake is stocked with 500,000 fish)
Golf
Round up your golfing friends for a tour of the links in and near Danville, starting with the Old Bridge Golf Club near the Kentucky River. Keep the rounds going just a few miles north of Danville at the Bright Leaf Golf Course (6 miles away), the Peninsula Golf Resort (17 miles away), and the Thoroughbred Golf Club at Highpoint (28 miles away).
(The Old Bridge Golf Course is located in Danville)
Now, all you have to do is pick your adventure, choose travel dates and find your lodging in Danville at www.danvillekentucky.com/stay/