Arts & Entertainment
I love Dayton but sometimes it’s fun to get away and explore another town. So often it ends up making you fall a little more in love with your own city.
I’ve been to Lexington, Kentucky a few times now and love it – it actually reminds me so much of Dayton and it’s only a short 2ish hour drive away. Here’s what keeps me coming back and what I’m looking forward to trying next time.
The Bars
I love so many of the bars I’ve tried here. I have so many more on my list for future visits, too!
Where I’ve been
Harvey’s Bar
Harvey’s Bar has an amazing indoor/outdoor experience. At the front of the space, the walls open up to the street, making it more like a bistro in the city vibe. In the back, there’s a shared courtyard patio with other businesses called The Grove.
When I visited a few years ago, it was during the day. It was a very relaxed experience, and the drinks were refreshing and perfect. When we walked by late at night this year, this place was so busy there was a line to get in!
Lost Palm
I’m so glad I finally got to visit Lost Palm. This rooftop bar is full of vibrant, tropical plants, pink terrazzo tile, and swingy 60s pool umbrellas. The cocktails are great, and they serve some small plates I’ll have to try next time!
The Green Lantern Bar
The festival we go to always has an event at the Green Lantern and it’s made us fall in love with this local dive. They have a pool table, a stage, a cigarette machine, and plenty of beer on tap to make any evening one to remember.
Next on my list to visit
Constitution Bookstore
As I understand it, you enter this speakeasy from what looks like a bookstore and that feels right to me. The cocktails sound really interesting and I can’t wait to try this place out on a future visit.
The Restaurants
I wish we could get out and eat at more places around town but as you’ll read below, the festival we attend in Lexington makes it hard to be sure we’ll have enough time.
Where I’ve been so far
Corto y Lima
Corto y Lima is one of those places that feels like they’ve been waiting for you to get there, even without a reservation. We just keep going back to this restaurant because the food is amazing, there’s always a table for us right when we need it, the drinks are exactly right, and the food always comes out fast enough for us to make it to the next event on time.
Carson’s
We’ve been to a few brunches here and Carson’s is always busy. The food is great and the drinks are brunchy and fun.
The Greenery: Coffee + Social Space
We stopped in for iced coffees at The Greenery and it was like stepping into a forest of gorgeous plants. Like Harvey’s Bar, The Greenery backs up to The Grove courtyard.
Next on my list to visit
Fiddletree Kitchen
Fiddletree is inside of a boutique hotel and it looks like an absolute dream. We’re sort of kicking ourselves we didn’t make time for a quick stop in here!
The Harry Dean Stanton Festival
The reason we visit Lexington is actually a fan festival for the actor Harry Dean Stanton. It takes place in July around his birthday each year. This year, he would have turned 100!
The weekend kicks off on Friday night with a graveside movie projected on an inflatable screen.
Saturday is packed with film screenings and other types of content – this past time we got to see a table read of a film that had a part intended for Harry Dean, but unfortunately never got made.
Saturday night typically includes a musical performance at a local bar called The Green Lantern (not to be confused with Dayton’s Green Lantern bar, which I think is closed now).
Sunday tends to include a screening at The Kentucky Theatre, however, we normally head home in the morning to make sure we’re home and settled to work the next day.
It’s such a neat experience to learn more about such a talented actor by watching the films he was a part of and hearing so many stories from those who knew him.
What I Want to Explore Next
I’m hoping to visit sometime and check out these shopping experiences:
Poppy’s Flower Bar
Poppy’s is a boutique flower shop meets cocktail bar and the inside looks so vibrant and inviting. I can’t wait to visit next time!
Kentucky for Kentucky
We got a chance to see the outside of this shop because they have a huge Harry Dean Stanton mural on one side of the building. But next time, I’d love to shop here and explore their locally made souvenirs.
Bourbon
This area is known for its bourbon but I have not really tried much of it while I’m there. I think in the future I’ll have to make this more of a priority!
The Stays
One downside of visiting here is that unfortunately we have not really been successful in finding a place to stay that we love. One hotel shut off the water on our last night and didn’t warn us that was happening (gross gross gross!!), one condo didn’t set up our keyless entry codes and you need them for like every door and elevator in the place, another condo was so dirty I had to clean it myself before I could get comfortable (YUCK).
So if anyone has any recommendations for places to stay, let me know! We try to stay nearish to the library, but we might have to start looking farther afield. We might also have to cough up more cash to stay at pricier places…
Some stays we’re looking into (and possibly saving up for, woof!)
My Favorite Lexington Bloggers & Creators
I definitely relied on my blogger sisterhood to help me find my favorite places in Lexington. Shout out to these creators in particular.
Do you love Lexington? What did I miss? Point me in the right direction.
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