Two things are important in Lexington – horse racing and bourbon!
Even some of the public art – including giant sculptures of books often depicts horse racing.
A number of artistic horse sculptures are scattered around town.
A downtown sculpture area is called Thoroughbred Park – depicting the finish line in great detail.
The best ‘ghost sign’ in town is for Horse Racing Oats.
But there is more to Lexington that just horses and bourbon – there is the University of Kentucky, and their stunning library.
For a city this far off the east coast there are a number of early 1800 or older buildings and homes.
A former courthouse is now the main visitor center – as well as other civic offices.
The area has been growing, and there is evidence of new investments downtown with government buildings and plazas.
The main library is newer as well, and features this 5 story pendulum clock – reputed to be the largest in the world.
We visited Transylvnia University and an art fair that was occurring there. The college was the first institution of higher learning west of the Allegheny Mountains. It is named for the Transylvania Colony – a proposed 14th colony that never really came to be – but the university name stuck.
Our final stop was the arboretum shared by the University of Kentucky and the city of Lexington. On this spring day there were a number of groups using the setting for their backdrops – homecoming groups, weddings, engages, and others…
Our final stop was a memorial to 49 people who lost their lives in a commuter airline crash in 2006. They are represented by 49 birds in flight.
For a mid sized city Lexington has a lot to offer – a good place to spend a day or two.
RDZ Photography 