Things to Do Near Keeneland for Breeders' Cup

Downtown Lexington will be sizzling Breeders' Cup week with plenty to do as you gear up for the World Championships on Oct. 30-31 at Keeneland Race Course. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
The long countdown is nearly over, Breeder’s Cup is upon us. My last two posts focused on menu ideas and craft beers for a viewing party. Now it’s time to turn our attention to those lucky enough to be attending the races, or who will at least be in the vicinity of Lexington, Ky. for the festivities. One quick tip to get started: If you’re a first time visitor you should know that Keeneland is on Versailles Road. While you will be tempted to pronounce this ver-SIGH as the French would, it is ver-SALES in Kentucky. Embrace it.
Based on the fact that Miss Wright and I are staying in Louisville because we waited too long to make hotel reservations, my guess is the restaurant scene in Lexington will be busy. I refrained from making any restaurant recommendations here since I’m figuring your best bet is to look for the shortest line unless you already have reservations. Don’t worry though, I promise not to let you go hungry.
Spooky, Scary, Festive Halloween:
Liberty Hall will host “Our Beloved Ghost” Tour Friday night at 5:30, you can sign up on the link above.
A play called Zombie in Love will be performed at the Lexington Children’s Theater Friday at 7 as well as Saturday and Sunday at 2.
For those needing something more intense, try Screampark, Terror on Tate’s Creek or Fright Nights Kentucky.
SCREAMPARK

Wrap it all up with the Day of the Dead Festival at Living Arts and Science Center.
Music:
Downtown Lexington will be a great place to explore some music from the area and some from much farther away with Cheapside Pavilion and Courthouse Plaza each offering free concerts nightly.
Cheapside Pavillion at 6 p.m., the highlights as I see them:
Wednesday - Coralee and the Townies play what they call honky tonk soul.
Saturday - The Swells swing with an old-school jazzy sound that makes me think of a speakeasy.
Courthouse Plaza at 6:45 p.m., the highlights as I see them:
Thursday - The Stooges Brass Band comes from New Orleans and brings the funky street beat of the traditional brass band while turning up the intensity with some hip-hop influences.
Friday - JD McPherson plays some catchy rock and roll but with hints at some garage rock wildness.
Saturday - Local bands close out the concert series. The Wags play music, which sounds a little classic rock, a little new wave and is hard to categorize but it intrigues me enough to want to attend.
Singletary Center for the Arts presents a Breeders’ Cup concert with University of Kentucky Symphony on Friday night at 7:30. The event is free.
Bourbon, Beer and Wine:
No trip to Kentucky would be complete without some of the state’s famous spirit.
I am a fan of Woodford Reserve (here is my visit), Buffalo Trace and Four Roses and will try to make time for a short road trip from Lexington to explore them.

You can also head to The Livery downtown to taste two of those, plus a whole lot more (Wednesday Oct. 28, 6 to 10 p.m., $100, taste with some master distillers). If that’s too steep for you or you’re not in town yet, consider Friday or Saturday night’s bourbon tasting at the same place and the same time for half the price. You just don’t get to meet the master distillers.
You can also stay in Lexington and explore Barrel House Distilling Co. (tours Wed-Sun at various times) and Alltech Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co. which is the only stop on the bourbon trail that has beer too (Kentucky Ale and more) or stop at the Bread Box and check out West Sixth Brewing where they’re offering a Breeder’s Cup Brown Ale, among others. Also consider Blue Stallion Brewing (this was my visit) and Country Boy or do the whole Brewgrass Trail. If you are making plans, Blue Stallion is having a Halloween bash with food trucks, music and a costume contest on Oct. 31.
If you want wine, here’s a full list, but I would choose Equus Run (this was my visit), Grimes Mill Winery or First Vineyard (the home of the first commercial vineyard in the United States).
Art:
The Headley Whitney Museum is showing Breeder’s Cup memorabilia until Nov. 8 in its Treasures from the Farm exhibit.
Lyric Theater and Cultural Arts Center is showcasing Prince of Jockeys, the story of Isaac Burns Murphy who was “one of America’s greatest jockeys” and an African-American born during the era of slavery.
ArtsPlace Gallery has “Kentucky Collects: Sporting Art,” which includes pieces featuring Keeneland and other famous race tracks.

The Art Museum at the University of Kentucky has a number of things happening and “Bottoms Up: A Sculpture Survey” caught my eye. They will have an eclectic mix of sculptures everywhere, including the floor, walls and even the ceiling.
Food:
If you’re in doubt about what you want, head to Jefferson Street where there are a lot of restaurants. If you can’t find an open table or need something immediately, Lexington is blessed with a lot of food trucks. You can see the 38 trucks here or you can use this app to locate the ones near you.
The Lexington Dinner Train will roll Friday night and Saturday afternoon with magician John Shore. The ride takes you past Keeneland and horse farms in the central Kentucky area.
You could also take a ride through horse country with Bluegrass Scenic Railroad.
The guided culinary tour Bleu Plate Walking Food Tour will have special times for Breeder’s Cup. Call ahead to mark your spot in the tour group then show up at 10 a.m. for “a side dish of history, a dash of culture and a taste of the Bluegrass,” which is approximately three hours long.
One final choice is to put two favorites together at Old Kentucky Chocolates with their bourbon truffles, chocolates and cherries. They are celebrating their 50th anniversary, so you know they’re doing things right.

More Horses Please:
Is Breeders’ Cup not offering enough horses for you? The CP National Horse Show will be at Alltech Arena in the Kentucky Horse Park with jumping competitions starting Oct. 27 and wrapping up on Nov. 1. The Horse Park will also have off-track betting and simulcast for the Breeders’ Cup races. Even if you have no interest in the National Horse Show, Kentucky Horse Park offers the International Museum of the Horse featuring Equine Treasures of the Bluegrass until Nov. 1, the American Saddlebred Museum and a trolley tour pulled by draft horses included with admission to the park. Plus, it is a working horse farm with many different breeds, and sizes, of horses. You can also ride horses for an additional charge. There are a lot of other options outside of Lexington to ride horses but this is in the heart of horse country.
For more racehorse action, visit the Thoroughbred Center for a behind-the-scenes look at training Thoroughbreds. They offer tours at 9 a.m. Monday through Saturday with reservations recommended or you can tour horse farms, which makes perfect sense in the “Horse Capital of the World.” Here is an excellent summary if you’re interested. If that’s not enough information-, there’s more on the Breeder’s Cup Festival site.
There are also some special equine movies at the historic Kentucky Theater. Dreamer shows Tuesday, Seabiscuit Wednesday and Unbranded on Thursday. All of these showings are at 7:15 p.m. The first two need no introduction to horse lovers and the last one is about trying to tame wild horses and then make a long trek to Canada. You can also catch One Day, a tale about the forming of Our Mims Retirement Home (OMRH) for broodmares, at Cheapside Pavilion at 11 a.m. Wednesday and 11:30 p.m. through Halloween.
Interested in mingling with/supporting retired thoroughbreds? Go tour OMRH or head to Old Friends Equine’s Dream Chase Farm on Sunday at noon for a celebration with BBQ, tours, auctions and music.
Sports:
The University of Kentucky could keep your heart pounding with excitement if you can handle more.
A Halloween football game at Commonwealth Stadium against Tennessee has a scheduled kickoff time of 7:30 p.m.
The men’s soccer team plays the University of Alabama on Wednesday at 6 p.m. while the women’s soccer team takes on Louisiana State University Thursday at 6:30 p.m. The University of Kentucky’s men’s basketball team starts their season the Monday after Breeders’ Cup at 6 p.m. against Ottawa.
Nature:
You may want some peace and quiet or a place to walk or run during your time in Lexington. Here are two good choices.
McConnell Springs was the campsite of first settlers in the area and the park has 28 acres and trails for people to explore from dawn to dusk.
Raven Run Nature Sanctuary has 734 acres with 10 miles of trails and views of the Kentucky River Palisades. The sanctuary is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
While this list will certainly keep you busy, it is far from exhaustive. There are so many things I could list that are happening during Breeders’ Cup might take you all week to read, so please feel free to explore more at VisitLex and Breeders’ Cup Festival.
You can also follow @Big_Lex_KY and check out the hashtag #SharetheLex to see what other people are doing.
Have fun, I’ll see you out and about as well as at the track!