Local Attractions

Located in the heart of the Kentucky Bluegrass, Wilmore is a charming place to visit during every season of the year.

• Fall • Tour our scenic roads and marvel at the splendid fall foliage. Stop by the Metcalf Farm and select one or several mum plants to brighten your fall garden. Join us for the annual Wilmore Arts & Crafts Festival and enjoy demonstrations by artisans, hand-crafted items, fine art, photography, entertainment and sidewalk food vendors. Celebrate Veterans Day with the community and residents of the Thomson-Hood Veterans Center.
  

• Winter • Experience an Old Fashioned Musical Christmas Celebration with the lighting of the town Christmas tree, bands and choirs performing music of the season, townspeople dressed in old fashioned costumes, a nativity scene, along with special lighting and ornaments.
  

• Spring • Plan a picnic and walk or drive along the Harrodsburg Road (U.S. 68) by the Palisades and enjoy the rare and delicate wild flowers growing in profusion. Bring your camera for some unforgettable photographic opportunities as you travel along U.S. 68 (click here for a map), which is designated a Kentucky Scenic Byway.
  

• Summer • Attend the Festival of the Fourth (July) with a colorful parade, crafts show, musical events and outdoor drama.

Within a few minutes drive of our town you'll find unspoiled natural beauty with scenic views, historic waterways, Civil War sites, nature preserves, majestic limestone cliffs, the High Bridge railroad trestle (featured in the Smithsonian Institute), and endless horse farms and stone fences. The following is a partial list of favorite sites to visit:

Historic Homes Tour
Wilmore is home to several unique sites with a rich history in the Civil War, Methodism, and Christian higher education.

Historic Downtown
Take a walk down the quaint streets of Wilmore, participate in the Festival of the Fourth, enjoy the arts and crafts of the fall Wilmore Arts & Crafts Festival, and don't forget to ride in a horse-drawn carriage while carolers stroll by at the Old Fashioned Musical Christmas Celebration. Come, join us in a look back in time - where friendliness and service are a way of life.

Railside Museum
Several Virginians took up land grants in the area after fighting in the Revolutionary War. John Durbin Scott, a grandson of one of these pioneers sold a right-of-way to the Cincinnati Southern Railroad. In 1882, the first depot was built and named Scott's Station. When the business agreement between Mr. Scott and the railroad deteriorated, the railroad bought another right-of-way from a nearby property owner and horseman, J.R. Wilmore. The town was then renamed.

The rail connection assured the economic growth of the town which was supplemented in 1890 by the establishment of Asbury College. Wilmore was incorporated in 1918 and has been growing ever since. In honor of our heritage, Wilmore has placed a vintage Southern caboose near the railroad crossing on East Main Street which houses historical items unique to Wilmore.

Click here for more museum information!

The Palisades
The Palisades are the majestic limestone cliffs bordering the Kentucky River between Frankfort on I-64 west of Lexington and Clays Ferry on I-75 east of Lexington. Some of the most dramatic cliffs are found in the area surrounding the Jim Beam Nature Preserve, around Camp Nelson and High Bridge.

(You may click on any underlined attraction name below to visit their Internet site.)

Shakertown
Shaker Village offers six visitor services: touring, dining, lodging, meeting facilities, shopping and riverboat excursions. It is the only site in America offering this range of activities; all in historic buildings. With 33 restored buildings and 2,800 acres of original land, it is the largest of all restored Shaker communities. In 1972, Pleasant Hill was the first historic site designated a National Historic Landmark from boundary to boundary. U.S. Highway 68 was rerouted to bypass the village in 1965 and the village road was restored to its 19th-century original appearance in 1968. The most recent acquisition, purchased in 1986, was the West Lot including 480 acres and three Shaker buildings. Restoration of this area was completed in 1992.

Camp Nelson
The Camp Nelson Civil War site is located along US 27 in extreme southern Jessamine County, Kentucky about five miles south of Nicholasville. The original camp covered 4,000 acres with some 300 buildings and fortifications. The Union Army turned the rolling pasture land of Jessamine County into an enormous base of operations. All of the buildings, save an officers' quarters, were dismantled and sold following the closure of the base. This immense complex was sandwiched between the natural defenses of the palisades that rise over 400 feet from the Kentucky River and Hickman Creek to the south, east and west. The northern boundary of Camp Nelson was protected by a line of eight earthen fortifications and breastworks. Another fort, Fort Bramlette was constructed on a hill south of the main complex where it overlooked the Kentucky River and Hickman Creek. Watch could be kept for any enemy force that might attempt to attack the depot from the rear.

Highbridge Park
This railroad trestle, built in 1877, an engineering marvel that is featured in the Smithsonian Institute, has a breathtaking view of the Kentucky River Gorge. Home to a camp meeting for many years, High Bridge Park has recently been restored to its original state.
Directions: From Wilmore, go south on Lexington Ave. (route 29) for about five miles until you come to the entrance of the park.

Ichthus Music Festival
A nationally acclaimed contemporary Christian music festival that draws more than 20,000 youth and adults each year in June.

Other Kentucky Festivals
You can find out about other festivals in Kentucky by visiting this exterior Web site.

Kentucky Horse Park
Located in Lexington, Kentucky, the heart of the Bluegrass, the Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm with 1,032 acres surrounded by 32 miles of white plank fencing. The Park is like none other in the world. Dedicated to man's relationship with the horse, the Park features two outstanding museums, twin theaters and more than forty different breeds of horses. All of these elements combine to make a visit to the Park an enjoyable learning experience for everyone - from those unfamiliar with the horse to the horse expert.

Valley View Ferry
Turn back the clock and experience yesterday! The Valley View Ferry has been transporting people across the Kentucky River since 1785. It's where the history of the region began and where it is still alive. It's Kentucky's oldest continuous business. The view from the river is gorgeous with green hillsides on each bank reaching up the Palisades where birds are circling and chirping in the trees. For information on the operating status of the ferry call Lexington Traffic Information Network Recording at 859-258-3611 or Madison County TINR at 859-626-8143.

Asbury College
Asbury College is an independent, nondenominational, Christian, liberal arts institution located in Wilmore, Kentucky amid the rolling hills of the Bluegrass. Under the leadership of president Paul A. Rader, Asbury College is in its second century of providing students with academic excellence in a Christ-centered environment. With a student body of nearly 1,300, the College offers more than 15 majors and 35 minors in 17 academic departments, including nationally-recognized media communication and education programs. U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings placed Asbury College third among the best comprehensive colleges in the South in the 2003 edition of America's Best Colleges. Asbury's global heritage is represented by nearly 20,000 alumni who live and work in all 50 of the United States and more than 65 nations.

Asbury Seminary
For more than 80 years, Asbury Theological Seminary has been training men and women for world-wide Christian leadership. An esteemed faculty and state-of-the-art technology undergird Asbury Seminary's commitment to communicating the unchanging Truth of historic Wesleyan Christianity through the most dynamic, progressive means available. With a student body of more than 1,100 students, Asbury Seminary offers a variety of graduate degree programs, including the Master of Divinity, the Master of Arts, the Master of Theology in World Mission and Evangelism, Doctorates in Missiology and Ministry, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Intercultural Studies. Asbury Seminary has a second campus in Orlando, Fla., and offers classes over the internet through the ExL (Extended Learning) program. Founded in 1923 by Henry Clay Morrison, Asbury Seminary has graduated more than 7,000 Christian leaders to serve around the globe.

Thomson-Hood Veterans Center
The Thomson-Hood Veterans Center, located in Wilmore, Kentucky, provides short and long-term care for Kentucky's veterans, depending on their needs. The center is a model site for education and training of geriatric health care professionals and the staff affiliates with six surrounding universities to provide guidance for students. The center focuses on providing the most advanced methods of care for the elderly.

Wesley Village Senior Living Community
Wesley Village Senior Living Community, located in Wilmore, overlooks the beautiful country setting of Central Kentucky. Residents enjoy spacious new 1, 2 and 3 bedroom homes with attached garages. Amenities may include: complete home maintenance; buffet-style lunches; lawn care/snow removal; paid utilities and home insurance; social activities and transportation services; wellness clinic with a registered nurse; and housekeeping services. Continuous care facilities and services are also offered.

For more information about touring nearby, please click on the image below.