budget,  travel

Versailles and the Arboretum in Lexington, KY

April 30, 2021 /

My husband has traveled through Kentucky for work and mentioned seeing a castle in Versailles which is really close to Lexington and just downt the road from Keeneland. We headed there and were pleasantly surprised by this fun castle which is a hotel and spa. One of my readers, Leslie shared the following link if you want to read about how this castle came about: https://myoldkentuckyroadtrip.com/2011/09/20/versailles-lexington-road-castle/

From the road you can see the castle and wonder what it is! I wasn’t sure if we would be able to walk around so we were able that we could. I was very impressed with the grounds and thought this would be a fun place to spend an anniversary. It is close to Lexington where there is much to do but it is far enough that you feel like you are in the country.

After seeing real castles in France, the boys were not super impressed but it still was fun to see something like this in the US.

This little one was most impressed with the little pond with the koi fish. The oldest really enjoyed the small non profit farm next door.

The room are about 200 to 300 dollars a night. There are rooms in the main building as well as in the corner towers.

I thought the detail bees were a pretty touch.

I did not take pictures inside the main building and restaurant but it was very elegant and intricate.

 

The Arboretum

This was another nice free outing on this day! We enjoyed a walk at the arboretum before finding a restaurant for dinner.

There were not a ton of flowers in bloom apart from tulips but many of the trees were in bloom. Just being a few hours north of where we live does make a difference.

It was nice to see different trees also from the ones I had found around town at home. This next one smelled really good.

The boys for the most part enjoyed the walk through the grounds as they were not too tired or starved.

They still also enjoy an opportunity to take pictures with mommy! This poor little feller needed new shoes after this vacation. We did buy some hiking shoes for everyone before the trip but his regular tennis shoes were worn down.

A reader who lives nearby shared the story about this sculpture and I wanted to add it here!

“I have some interesting information for you about your visit to the Arboretum. I wanted you to know the story behind the sculpture with the birds soaring upward and what it represents.

In 2009 there was a plan crash at the local airport, Bluegrass Field , in which the co-pilot was the only one to survive. Each bird soaring upwards represents the passengers and crew who lost their lives that fateful morning, I think there were 49.”

We ended our dinner with dinner which consistent of sushi for most of us. We stopped at a place called Malone’s and it was delicious.

Next week, I will be sharing our day in Frankfort!

A bientôt!

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26 Comments

  • Connie D Martin

    April 30, 2021 at 8:01 am

    Hi Chez, I enjoy reading your blog and am so excited to hear you visited the Lexington-Versailles area. I would love to have been out and about that day and met up with you since that is where I live.

    I have some interesting information for you about your visit to the Arboretum. I wanted you to know the story behind the sculpture with the birds soaring upward and what it represents.

    Several years ago there was a plan crash at the local airport, Bluegrass Field , in which the co-pilot was the only one to survive. Each bird soaring upwards represents the passengers and crew who lost their lives that fateful morning, I think there were 49.

    I hope you enjoyed everything about your visit here and would love for you to visit our area again soon.

    Connie

    • mimifce

      April 30, 2021 at 4:58 pm

      Hi, Connie! Thanks for that bit of information: if there was a plaque I did not read it. I think I will add that info to my post with your permission (a little cut and paste). It is a beautiful area and we really enjoyed our week in Kentucky.

  • Penny

    April 30, 2021 at 8:51 am

    Another very interesting post, Mireille, what a fun place. I agree with the boys that it’s not the real deal but nevertheless what an interesting hotel to stay in. Nice to see the countryside where you live. Have a lovely weekend 🙂

    • mimifce

      April 30, 2021 at 4:56 pm

      Thanks, Penny! This is 5 hours north of US (we are near Atlanta, GA) but we do have some similar trees. It was a new place for us to explore so it was nice to take a break from hiking.

    • mimifce

      May 1, 2021 at 9:24 pm

      We couldn’t afford to stay there but would be fun as a anniversary night. It was fun to walk around though.

    • mimifce

      May 2, 2021 at 8:22 pm

      Oh, I am going to read that article. It was a last minute decision to stop by since my husband has passed it several times on his travels in Kentucky!

    • mimifce

      May 2, 2021 at 8:24 pm

      I am going to add that link! Thanks, that was interesting to read, will share with the hubby too!

  • Laura Bambrick

    May 1, 2021 at 10:04 pm

    What a fun castle hotel! It’s really beautiful, but I agree, those true castles in Europe and their history are a bit more impressive. Still, I would be first in line to stay there! It is so pretty!

    • mimifce

      May 2, 2021 at 8:21 pm

      Me too, lol! It definetely would be a splurge to stay here but fun. Just not with kids lol!

  • Dasynka

    May 2, 2021 at 4:47 pm

    What a beautiful castle! It is so nice to see these photos and see how happy you are about spending time together. Family trips are always the best memory 🙂 lovely post.

    xx Dasynka

  • Shelbee on the Edge

    May 9, 2021 at 7:53 am

    What a cool place to visit, Mireille! I laughed that your boys were not that impressed after seeing real castles in France! Haha. But it is pretty neat to see American castles sometimes, too! We have a castle very near where I live that has an intersting background. It is called Boldt Castle and definitely worth a visit if you ever make your way to northen NY! Thanks for sharing your fun trip!

    Shelbee
    http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com

    • mimifce

      May 9, 2021 at 5:16 pm

      I will have to look it up. In the south we have the Biltmore Estate and we have old forts. Lots of history.

  • Leslie Susan Clingan

    May 13, 2021 at 12:15 pm

    We will be back in Lexington the end of this month. I want to take my granddaughters to the castle to at least wander around. Checked the price of the tours but it would be $100 for all of us to tour. Not sure the girls would be up for that anyway. Lovely place. We have passed it so many times and never been inside.

    I would like to check out the arboretum, too.

    • mimifce

      May 13, 2021 at 6:50 pm

      We just walked the grounds for free. I didn’t even know they did a tour. But do check out the arboretum!