BOOMING IN THE Bluegrass

BY KATHERINE TANDY BROWN

Named for Isaac Shelby, who served as the state’s first and fifth governor, Shelbyville, Kentucky, is centrally located between Louisville and Lexington. Or, in Bluegrass State equine parlance, between Churchill Downs and Keeneland Race Course.

The town is located in Shelby County, which is branded as ShelbyKY and is known as the American Saddlebred Capital of the World. Lush, rolling hills dotted with exquisite barns and high-stepping show horses surround its two main towns, Shelbyville and Simpsonville.

In the past 15 years, this rural region has experienced phenomenal growth, as witnessed by the recent addition of the Shelbyville Conference Center and, a few years earlier, the state’s only designer outlet mall, Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass near Simpsonville. New lodgings are popping up to accommodate the increase in visitors, including a Fairfield Inn that’s being built next to Jeptha Creed, one of two established distilleries in Shelby County. Another, thus far unnamed, is coming soon.

“We are an ever-evolving county on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail,” said Lynsey Dennison, sales and sports director at ShelbyKY Tourism and Visitors Bureau. “We’re super excited at how we’re blossoming in the bourbon industry.”

In the spring, downtown Shelbyville is showy with dogwood blossoms, its streets populated by specialty shops such as Wakefield-Scearce Galleries, internationally known for English antiques and silver. One of several downtown bed and breakfasts, Bottled in Bond Loft, has been featured on HGTV. The boutique Saddlebred Suites occupies the entire upstairs of a beautifully renovated 1890s building and offers four spacious guest suites with exposed brick and hardwood flooring. A property buyout is perfect for a corporate retreat.

“Our conference center has taken us to a whole new level meetings-wise and allows for a lot bigger groups than we’ve been able to host before,” said Dennison. “We do the ‘front-end loading,’ so when attendees walk into the conference center, the meeting is set up and ready to go.”

Yet ShelbyKY still emanates a folksy, small-town feel, a blend of sophistication and countryside. Meeting attendees can breathe in fresh air as they walk or cycle on the local greenway or take a hayride at Gallrein Farms. Locals show up to see talented Saddlebreds at the annual Shelbyville Horse Show each August. And Claudia Sanders Dinner House, built by the Colonel Harland Sanders for his wife, is known for its “favorite Kentucky dishes the way your grandmother made them.”

SHELBYVILLE, KENTUCKY

LOCATION

Central Kentucky, between Louisville and Lexington

ACCESS

Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (33 miles from the Shelbyville Conference Center), Blue Grass Airport in Lexington (41 miles); Interstate 64

MAJOR MEETING SPACES

Shelbyville Conference Center, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Comfort Inn and Suites

HOTEL ROOMS

More than 500

OFF-SITE VENUES

Bulleit Distilling Company, Jeptha Creed Distillery, The Stratton Center, Gatsby Inn, Claudia Sanders

Dinner House

CONTACT INFO

ShelbyKY Tourism and Visitors Bureau

502-633-6388 shelbykyvenues.com