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Known to American school kids as the land of pioneer trailblazer Daniel Boone - Kentucky is also famous for its fried chicken, tobacco and bourbon, along with foot-stomping Kentucky Blue Grass music festivals held throughout the year..

Other notable annual events that continue to draw the crowds happens at Churchill Downs in Louisville each May for the Kentucky Derby horse race that kicks off the yearly run for the Triple Crown.

In August, also don't miss a trip to the annual Kentucky State Fair in Louisville.

Year round, more major tourism spots include the Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, and the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. For baseball fans, there is the Louisville Slugger Museum, and for nature lovers the awesome 300-mile long Mammoth Cave in central Kentucky.

Top Kentucky tourist attractions include Cumberland Falls in Corbin (left); shows & exhibits at Kentucky
Horse Park in Lexington (middle): and Mammoth Cave National Park in south central Kentucky (right).

Other nature-made wonders await in the southeastern part of the state at "Little Niagara" or Cumberland Falls.

In the southwesterly part of the state -- sprawling across to Tennessee -- lies Land Between the Lakes national recreational area, featuring the largest herd of buffalo east of the Mississippi!

Usual Kentucky attractions include the controversial Creation Museum in Petersburg -- while another kind of spiritual experience awaits for avid car lovers at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green.

Bored with standard hotel rooms on your travels? For the highly curious, the Wigwam Village Inn in Cave City allows guests to trade up for a stay in a giant tepee.

Parades, music concerts, a hot air balloon fest, and one of the most spectacular fireworks displays in the USA are only part of the fun at Louisville's Kentucky Derby Festival.

2024 Kentucky events and festivals

Just up ahead, check out our 2024 Kentucky travel calender featuring memorable events and major festivals happening throughout the state with dates, locations and official links for more information. Happy travels!

April 10 - May 2, 2024 -- Kentucky Derby Festival Louisville - A weeks' long celebration includes racing marathons, balloon fests, music concerts and lots more.

June 8 - June 9, 2024 -- Railbird Music Festival Lexington - A weekend full of music, music music on two stages featuring A-list performers.

July 5 - July 7, 2024 -- Berea Craft Festival Berea - More than 100 artists and craftspeople from across the country will be hand to show off their work including live demonstrations.

September 19 - September 12, 2024 -- Bourbon & Beyond Music Festival Louisville - Check out top A-listers on the music concert lineup and Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Expo Center.

also see -> Kentucky Lake & Beach Guide

More about Kentucky tourist attractions around the Web:

Kentucky Department of Tourism - The official Kentucky travel guide featuring major attractions, hotels & restaurants, museums, outdoor activities, event calendar, pictures, maps and trip planner.

Greater Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau - The state's largest city with lots to do and see, plus facts and information on travel packages, online booking, hotel & restaurant guide, shopping, entertainment, itinerary planner, photos.

West Kentucky Tourism Information - Major historic attractions including miles of nature refuges and lake-front water recreation, along with a hotel and lodging guide, restaurants, entertainment, getting around, maps and pictures.

Lexington, Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau - Horses and more horses, with guides to related major attractions, feature stories, pictures, hotel & restaurant guide, a multitude of sightseeing ideas, photos, event calendar.