Oscar Getz Museum of Bourbon History — Attraction in Bardstown

EXCELLENT MUSEUM WITH NO ADMISSION (IT'S FREE). My wife and I visited here on Wednesday, 7 August, 2024. It's located on the first floor of a beautiful old historic building, which I think I read was a former Catholic Seminary. It's just a few blocks walk from the center of Bardstown. Admission is absolutely free, but they do accept voluntary donations, so I dropped $10 in their kiddie. The museum has lots of great photos and artifacts on display in a long central hallway, as well as in several large rooms located all along that main hallway. All of the displays are exclusively centered on and all about the rich history of Bourbon, our own uniquely-American spirit. There are no docents or tour guides. All tours are self-guided. It's a "must do" FIRST stop if you are planning to travel the Bourbon Trail. By that I mean I would highly recommend you stop here first before you visit any of the nearby distilleries or rickhouses (warehouses where they age the bourbon in oak barrels) because you will learn so much about the distilling process and all of the crazy characters who have been key players in the Bourbon industry. We spent about 2 hours here at the museum because there are so many things to see and read. If you take the time (about 2-3 hours) you will learn all about the 5 Ws of Bourbon, and especially all of the colorful characters who made and/or sold it over the last 210 plus years, including during Prohibition. Also, just below this museum in the basement is the "Rickhouse" restaurant and bar, which is one of just a few 4-5 star rated restaurants in Bardstown proper. Even if you don't dine there, it's still worth stopping at the restaurant's bar for a drink and to have a look around the cool decor after you do the...

There were two entrances (or at least doorways) to the museum which indicated open (one of which is pictured). Google Maps also indicated open. However, the doors were locked, and when we called, we were informed it was closed. We specifically drove to Bardstown to see this museum as our first stop and it has specific artifacts and information that relates to what we learned about at the Frasier Museum that we were coming to see.

(Destinations not being open when they say they will be open or not indicating that they are closed during regular hours can be a great inconvenience and frustration to travellers. As such, I give these one star, which will be updated...

Jean literally opened the door and welcomed us in! She gave us a brief but very informative introduction to the museum, told us she would be happy to answer any questions (and she did!) The museum is technically free to tour, but a suggested donation of $10pp is suggested which we happily paid as we would like to see this place keep going! Definitely a "hidden gem" Be sure to take your time and absorb the details. So much...