Kentucky is often celebrated for its rolling bluegrass fields, bourbon distilleries and the thunderous spectacle of the Kentucky Derby, but beyond these iconic Southern images lies a state brimming with hidden gems and unexpected opportunities for meeting planners seeking something truly unique.
From vibrant cities like Louisville, offering cutting-edge convention facilities and big-brand hotels, to serene countryside retreats that inspire creativity, Kentucky offers a rich blend of history, culture, modern amenities and something special everywhere you look.
The Bluegrass State is a place where Southern hospitality meets innovative spirit, and whether you’re planning a corporate conference, an intimate team retreat or a grand-scale convention, Kentucky has far more to offer than meets the eye, such as in the hidden gems of Oak Grove, Paducah and Shelby.
Oak Grove
Situated on the boundaries of western Kentucky and middle Tennessee is the quiet rural community of Oak Grove, commonly referred to as “The Hometown of Fort Campbell” (a bedroom community outside the gates of the 101st Airborne Division).
Oak Grove may only be home to a population of approximately 8,000 residents, but the city is used to welcoming tens of thousands of visitors every year.
“Oak Grove is wonderful because it’s a small town, but that makes it a close-knit community,” said Scarlett Mayfield, events, marketing and PR manager for Oak Grove Tourism. “I couldn’t name everybody down the street necessarily, but when it matters, we come together as a great community.
“But we also have so many different things that I feel like people either miss or don’t necessarily know about,” Mayfield continued. “We have murals around the whole entire city, we do a butterfly festival every year, we have another festival that has a bunch of horses because, well, Kentucky is horse country.
“Oak Grove is Kentucky at its core, but we also offer more than bourbon and horses,” Mayfield concluded.
One of Oak Grove’s biggest offerings is its festivals, two of which have been around for a few years, while a third festival that was established two years ago is growing into another major event drawing visitors—and groups—to the Oak Grove area.
“The first festival every year is the Spring into Summer Salutes Fort Campbell Festival, which falls on Memorial Day weekend every year and has been around for almost two decades,” Mayfield said. “It’s a two-day festival with free carnival rides, stage shows, parking. Everything about the festival is free, unless you want to shop down vendor alley or eat some food.”
On Saturday night during the festival, Oak Grove offers a free concert with a major artist. This year, the city welcomed Poison frontman Bret Michaels to the stage, while previous Spring Into Summer festivals have featured country singers Chris Janson and Dylan Scott.
“That’s our biggest event, I would say,” Mayfield said. “It brings in between 40,000 and 50,000 people over two days, and when we got Bret Michaels this past year, I think we had about 32,000 people in one day. We had people coming from everywhere. There was one vendor who decided to come from Florida just because he found out Bret Michaels was playing.”
The one-day Kentucky Bands, Bourbon & Wine Festival also calls Oak Grove home every July, showcasing an array of wine, bourbon and spirit vendors from across the state as well as food and live music—and free admission!
“We try to make sure everyone featured is from Kentucky, and people seem to really like that,” Mayfield said. “The festival draws around 1,000 people, and I think it would be a really cool option if somebody wanted to plan around it because we’re in the works of trying to add some new stuff to it and it’s not too big or overwhelming for groups.”
A Meeting Planner’s Oak Grove Checklist
Oak Grove may be a small town, but it has seemingly everything a destination needs when it comes to entertainment and attractions. It also doesn’t fail to tick all the boxes on a meeting planner’s checklist, including items such as:
- A meetings-friendly hotel: “Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel is fairly new, and it’s a huge attraction,” Mayfield said. “People come in from everywhere to stay at the hotel and play games, but what’s really cool about visitors is they’re not just there for the casino part. The hotel hosts its own events, they have different concert series and, of course, when the horse-racing season opens, that’s always a big hit.” Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel features 128 guest rooms, 9,875 square feet of meeting space across five venues (max. capacity: 650) and more than 1,200 games as well as the property’s signature restaurant, Garrison Oak Steakhouse, winner of OpenTable’s 2023 Diner’s Choice Award.
- A conference center: Valor Hall Conference & Event Center offers more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space as well as 6,000 square feet of glass-enclosed prefunction space. The center’s 101st Ballroom is divisible into two smaller spaces, and Valor Hall also offers three classrooms (breakout rooms) and Rendezvous Hall, a large space with floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides. “The cool thing about where Valor Hall is located is there’s a walking trail along the park outside for people that really like to get outside to take a walk and be in nature,” Mayfield said. “There’s a 1980s schoolhouse that can be toured to learn some facts about it, and there’s also a butterfly garden to sit and relax surrounded by all the pretty flowers.”
- A convenient location: Oak Grove is located just off Interstate 24 and is less than four hours away from Atlanta, Louisville, St. Louis, Memphis and Nashville by car. Nashville International Airport is the most convenient option for air travelers, located 55 miles away and within an hour’s drive from Oak Grove.
- Local F&B: “We have a coffee shop called Respawn Coffee Company and their big thing is video game stuff like augmented reality (AR), and they also have boardgames that make it a cool place for a teambuilding outing,” Mayfield said. “We also have Mikado Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar, which is a really cool restaurant where they cook right in front of you, and they have a few different tables that seat a decent amount of people, so groups can make reservations as long as there’s enough time in advance.”
[Related: Highlights From the 2024 MPI World Education Congress in Louisville]
Paducah
Founded in 1827 by William Clark (yes, of the famed Lewis and Clark duo), Paducah’s strategic location at the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee rivers made it an ideal location for waterway access. Today, the Kentucky city in America’s geographical heart also serves as an ideal location for meetings and events—and has much more to offer than just some U.S. history.
“Paducah is an arts and culture town,” said Liz Hammonds, director of marketing and communications for the Paducah CVB. “We are one of only nine cities in the U.S. that are UNESCO Creative Cities, and so we’re designated by the United Nations as a creative city for our collaboration with other cultures throughout the world and our creativity, like in quilting and other arts, as well as our distinct American culture.
“While most of Kentucky is known for bourbon and horse racing—and we do have some of that here—we are really proud of our cultural heritage and our arts scene,” Hammonds continued. “In Paducah, what you’re going to find is very different from what you might expect when you think of rural west Kentucky.”
Paducah keeps arts and culture at its core, offering a symphony orchestra and a huge performing arts center as well as a successful regional community theater and the only nonprofit arts cinema in the region.
“So, what people discover if they come for a meeting is yes, we have those meeting facilities that they need. We’ve got the convention center. We’ve got all of that,” Hammonds said. “But we also have these beautiful boutique spaces that are architecturally significant. We have all this beautiful public art and local shopping. We are just an arts town, and it’s definitely different than what meeting planners and attendees might expect.”
A Meeting Planner’s Paducah Checklist
Paducah’s arts and culture scene makes for a colorful meetings destination sure to inspire creativity, and the Kentucky city also offers all the amenities a meeting planner needs, including:
- A variety of lodging options: Paducah is well-situated to welcome larger groups, but “where we shine is in that small-meetings market,” Hammonds said. The town offers more than 2,000 hotel rooms, many within walking distance of the convention center, as well as uniquely local and boutique properties that serve as ideal hosts for incentives and executive retreats. “We’ve got jewelry properties like a historic bed-and-breakfast in a renovated building from the 1920s, and The 1857 Hotel is another example of that. If groups are wanting to come here and be immersed in that artistic experience, they should certainly look into those properties.”
- A convention center: The Paducah-McCracken County Convention & Expo Center offers more than 100,000 square feet of flexible meeting space on the riverfront in Historic Downtown. The nearly 40,000 square feet of drive-in capable space in the Expo Center can accommodate 200 exhibition booths. “There’s a large ballroom that can be divided into four smaller spaces, and it’s very easy and flexible,” Hammonds said. “They also have a full catering service there and 17 breakout rooms, so plenty of space. We hold [American Quilter’s Society’s] QuiltWeek every April, which is a large quilt show, and they use every single inch of that space, so a group can make it entirely their own.”
- A convenient location: The Barkley Regional Airport in West Paducah is a first-class terminal offering the amenities of a bigger airport without the hassle and stress of large crowds and long lines. “We have one direct flight to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, but then you can go from Charlotte anywhere, so it’s a nice regional hub,” Hammonds said. “If you want a direct international flight, we’re just a two-hour drive from Nashville.”
- Unique event venues: “We have a few different historic event spaces downtown, like The Carson Theater for the Performing Arts (four rooms with a max. capacity of 1,806) and Market House Theatre (eight rooms with a max. capacity of 150),” Hammonds said. “We really shine in being able to take a beautiful historic space that has been adaptively reused to create a small meeting space that’s something people won’t forget. When you come to Paducah, you’re going to have something memorable.”
- Destination-specific activities: “We offer a series called our Paducah Signature Experiences, and there’s a handful of things to try,” Hammonds said. “You can go to the National Quilt Museum and make a little quilt square. There’s one called Ms. Maggie’s Memories, which is at our Hotel Metropolitan. It’s a renovated hotel from 1908 that hosted African-American travelers who were coming through the area to perform. So, during segregation, these travelers stayed at Hotel Metropolitan, and the list of people who stayed there includes Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Tina Turner. Groups can set up a tour with the proprietor who gets in character and tells the story of that hotel.”
[Related: An Event Planner’s Take on the New Kentucky International Convention Center]
Shelby
Situated in the heart of central Kentucky and less than an hour away from major metros Louisville and Lexington, Shelby offers an authentic Kentucky spirit and rural character with all the amenities its nearby neighbors have.
“A lot of people say it, but truly, we have something for everyone in Shelby,” said Janette Marson, president and CEO of Visit ShelbyKY. “Of course, the Shelbyville Conference Center is our tool for meetings here in Shelby County, but when people are looking at meetings, they’re also looking for all the things to do after meetings are over, and we deliver there, too.”
The city welcomes groups of all kinds, from smaller groups traveling internationally to larger gatherings interested in riding a few horses, and offers a grand-scale shopping scene with local small businesses, rolling pasturelands, various dining options, golf, wineries and more.
“One thing that’s really neat about our area is local vendors and shop owners are willing to do something different,” Marson said. “We have a variety of different store owners that could create something for groups—painting your own pottery, creating a Kentucky Derby hat. They’re not big stores, so these experiences would best serve smaller groups, but those are great private, unique activities for groups.”
Horses are another Shelby staple. Commonly known as the “American Saddlebred Capital of the World”—there are more than 200 horse farms in the area—Shelby is taking on another title through ShelbyKY’s marketing campaign: Your Bourbon Destination.
“We have two wonderful bourbon distilleries. Bulleit Distilling Co. is here, and a lot of people are aware of that one already,” Marson said. “Then we have a wonderful craft distillery called Jeptha Creed Distillery, and what makes that one special is that it’s a mother-daughter team. There are so few distillery owners that are women. That’s a tiny percentage, but it’s even smaller when it’s a mother-daughter team.”
A Meeting Planner’s Shelby Checklist
Opportunities to experience everything that gives Shelby its authentically Kentucky appeal are abundant, but so are all of the amenities a meeting planner needs to make Shelby the home of their next event, including:
- A conference center: “The Shelbyville Conference Center is located just steps away from downtown Main Street and is managed by ShelbyKY Tourism,” Marson said. The conference center offers more than 16,000 square feet of space spread across one floor. “We don’t have a hotel that’s right next to the conference center, but we’re a small community, so things are within five to 10 minutes away.”
- A variety of lodging options: “We have a brand-new Fairfield Inn & Suites located right next door to Talon Winery,” Marson said. “Another popular brand-name hotel is the Hampton Inn Simpsonville, which is right next door to Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass, and for groups that are smaller, we’ve got a wonderful new vacation rental that is like a palace. It’s called Mallard Hall, and that would be something perfect for corporate luxury. There’s also Cerulean Farm Bed & Breakfast, with lots of windows showing the horses right outside.”
Claudia Sanders Dinner House. Credit: ShelbyKY Tourism Local F&B: “Starting with a restaurant that’s very historic but can fit the greatest amount of people, Claudia Sanders Dinner House is a Shelby staple,” Marson said. “Years ago, Colonel Sanders (of KFC fame) was based here in Shelbyville, and he opened a restaurant for his wife, Claudia. It’s right next door to their house and the original KFC kitchen, so the restaurant has the original chicken recipe and other southern comfort foods, as well as years of history behind it.” Main Street also features several dining options, including the popular Bell House Restaurant, built in 1902 and offering classic American fare and wine.
- Destination-specific activities: Distillery tours at both Bulleit Distilling Co. and Jeptha Creed Distillery showcase an authentic side of Shelby in completely different ways. “At Bulleit Distilling Co., they tend to do their distilling in a more high-tech way,” Marson said. “They have an intimate tasting experience where a group is given a variety of different things to smell that changes the taste of the bourbon. At Jeptha Creed, you can go out to their tasting barn and thieve bourbon directly out of the barrel and have a tasting in a beautiful bourbon barn with leather seats.” Groups interested in outdoor adventures can also participate in horseback riding experiences or follow guided trails. “Red Fern Riding Center located at Shelby Trails Park does group horseback riding, and farm tours are always a big hit.”
[Related: Nightlife Options for Kentucky Meetings: Fine Bourbon, Down-Home Cooking and Horses 24/7]
The Latest & Greatest in Louisville
Louisville is the definition of a “total package,” especially in the eyes of a meeting planner, and Bourbon City just keeps on developing. Some new additions that have either recently opened or will be coming soon in the central business district or nearby in adjacent neighborhoods include:
- Tempo by Hilton Nulu is a brand-new hotel (opened May 2024) that offers 130 rooms in the upbeat NuLu neighborhood, a lively lobby setting with all-day dining at Moonsong Bar + Cafe on the first floor as well as dinner in its recently opened rooftop restaurant, High Stakes Grill.
- The Myriad Hotel is housed in a former disco ball factory. The 65-room property opened in September 2023 in the Highlands neighborhood and features a chef-driven Mediterranean-inspired restaurant (Paseo), an outdoor pool swim club style and a coffee cafe and cocktail bar called Switchboard.
Angel's Envy Bourbon Tasting. Credit: Louisville Tourism Hotel Genevieve is a chic property that opened May 2023 and is turning heads in the NuLu neighborhood with its feminine French design, Parisian cafe-inspired restaurant (Rosettes), lush rooftop (Bar Genevieve), mini market and intimate speakeasy (Lucky Penny).
- Canopy by Hilton Louisville Downtown is slated to open in early 2025. Just one block south of Louisville’s historic Main Street and Whiskey Row, this six-story Hilton property will feature 168 rooms, a rooftop pool and bar, and a ground-floor eatery, Bourré Bonne Steakhouse, helmed by one of Louisville’s top restaurateurs, Kevin Grangier.
- The $92 million Derby City Gaming Downtown entertainment hub opened across the street from the Kentucky International Convention Center with slots-like historical horse racing machines, sports betting and three unique bar concepts, including a premium bourbon library, elegant wine bar and cigar lounge.
- Singer-songwriter icon Bob Dylan’s The Last Refuge has a new restaurant, whiskey bar and live music venue concept within a 150-year-old church in the NuLu neighborhood (East Market District).
- Pursuit Spirits has a new tasting room under construction on Whiskey Row, Log Still Distillery’s Monk’s Road Boiler House just opened a supper club-inspired restaurant and tasting room on Whiskey Row, and Rabbit Hole Distillery and Angel’s Envy are both looking to expand their current operations and visitor experiences along with Brough Brothers Distillery, which will soon open a new visitor experience.
- Kentucky’s first female Master Distiller, Marianne Eaves, has signed on to be part of a bourbon concept housed in a new downtown boutique hotel.
