Having spent a week in Louisville, Shae and I made our way to Paducah, a city in the southwest corner of Kentucky.
We stayed five nights at the Residence Inn Paducah and enjoyed our time in the city. We both had quite a lot of work to do during our stay, so we didn’t get to explore as much as we’d hoped, but still managed to find several fun things to do in Paducah.
If you’re planning on visiting Paducah, here’s a list of what we’d recommend doing.
1) Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area
Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area is about 30 minutes southeast of Paducah and is a beautiful place to go hiking or camping.
The name comes from the fact that the park is located between Kentucky Lake and Barkley Lake. About 2/3 of Land Between The Lakes is in Kentucky, with the southern 1/3 located in Tennessee.
We hiked 5.5 miles of the Canal Loop Trail which was about half its distance. It was a moderate hike that took us through the forest and down by Kentucky Lake.
Shae and I liked it so much that we returned the following day to meet up with some new friends.
Address: Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area, 238 Visitor Center Dr, Golden Pond, KY 42211
2) The National Quilt Museum
I’ll be honest – the thought of visiting The National Quilt Museum in Paducah didn’t sound interesting to me whatsoever. It probably doesn’t help that I’m British because quilting isn’t even a thing in the UK. As a result, Shae went to the museum one morning without me.
That was a mistake on my part.
The photos she showed me upon her return made me regret my decision to stay at the hotel. Those weren’t quilts, they were works of art. Seriously!
So many of the designs were incredible, so be sure to check out Shae’s post about The National Quilt Museum where she shares more about her visit. And if you visit Paducah, don’t make the same mistake I did – go and visit the museum!
Address: The National Quilt Museum, 215 Jefferson St, Paducah, KY 42001
3) Dry Ground Brewing Company
After our first hike at Land Between The Lakes, we went for a drink at Dry Ground Brewing Company. I prefer darker beers, so it was hard choosing what to drink as they had several that sounded tasty.
Thankfully they offered a flight of six beers for $12. I ordered the Lonesome Ornery & Mean Black IPA, Iron Tree Porter, Rapture Imperial Stout, Yardbird Doppelbock, Dollie The Mule Hazy IPA and Cold Hard Truth Wee Heavy/Scotch Ale.
All the beers were great, although I think my favorite was the Rapture Imperial Stout.
Having hiked 5.5 miles that afternoon on her little legs, Truffles was exhausted. She therefore took a snooze in the sun while we had a drink.
Address: Dry Ground Brewing Company, 3121 Broadway St, Paducah, KY 42001
4) Purple Toad Winery
Dry Ground wasn’t the only place we went for a drink in Paducah. On one rainy afternoon, we stopped by the Purple Toad Winery.
The Purple Toad Winery offers dozens of different types of fruit wine. Even better, tastings are completely free and they don’t seem to have a limit on how many you can try.
The pours weren’t too large though, so we tried six each. My favorite was the chocolate strawberry, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to drink an entire glass of it. Shae and I both ordered a glass of wine after the tastings, so I went for the Black & Bruised which was a blend of blackberry and concord grape.
Address: Purple Toad Winery, 4275 Old US Hwy 45 S, Paducah, KY 42003
Your Suggestions
Those were four things to do in Paducah that we enjoyed, but did we miss anything else worth visiting? Let us know in the comments below if you have any suggestions.
You missed Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden and Toyland.