WHAT TO DO
Shaker Village Trails
Forty miles of easy-to-moderate trails for hiking, jogging, and horseback riding wend through the woods around the village. Along the way, you'll see the Shaker cemetery, as well as a little demonstration prairie covered with grasses and coneflowers that gives you an idea of how the area must have looked before anyone tamed it. The short Wildlife Habitat Trail, which includes a bird blind, is great for young children.
Riverboat Rides
Three times a day between April and November, the Dixie Belle churns up the Kentucky River. During the one-hour tour, you'll pass rounded limestone cliffs and fisherman casting for bass, and you'll spot great blue herons flapping by. Catch the 4 p.m. departure for the best bird-watching and prettiest light (and to avoid the big school groups that often go at 2 p.m.); grab a seat on the upper deck. $10 each for ages 13 and up, $5 each for ages 6 to 12, free for children 5 and under; shakervillageky.org.
Horseback Riding
At DeLima Stables, a two-minute drive from the village, owner Mary DeLima has eight English riding horses, an all-weather ring, a cross-country course—and 28 years of teaching experience. Or head to the giant Kentucky Horse Park, which offers pony rides for all ages, horse shows, and museum exhibitions. DeLima Stables, $40 for a half-hour lesson (ages 5 and up); 165 Buena Vista Estates, Harrodsburg, (859) 748-8117. Kentucky Horse Park, 4089 Iron Works Parkway, kyhorsepark.com.
Bourbon-Distillery Tour
Of the eight distilleries on the Bourbon Trail, Woodford Reserve, a 50-minute drive from Pleasant Hill, is the smallest and most picturesque, with 171-year-old limestone buildings housing the whiskey-making works. You can peer into enormous cypress vats where the sour mash bubbles and—if you coordinate your visit to coincide with bottling time—watch the glass flasks rattle down a conveyor belt and get filled. At the tour's end, parents can sip a beaker of the superpremium bourbon while the kids help themselves to lemonade. Woodford Reserve Distillery, 7855 McCracken Pike, Versailles, woodfordreserve.com. For other distilleries, visit kybourbontrail.com.
Pick-your-own Farm
Stretching over more than 65 acres, Boyd Orchards offers strawberries in spring, peaches in summer, and apples in fall—plus a playground, homemade doughnuts, and a hay-bale pyramid. 1396 Pinckard Pike, Versailles, boydorchards.com.
