Foliage, Farms, Festivals + Food

Lexington’s Fall Bucket List
a building
The Lexington Public Library’s Central Branch is home to thousands of books, an art gallery, and the Kentucky Room | Photo by LEXtoday
Yesterday, Thurs., Sept. 22, was the first day of fall. I know, right? Where did the summer go?

To ensure you make the most out of Lexington’s foliage festivities, we’ve compiled a Bluegrass bucket list for fall.

Foliage

If you’re looking to leaf the city behind + explore the countryside — check out this fall foliage map. It predicts when each section of the Commonwealth will experience peak fall foliage.

Additionally, use this list of the top 10 hikes in the Lexington area to plan out your leaf-peeking expedition.

Don’t forget about the yellow tree tunnel on Catalpa Road.

Farms

From corn mazes to apple cannons, there are several surrounding farms that host family-friendly activities throughout the fall season.
an aerial of a farm

Bi-Water farm has been family-owned and operated since 1959. | Photo courtesy of Bi-Water Farm

Festivals

Sip on an Oktoberfest beer or munch on a fried apple dumpling at one of these fall festivals.
  • Country Boy Oktoberfest | Sat., Sept. 24 | 10 a.m.-11 p.m. | Georgetown Taproom, 101 Innovation Way, Georgetown | Free, price of purchase | Drink locally-brewed Oktoberfest beer, participate in a stein holding contest + listen to live accordion rock music.
  • Michler’s Oktoberfest | Fri., Sept. 28-Sun., Sept. 30 | 4-10 p.m. | Michler’s, 417 E Maxwell St. | Free, price of purchase | This Oktoberfest party takes place in the garden with live music, giant pretzels, and extra beer taps.
  • Fall Festival | Fri., Oct. 14 + Sat., Oct. 15 | 4-11 p.m. | Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary, 601 Hill N Dale Rd. | Free, price of purchase | The Southland neighborhood festival features food, inflatables, casino games + Bingo.
people at a festival

The stein holding competition is a tradition at Country Boy Brewing’s Oktoberfest festival. | Photo courtesy of Country Boy Brewing

Food + drink

Local coffee shops + breweries have all released fall drink items for the season. Make time to sample a few. Crank & Boom Craft Ice Cream also just released five new seasonal fall flavors.
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Today
  • A Blues Celebration for Tee Dee Young | Fri., Sept. 23 | 6 p.m. | The Lyric Theatre, 300 E. Third St. | $35 | Celebrate the career of iconic blues guitarist Tee Dee Young with a night of live performances and special surprise guests. 🎸
  • Lexington Mercantile Fall Market | Fri., Sept. 23 + Sat., Sept. 24 | Times vary | Manchester Music Hall, 899 Manchester St. | This family-friendly pop-up market features local vendors, makers + boutiques with food and drink options. 🛍
Saturday
  • Twilight Festival | Sat., Sept. 24 | 12-9 p.m. | Downtown Versailles | Free, price of purchase | Woodford County’s premiere street festival will feature local food, arts, crafts, demonstrations, and live music. 🎉
  • Festival of the Bluebird | Sat., Sept. 24 | 8:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. | West Sixth Farm, 4495 Shadrick Ferry Rd. | $10 | This festival celebrates the bluebirds of Central Kentucky with guest speakers, hands-on educational activities, and craft beer. 🐦
  • Rocky Horror Picture Show | Sat., Sept. 24 | 11 p.m. | The Kentucky Theatre, 214 E. Main St. | $7.75 | Kick start spooky season with a late-night showing of this 1970s cult-classic film. 🎬
  • Stargazing | Sat., Sept. 24 | 8:30 p.m. | Raven Run Nature Sanctuary, 3885 Raven Run Way | Free, registration required | The Bluegrass Amateur Astronomy Club will be on-site to help you gaze into the galaxy. 💫
  • Apple Fest | Sat., Sept. 24 | 9 a.m.-6 p.m. | Eckert’s Orchard, 396 Pinckard Pike, Versailles | $10 | Head out to this farm to pick your own apples and go on a wagon ride. 🍎
  • Black Jacket Symphony | Sat., Sept. 24 | 8 p.m. | Lexington Opera House, 401 W. Short St. | $36 | This unique concert experience will recreate Van Halen’s classic album “1984.” 🎸
Sunday
  • Kenwick Table Art Pop-Up | Sun., Sep. 25 | 11 a.m.-4 p.m. | Kenwick Table, 201 Owsley Ave, Lexington | Free | Enjoy coffee, beer, or wine while you shop for handmade art pieces from local artisans. 🖼
  • Tahl Sound Concert Series | Sun., Sep. 25 | 6 p.m. | Oleika Great Lawn, 302 Southland Dr. | Pay what you can | Local indie band LYLAK will be headlining the playing tunes from their new album “Inconvenient Truce.” 🎶

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

For tickets to local and regional events, check out our 6AM Tickets resale marketplace.*
100+ MORE EVENTS

Now entering: Lexington’s golden age of robotics
🤖

A scientist sits in front of his lab.
Most robotic automation is complex and expensive, but Ally Robotic’s programming-free robots represent a step forward for affordable automation. | Photo provided by Ally Robotics
The year is 2022. Robotics company CEO Mitch Tolson is tasked with automating production in a popular fast food chain — and he invents a new type of robot to do it.

It’s not science fiction — Ally Robotics has created a first-of-its-kind scalable robot that bypasses the need for programming and learns by watching humans work.

Lexingtonians are invited to invest in robotic technology (a $114 billion market) before it rolls out across agriculture, construction, and manufacturing industries — the investment deadline is Thurs., Sept. 29.*
INVEST

Weather
  • 70º | Mostly sunny | 4% chance of rain
Development
  • A new section of paved, multi-use trail has officially opened at Masterson Station Park. This greenway connects the current path, near the park’s playground, with the Town Branch Trail in the McConnell’s Trace neighborhood. Take a walk down the new trail + then grab a drink at The Service Station, 3092 Leestown Rd. (City of Lexington)
Traffic
  • A new traffic signal is now up + operational at the intersection of Winchester Road and Polo Club Boulevard. This new light will be integral for traffic flow in this area with all of the new developments taking shape — Baptist Health Hamburg, a new UK HealthCare facility, and a new Fayette County Middle School. 🚦 (WKYT)
Festival
  • Transylvania University will once again host its PumpkinMania Festival on Sun., Oct. 23. Members of the community are invited to carve pumpkins from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. The finished carvings will then be on display on the steps of the Old Morrison building from Sun., Oct. 23-Thurs., Oct. 27.
Kids
  • Students in the Fayette County Public School system will be on Fall Break from Mon., Oct. 3-Fri., Oct. 7. If you or someone you know is in need of childcare assistance during this time, look to these two organizations for fun, educational options — The Living Arts and Science Center + CREATE Studio.
Try This
  • The Burl Arcade, 369 Thompson Rd., installed a new arcade game — Star Wars Atari. Party like it’s 1983 + blast your way through an 8-bit galaxy. This game has been voted one of the top 100 arcade games of all time. Additionally, head in on a Tuesday for free pinball. 🕹
Eat
  • Chef Ouita Michel’s Honeywood restaurant, located in the Summit at Fritz Farm, has released a new prix fixe fall menu featuring butternut squash bisque, roasted quail on a bed of apples, chocolate bourbon pecan pie + more. A prix fixe menu is a multi-course meal that is available for a set price. 🍽
Seasonal
  • Lexington’s famous downtown Thriller Parade will be held on Sat., Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. Additionally, registration is now open for community members to be a dancer in the parade.
  • The Kentucky Horse Park announced the return of one of its spookiest events — The Crawl. Tour the grounds while visiting several of its horse cemeteries + learn about the ghosts that supposedly haunt the park. This free, one-time event will be held on Sat., Oct. 15 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. 👻
Sports
  • The stage is set for the 2022-2023 UK men’s basketball season. Both the SEC conference schedule + television times have been announced. We’ll keep you updated on when single-game tickets go on sale. The season kicks off on Tues., Nov. 15 when UK hits the road to take on Michigan State in Indianapolis. 🏀 (A Sea of Blue)
State
  • Kentucky was recently awarded $400,000 in state trade expansion program funding. This funding is designed to help small businesses export products globally. Businesses here in Lexington looking to ship products worldwide could be eligible for $10,000 in grant funding to help. (Cabinet for Economic Development)
Shop
  • Time to feel the fall breeze + enjoy the autumn leaves with the Fall For Your City Sale happening now on Six & Main, LEXtoday’s online shop. Take 20% off the entire Fall For Your City Collection now through Sun., Sept. 25.
Community
  • Show your support for local journalism by joining the LEXtoday membership program. Membership has some awesome perks like exclusive birthday deals, discounts from our online shop, Six & Main + more. Plus, 100% of membership funds help support our local editors — that’s us, Aaron + Molly. Learn more + sign up. 💻
Wellness
  • We’ve all been there — trouble falling and staying asleep is infuriating. Your mind races, you toss and turn, and the harder you try, the harder it is to drift off. Healthycell is a new, drug-free, pill-free sleep supplement to help you fall asleep faster, sleep deeply + wake up refreshed. Use code 6AM for 20% off.*
Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.

Town Branch Park rendering

Town Branch Park renderings
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This rendering shows what the new Town Branch Park will look like when completed. | Rendering courtesy of Town Branch Park
Yesterday, renderings of the city’s new Town Branch Park were revealed at the Central Bank Center during an open house event.

This new 9-acre park will serve as a public gathering space + major connection point between the Distillery District and downtown Lexington, occupying the land that sits between the newly-renovated convention center and Oliver Lewis Way. Features include:
  • A dog park
  • An amphitheater
  • A playground
  • A splash area
  • A recreational lawn
Both the Town Branch Trail and the Legacy Trail will connect to the new park, giving citizens pedestrian-friendly access to the world-class entertainment, food, and drinks that our city has to offer.
THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Aaron.

Editor’s pick: Let’s be real, there’s entirely way too much to do in Lexington during the fall to include everything in one newsletter. I didn’t even mention Keeneland, UK football, burgoo, spooky film screenings, or haunted houses.

As always, we’ll be sure to keep you updated on all of the best seasonal happenings taking place around town in the coming weeks.

As for my personal fall bucket list — it’s rock climbing in Red River Gorge, black + white monster movies, and adding cider to my bourbon.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Celebrate 100 years of the Kentucky Theatre.
Read More
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Editorial: Aaron Mikel, Molly Thompson, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Kaylee Holland, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea| Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

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