Spend the Day in Paris
(Group Tours Welcome!)
As you drive into Paris on U.S. 27/68 (the beautiful new four-lane Paris-Lexington Road), stay on Main Street until you arrive downtown, where you’ll find free parking in a lot to the left, just before 8th Street, or to the right, just past 6th Street. Parallel parking along Main Street is also free. From these lots, you are in easy walking distance of some quaint and unique shops. Most of the downtown shops open at 10:00 a.m. (Main Street is a one-way heading northeast. Loop around the courthouse, and you’re on High Street – a one-way heading back towards Lexington).
If you are into antiques, start at Lane's Antiques & Collectibles at 718 Main Street, then to Ardery Antiques at 627 Main, or Discoveries Antiques at 624 Main. New in 2005, the Thoroughbred Antique Mall at 600 Main Street welcomes you. Continue walking northeast where you’ll find the new Paris Antique Mall at 420 Main Street, and Loch Lea Antiques at 410 Main Street. Be sure to visit the Folk Art Room in the back of Loch Lea. At the next corner, turn right onto 4th Street and walk a block-and-a-half to Graham’s Antiques at 108 E. 4th Street (on the left). Returning to Main Street, your last stops on the “Antique Trail” are Antiques & Stuff, at 224 Main, and Bourbon Antiques, at 127 Main Street (a block past the courthouse).
On Main Street, the “must-see” places for shoppers are Paris Artworks at 436 Main, Varden’s at 509 Main, Hornes of the Bluegrass at 610 Main, Paris Fashions at 617 Main Street, Holli’s Housewarming at 623 Main, and Indigo Fashions at 707 Main Street. There are lots of other shops on Main Street that are worth a visit, so keep your eyes open!
You’re probably hungry by now. For good oriental food at very reasonable prices, go to the beautiful Paradise Café at the corner of 8th and Main. (You’ll be sitting in the “World’s Tallest Three-Story Building,” according to Ripley’s Believe It Or Not). If American fare is more to your liking, Bluegrass Billiards at 414 Main Street is famous for their burgers, or choose from Moore’s on Main at 713 Main Street, the Chicken Ranch at 602 Main Street, or Campbell's Inn Paris at 519 Main Street. Walk a few more blocks, and you can lunch with the many horse people who frequent Louie’s at the corner of 10th and Pleasant Streets (one block southeast of Main). Paradise Cafe (859-987-8383) and Campbell's (859-987-5164) can accommodate large groups if you call ahead.
You have to find time in your schedule to tour the Duncan Tavern while you’re in downtown Paris. Duncan Tavern is a gorgeous three-story stone building that was built in 1788 and is steeped in history. Tours are available Tuesday through Saturday at 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $2 for children 6 to 12. Take Main Street all the way around the courthouse (now you’re on High Street), and Duncan Tavern is just diagonal from the courthouse. (Duncan Tavern is closed from January through March).
Before you leave the downtown area, stop by the Farmer’s Market on the corner of 8th and High Streets (one block northwest of Main). The indoor market has locally-grown meats, homemade jams and breads, beautiful crafts, and much more. During the season, local growers are set up outside on Monday and Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings. T & R Fashions at 111 W. 8th Street is new in 2005.
Whew! You’ve gotten a lot done today, but you’re not finished! Hopewell Museum is open from noon until 5:00 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, and 2:00 to 4:00 on Sunday. (Closed in January). For a display of local artifacts and fine arts, Hopewell Museum is at the corner of 8th and Pleasant Streets (one block southeast of Main). Just up the street from Hopewell Museum is the Nanine Clay Wallis Home and Arboretum, at 616 Pleasant Street. The Wallis Home is the headquarters of the Garden Clubs of Kentucky, and includes a beautiful garden that is open to the public.
Just ten minutes from Paris, there is an historical treasure in the Cane Ridge Shrine. Built in 1791, the Cane Ridge Meeting House is the largest one-room log structure in the country, and was the site of the Great Revival of 1801, during which 20,000 to 30,000 worshipers gathered. The Cane Ridge Shrine is open from April 1 to October 31, Monday through Saturday from 9:00 to 5:00, and Sunday from 1:00 to 5:00. From Main Street (U.S. 68/27), go through downtown and keep going until you turn right onto U.S. 460 (just past the Shell station). Go about 2 miles and turn left onto Hwy. 537. Continue about 5 ½ miles to Cane Ridge, on the left.
Dinner is served! 730 Main is said to have the best prime rib in town, with all the “fixins,” and Campbell's in Paris at 519 Main has a good variety. Paradise Café, on the corner of 8th and Main, serves a delicious oriental dinner, or on your way out of town, stop at Perico’s for fantastic Mexican food, or the Clay's Family Steakhouse for something more American. Perico’s and Clay’s are located in the Bourbon Square Shopping Center on the Lexington Road, just at the edge of town.
You probably couldn’t see everything you wanted to see in one day, so come back again! On your next visit, call Claiborne Farm to tour a premium bluegrass horse farm with some of the most beautiful thoroughbreds in the world. Tours are limited, and by reservation only, so call ahead at 859-987-2330. Claiborne is located less than 2 miles southeast of Paris on Hwy. 627 (from Main Street, turn right onto 10th Street).
We hope you enjoyed your visit to Paris. We are proud of our Horses, History, and Hospitality!