Going with the flow of bourbon in Kentucky

Getting there
From LAX, American, US Airways, United, Continental, Northwest, Southwest and Delta offer connecting service (with change of plane) to Louisville. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $326.

Where to stay
Seelbach Hilton, 500 4th Ave., Louisville, KY 40202; (502) 585-3200, fax (502) 585-9239, www.seelbachhilton.com. Luxury downtown hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places and has hosted eight presidents in its century of operation. Rooms are nicely furnished with antique reproductions and four-poster beds. Doubles from $98. The hotel’s Oakroom restaurant repeatedly earns AAA’s five-diamond rating. Entrees from $20.

Jordan Farm Bed & Breakfast, 24091 Newtown Pike, Georgetown, KY 43024; (502) 868-9002 (days) or (502) 863-1944 (nights), www.jordanfarmbandb.com. This small inn is on a 100-acre working horse farm near Lexington in the Kentucky bluegrass region. Two one-bedroom suites are in a carriage house; a two-room cottage is nearby. Beautiful grounds, units roomy and well furnished. Doubles $85, cottage $100.

Where to eat
The Brown Hotel, 335 W. Broadway, Louisville; (502) 583-1234, fax (502) 587-7006, www.brownhotel.com. Another beautiful old downtown hotel, the Brown has been listed as one of Condé Nast Traveler’s top 25 places to stay in the world. It’s locally known for its Hot Brown ($11.50), an open-face turkey sandwich with bacon and a delicate Mornay sauce served at one of the hotel’s two restaurants, J. Graham’s, open for breakfast and lunch daily. Entrees $8.50-$19.

Claudia Sanders Dinner House, 3202 Shelbyville Road, U.S. 60, Shelbyville; (502) 633-5600, www.shelbyvilleky.com/other_sites/claudia/claudia.htm. Kentucky Fried Chicken czar Harland Sanders and his wife, Claudia, ran this restaurant outside Louisville after selling his chicken kingdom in 1964. Both have died, but the restaurant still features country food served in an antebellum-style Southern mansion. Ample portions. Open for lunch and dinner. Dinner entrees $7.95-$16.95.

Old Talbott Tavern, 107 W. Stephen Foster, Bards- town; (800) 4-TAVERN (482-8376) or (502) 348-3494, www.talbotts.com. Charming Talbott Tavern, founded in the late 1700s, is one of the oldest stagecoach stops in America. Abe Lincoln and his family were once guests. I had a tasty chicken Caesar salad ($8.95) for lunch, but it’s also open for dinner (entrees $11.95-$22.95) and is a B&B. It is midway between the Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark distilleries.

To learn more
Kentucky Distillers Assn., 110 W. Main St., Springfield, KY 40069; (859) 336-9612, www.kybourbon.com. A bourbon trail map and pamphlet are available.

Kentucky Department of Travel, 500 Mero St., Suite 22, Frankfort, KY 40601; (800) 225-TRIP (225-8747), www.kentuckytourism.com.