Pictures by Alice Ok Elliott
Kentucky is thought for a lot of issues, together with bourbon, basketball, bluegrass, and horses, however it might shock you to know {that a} mere ten miles east of Lexington, you’ll additionally discover a welcoming 110-acre property aptly known as The Kentucky Citadel.
A protracted journey
For a comparatively trendy citadel, this place has fairly a historical past. It’s the brainchild of Rex Martin and Caroline Bogaert Martin, a married couple who sought to imitate ones they noticed in Europe. Development started in 1969 however was halted a number of years later once they cut up, leaving the property deserted for nearly three a long time.
It was finally purchased in 2003 by a Kentucky-born lawyer; regardless of the construction burning down nearly utterly the next yr, he efficiently turned it into an unique bed-and-breakfast. New proprietors bought it in 2017, opened the farm-to-table restaurant and spa, expanded occasion choices, and developed a working backyard. In 2023, the present house owners took over; they plan to proceed the custom of Kentucky hospitality the citadel is thought for.
Take all of it in
The right technique to see all of the citadel has to supply is thru a guided tour. Choose the castle-only possibility, or take the mixed castle-and-farm tour; you can too add a luncheon to both. Different choices embrace yoga periods on the citadel roof, tea events, and murder-mystery dinners at its farm-to-table restaurant. After a busy day, you possibly can relax and pamper your self on the venue’s luxurious spa.
Keep over
There’s a king’s ransom of lodging to select from, each inside and outdoors the citadel partitions. Inside, you’ll discover welcoming commonplace rooms and suites, whereas on the farm, choices embrace a glamping website, cabin, farmhouse, and tiny homes. For the last word in luxurious, you possibly can even name one of many citadel’s 4 towers house. Whether or not you go to or keep over, you’ll uncover that The Kentucky Citadel earns its self-imposed moniker: the best-kept secret in central Kentucky.
For more information, go to thekentuckycastle.com
