Cheap flights to Kentucky from £288

Kentucky is home to the “most exciting two minutes in sports” — The Kentucky Derby. Held in Louisville at Churchill Downs, the Kentucky Derby is the first Saturday in May and is the finale to the Kentucky Derby Festival. Visitors booking Kentucky flights and hotel rooms during the festival should come prepared to take part in the Derby traditions. Big hats, seersucker suits and mint juleps are just part of the fun. The 1¼ mile race is also known as the “The Run for the Roses” – whereby a blanket of red roses is placed on the Kentucky Derby winner each year.

Of course, Kentucky has a host of attractions for tourists to explore that don’t include horses or jockeys. Kentucky was a slaveholding state and was caught in the middle of the Civil War. A trip to the George S. Patton, Jr. Military Museum at Fort Knox and Old Fort Harrod State Part are two must-see attractions. For sports fans, don’t miss a visit to the Louisville Slugger Museum where you can watch the famous bats and mitts being crafted.

It’s worth noting that some of the best whiskey comes out of Kentucky. Grab a bottle before boarding your Kentucky flight back home and store it for a special occasion.

Kentucky climate

Kentucky has a moderate climate with warm, humid conditions. Summers are warm with temperatures reaching the mid-20s (Celsius), and winters mildly cold with temperatures in the single digits. Spring is the rainy season, with most of the rain in the southern part of the state. Kentucky is on a storm path, and most storms occur between March and September.

Getting around Kentucky

There are two airports offering flights within Kentucky, and some bus service south of Louisville and Lexington. Trail riding is available, and cycling is a popular mode of transport with cycling clubs and routes throughout Kentucky. A beautiful state to drive through, one of the best ways to explore Kentucky and see the sights is with a car.

What is good to know if travelling to Kentucky?

• Kentucky is the home of bourbon, and many of the distilleries are open for visiting (and for some tasting as well…) Travel the “Bourbon Trail”, in the hills around Lexington, and you can see where 95 per cent of the world’s bourbon comes from. Famous names include Wild Turkey, Maker’s Mark and Buffalo Trace.
• The appropriately named Mammoth Cave is the world’s longest cave system. You can visit the surrounding park area for free, but there is a charge for a tour of the caves. It’s well worth taking a guide (rather than completing a self-guided tour) – the cost is only a dollar more and you’ll find out all sorts of fascinating information along the way.
• Frankfort is the capital of the state and houses many attractions, such as the Kentucky State Capitol and the Zeigler House. Also worth a visit is Daniel Boone’s grave, in the city’s cemetery. As well as seeing the grave itself, the view from the spot – overlooking the river and the Capitol – is stunning.
• Thomas Edison lived in Louisville on Washington Street. His house is now the site of a museum in his honour.
• Sanders’ Café in Corbin is the birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Colonel Sanders operated a gas station here in the 1930s and served his fried chicken to passing travellers, from his own kitchen table. Today, the restaurant is still operating, and an attached museum tells you all you could ever want to know about the food.
• If you’re interested in the state’s thoroughbred horses, visit the Kentucky Horse Park Home or the Thoroughbred Centre, both in Lexington in the middle of the Bluegrass area.