United States · Kentucky
Where to Stay in Lexington, Kentucky
Brick townhouses and church spires mark the older streets of Lexington, a city in Kentucky chartered in 1775 and long tied to the surrounding Bluegrass country.
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Where to stay in Lexington
Each area has its own feel; here's who each one suits.
Where you stay in Lexington turns on how close you want to be to its historic core. The blocks around the Mary Todd Lincoln House and the Hunt-Morgan House hold the oldest streets, and staying near them puts the walkable centre of Lexington at your door. Choose this ground if you want brick townhouses, the Central Christian Church, and Christ Church Episcopal within an easy walk.
The University of Kentucky side of town gathers around the University of Kentucky Art Museum and campus streets, a quieter footing that suits visitors tied to the school or its events. Ballgame nights pull crowds toward Whitaker Bank Ballpark, and rooms nearby favour travellers who want to walk to a game. Each pocket sits a short drive from the next.
The city is spread wide.
About Lexington
What is Lexington known for?
Lexington is known for its horse country and a compact centre of preserved nineteenth-century houses. The Mary Todd Lincoln House and the Hunt-Morgan House stand among brick homes kept by the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation. The University of Kentucky Art Museum anchors the campus side of town.
Old money built these streets.
What are the main landmarks in Lexington?
The main landmarks in Lexington cluster in and around its historic core. The Mary Todd Lincoln House recalls the family of Abraham Lincoln's wife, while the Hunt-Morgan House and Rose Hill carry the names of early Bluegrass families. Congregations left the Second Presbyterian Church, the First Presbyterian Church, and Christ Church Episcopal.
The Living Arts and Science Center rounds out the list. Preservation runs deep here.
What is the history of Lexington?
Lexington was chartered in 1775, among the earliest settlements west of the Appalachian ridges in what became Kentucky. Its name honoured the Massachusetts battle of that year. Early planters raised brick houses on the level ground, and families like the ones remembered in the Hunt-Morgan House and Rose Hill grew wealthy on the land around town.
The Mary Todd Lincoln House ties the place to the wife of a United States president. Fortunes rose on horses and farming through the century that followed. The Civil War split loyalties across the region, and the John Hunt Morgan Memorial and the John C. Breckinridge Memorial still mark figures from those years.
Congregations built the First Presbyterian Church and the Second Presbyterian Church as the town filled out. Much of that older fabric survives because groups such as the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation fought to keep it. The Matthew Kennedy House and the Thomas January House are two of the many kept from demolition.
The past stands in brick.
Where is Lexington?
Lexington sits on the rolling farm country of the Bluegrass region of Kentucky. Level pasture and low limestone ridges surround the built-up centre, ground long given over to horses and grazing. The historic streets around the Hunt-Morgan House rise on gentle slopes rather than steep hills.
Wide fields press close to the edge of town. Green runs to the horizon.
What is the climate of Lexington?
Lexington has a temperate climate shaped by its inland setting in Kentucky. Summers turn warm and humid over the surrounding Bluegrass pasture, while winters bring cold spells and occasional snow to the older streets. Spring and autumn stay mild and long.
Rain falls across the seasons. The green fields owe their colour to it.
How do you get to Lexington?
Lexington sits at a road junction in the Bluegrass country of Kentucky, reached most often by car along the interstate corridors that cross the region. A regional airport serves the city with connecting flights. Drivers arrive from the surrounding farm towns within an hour or two.
Buses link it to larger cities. The centre is easy to reach.
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Updated July 2026