Exploring Lexington, Kentucky: From the Railbird Music Festival to Culinary Delights

Lexington, Kentucky

In a place known for horse races, my husband and I were drawn to the charming town of Lexington, Kentucky, for a music festival. Railbird Music Festival is a country music festival that draws roughly 40,000 individuals. While that crowd was larger than one I normally like to lose myself in, I found the festival to be well-organized, clean, and easy to navigate. While I thoroughly enjoyed the festival, Lexington as a whole stole the show over this long weekend. Here’s why.

Rives and I hopped on an early morning flight on Saturday from Atlanta to Lexington. Although we considered driving the six hours between cities, the flight was relatively inexpensive and significantly reduced our travel time. For a short weekend, we wanted to prioritize our time in town rather than spend it traveling. Rideshare programs like Uber and Lyft being easily accessible and inexpensive were a key part of this plan.

Boots On The Ground

Landing at 9:25 AM in Lexington, we hopped in an Uber and went to the Embassy Suites UK Coldstream to drop off our bags. As a recommended hotel for the festival, it was very comfortable and offered an easy commute to the event, though I later realized it was farther out of town than I would have preferred. After an early check-in, we quickly were back on the road to downtown Lexington. 

Saturday mornings feature a beautiful farmers market right next to the courthouse. Live bluegrass music serenaded us as we perused local goods. This farmers market is held year-round from 8AM - 2PM spring-fall, with slightly shortened hours in the winter. 

After wandering for a bit, we ended up at The Jockey Bar for brunch. We saddled up to the outdoor bar and ended up sitting next to a lovely couple from Tampa, Florida, who were also in town for the festival. One of the best parts of visiting a town for an event like a music festival is finding fellow attendees. We exchanged travel stories and music recommendations over bratwursts and beers. 

Railbird Music Festival

Railbird Music Festival | Image by Mallory Boggs

Soon enough, it was time to head to the festival grounds, fittingly located at The Infield at Red Mile, a horse racing track. Navigating to the festival and through security was fairly straightforward. We lost two new aerosol sunscreen cans on our way into the venue, so a pro tip is to bring rub-in sunscreen instead. The clear bag policy was a little confusing, so I would recommend packing as lightly as possible. Once we were in, we grabbed a few more beverages and made our way to a few of the different stages.

Entrance to Railbird Music Festival | Image by Mallory Boggs

The crowd in attendance was very friendly, and an interesting range of people from kids and college students to older adults still looking to rock out. Rives and I had an interesting conversation with a retiree visiting from Australia. He said a number of artists that he enjoyed were playing the festival, so he decided to make an entire American tour out of this event. He first stopped in LA then Vegas. He said he enjoyed the West Coast, but he was very excited to be spending the rest of his time in the South. He was enjoying his weekend in Kentucky, and then planning to mosey down to Nashville, Memphis, and then finish out his visit in New Orleans. Rives and I congratulated him on his excellent travel and music tastes. 

A few standout artists of the day included Katie Pruitt, Josiah and the Bonnevilles, and Marcus King, who really rocked out. Around the time these groups were wrapping up, though, unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) the rain rolled in. While Rives had packed appropriately, I had not, which meant I was wearing Rives's rain jacket while he stood like a gentleman in the rain (thanks, babe!). 

Ditching The Party To Make Our Own

We made a last-minute decision to ditch the headliners in favor of a fabulous dinner. We went back to the hotel, cleaned up, and went out to Jeff Rudy’s Steakhouse. We knew we were onto something good when our Lyft driver told us it was the restaurant to visit in Lexington. 

A dozen raw oysters, a perfect steak, and another round of drinks. It was easy to understand how this restaurant was a staple for Lexington. The restaurant was beautifully appointed, with each room featuring a different theme reminiscent of a Kentucky staple, such as UK blue. I was particularly appreciative of the fact that they were very accommodating to our more casual attire considering we had packed for a music festival and not a nice steak dinner. While we splurged on dinner, it was a perfect way to round out a beautiful day in Kentucky. 

Sunday Funday

Sunday had us up and at ‘em early. We first went on a quick hunt for a new rain jacket for me, as the forecast made it clear it would be necessary. This took us to a different side of Lexington, where it became clear that this small town had all the modern conveniences of larger cities, with retail providers easily accessible. 

After this, we got to the festival grounds early since Rives was particularly excited to see Brent Cobb kick off the day. Along with listening to a wide variety of artists, we enjoyed some wonderful cuisine. Railbird provided a plethora of food vendors, making meals and snacks a fun adventure. While we had a few scattered showers fall, overall the day was filled with excellent music and a very happy crowd.

As the day went on, we once again found downtown Lexington calling us. We skipped Chris Stapleton (sorry, bud) and more rain in favor of a fresh pasta dinner at ItalX.

Comparing Southern Biscuits

The Rockwell at Biscuit Belly | Image by Mallory Boggs

Monday morning we ventured out to Biscuit Belly to see how the Kentucky biscuits compared against our Georgia ones at home. I’m happy to report that a Southern biscuit is always a good choice, and The Rockwell was indeed rocking. 

After a heavy breakfast, we needed to move a bit, so we walked over to Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate, to learn more about the American politician who inspired Abraham Lincoln. While the museum isn’t open on Mondays, the grounds were, and there were still a few things to see. We then ventured to the University of Kentucky to wander the grounds before heading to the airport. As both SEC graduates, Rives and I found it interesting to see how the campus flowed as compared with UGA and Auburn.  

Overall, while I loved the Railbird Festival, I might need an excuse to visit Lexington again soon—perhaps one of their famous horse races, though Rives is hoping for a football or basketball game to bring him back. This charming Southern town offers a variety of fun activities for a weekend getaway or a longer stay.