Things to Do in Lexington

Within the climate-controlled confines of BounceU's supervised playground, inflated structures beckon kids to bound over surfaces and fly down slides. In addition to bouncing areas, games let visitors shoot hoops or don inflated, oversize boxing gloves to safely battle over ascension rights to the bouncy castle's throne. Open-bounce sessions allow families to join in on the fun, with parents bouncing for free. Additionally, the play area can set the stage for camps and birthdays, with the option to lower the lights and let non-solar-powered guests play across a glow-in-the-dark wonderland.

More than 100 plant-populated acres unfold behind the stone-fence entrance to The Arboretum, showing off ever-changing seasonal landscapes to visitors 365 days a year. Passing breezes dance over grassy fields and stir up aromas of 1,500 rosebush varieties as visitors meander past the gazebo and fishpond en route to the 1.85-acre Kentucky Children’s Garden, a hands-on, educational environment for 2- to 10-year-old horticulturists. After exploring the wetlands and fountains or checking out art exhibitions, gardening seminars, and other special events, visitors can set out on the two-mile Walk Across Kentucky, a paved botanical excursion through the seven native regions of the state, including the Appalachian Plateau and wild fried-chicken habitats.

Collins Bowling Centers continues a tradition that began more than 50 years ago with spacious lanes primed for open-bowling sessions, league play, and inclusive children's birthday parties. Aside from offering pin-blasting action throughout the week, the center encourages guests to sign up for bowling lessons at the pro shop, grab a drink at the lounge, or reunite tokens with their estranged relatives in the onsite arcade.

When the Legends first stepped onto the field at Whitaker Bank Ballpark in 2001, they broke a nearly half-century dry spell of pro baseball in the city of Lexington. That first season, they made their presence known by winning the South Atlantic League championship and trying to rename City Hall after themselves. Since their inauguration in '01, the Legends have sent more than three-dozen players to the majors, fulfilling the promise of their name and creating their own legacy.

The Art Museum at the University of Kentucky showcases more than 4,500 masterpieces including American and European paintings, photographs, and sculpture. Oil and watercolors grace canvases by artists from around the world, including the American impressionist painting Bucks County Winter by Edward Willis Redfield and the Italian Baroque painting Madonna and Child with St. John by Agostino Carracci. The collection’s three-dimensional art forms also span the centuries, with examples of Native American ceremonial robes and a variety of outdoor sculptures that call upon contemporary amalgamations of steel, bronze, and stone. Traveling exhibitions, lecture series, and annual events aim to inspire as well as to create opportunities for patrons to gain new perspectives on how to best arrange a bowl of fruit.

The Kentucky Arts Council, in conjunction with state of Kentucky, packs 30 years’ worth of experience and excitement into Kentucky Crafted: The Market, and it shows. The weekend festival collects more than 200 exhibitors from all walks of self-expression, be they artists, musicians, artisanal food products, or writers. They populate the expansive halls of the Lexington Convention Center with their handmade artwork, giving the public a chance to interact with them, order custom artworks, or just see and sample some goods. After navigating aisles full of artful sights, sounds, and smells, guests can relax and catch a concert at the Kentucky Stage music festival, a simultaneous event that collects beloved musicians from across the state. With all of this activity, its no wonder that the Southeast Tourism Society has named the festival one of the top 20 events in the region for each of the past 15 years.