Things To Do In Lexington

Located at Blue Grass Airport, the Aviation Museum of Kentucky pays tribute to the Commonwealth’s rich history of aviation with its impressive squadron of rare and restored aircraft, aviation memorabilia, interactive educational displays, and active aviation restoration shop. Inside the museum, a flock of steel birds suspended on wires hangs from the hangar’s expansive ceiling. A replica of Matthew Sellers’ 1908 quadraplane—the first aircraft built and flown in Kentucky—headlines the museum collection, extending its majestic wings to shake the hands of awestruck visitors. Other exceptional designs include a Skyhawk once flown by the Navy’s Blue Angels, an F-14 Tomcat jet-fighter as seen in the film Top Gun, and a high-bypass turbofan used to propel modern jumbo jets.

Guided tours and interactive exhibits delve into the science and history of flight, while the Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame honors the lives of those who have soared among the clouds, whether in planes or wrapped around the waist of Michael Jordan. Young ones, meanwhile, can learn more about the variety of aviation careers and set their sights on following the tailwinds of famous pilots and designers.

As the sounds of stuck landings echo off gym walls, owner and former University of Kentucky cheerleader John Ireland and Lexington Gymnastics and Cheerleading’s seasoned instructors share show-stopping routines and techniques with aspiring athletes ages 5–14 years old. One-hour daytime or evening classes fill kids with body-moving know-how, from beginning cheer’s introductory rah-rah routines to gymnastics classes’ balance-improving bar and beam work. Beginning tumbling lessons prepare bodies for the turbulent world of floor exercises. The trained staffers at Lexington Gymnastics and Cheerleading can accommodate special-needs children, ensuring a welcoming environment for a diverse crowd.

Day camp sessions focus on gymnastics, cheerleading, all sports, or circus activities. Summer camp instructors supply lunch every Friday, and take kids on field trips every week. During field trips, students may play laser tag, hike through scenic areas, or mount horses and gallop into the sunset and back.

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.

The Kentucky Ballet Theatre was founded in 1998 to give Lexington audiences their own local company of ballet dancers. The performances that have followed have included classics such as Prokofiev's Cinderella and new works such as Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. The dancers host their shows at the Lexington Opera House, a historical landmark which was built in 1887, was converted into a movie theater in the 1920s, and did a brief stint as a Rockette before returning to its classical roots in 1976.

The extravagant Fasig-Tipton Pavilion houses this year’s Chamber Music Festival of Lexington, where acclaimed musicians give majestic performances and host master classes. Friday evening reveals a nuanced rendition of Dvořák's Terzetto in C Major, as delivered in part by the festival's artistic director, Nathan Cole, who also holds the position of first associate concertmaster with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Ravel's Trio in A Minor brings together soothing sounds of piano, violin, and cello, ad Schubert's famed Trout Quintet dances between strings, piano, and a trio of opera-singing fish. Saturday evening ushers in Busoni's Sonata no. 2 in E—its ivory, dulcet piano tickled by Alessio Bax, who has appeared as a soloist with more than 85 orchestras worldwide. Bach's Sheep May Safely Graze and a world premiere written by Daniel Kellogg set the sound stage for Dvořák's Quintet in G Major, as two violins, a viola, a cello, and a double bass come together to fight musical crimes wrought by vuvuzelas and Christmas recordings of dogs barking.