If you’re planning a trip to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, September 25-October 10 in Lexington, Kentucky, and you’ve purchased tickets to lots of events, your days may be so filled with activity that there won’t be much time for general sightseeing. That would be a shame, especially if this will be your first visit to the famed Bluegrass.

The world-famous Thoroughbred nursery that is Lexington and environs is filled with attractions for all ages, and you don’t have to be a fan of Thoroughbred racing or even a diehard horse lover to enjoy them. While by no means exhaustive, here’s a list of some of the greater Lexington/Louisville area’s better-known sights, plus some tourism resources you can check out. And if you have a favorite destination or resource not mentioned here, please let me know about it!

• Love America’s favorite pastime? Then don’t miss the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, where you can watch the official bats of Major League Baseball being manufactured and tour a museum highlighting the sport’s evolution.
• While you’re in Louisville, see racing history up close at Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum, home of the legendary Run for the Roses.
• South of Louisville, brush up on the difference between stalagmites and stalagtites and explore the world’s longest known cave system at Mammoth Cave National Park.
• Closer to Lexington, visit Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill in Harrodsburg, America’s largest restored Shaker community, for a taste of life in the 1800s.
• What Champagne is to France, bourbon is to Kentucky. Take a “bourbon trail” tour visiting some of the distilleries, such as the well-known Woodford Reserve.
• Among the area’s many historic homes and attractions is the Mary Todd Lincoln House in Lexington.
• Tour the beautiful Keeneland race course, located across from Lexington’s Blue Grass Airport. Keeneland’s 2010 fall race meet opens October 8.
• And, of course, tour some of the Thoroughbred farms for which Lexington is famous. For farm overviews and tour information, visit HorseCapitalTours.com.

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.