Kentucky Travel Guide

Kentucky climate

According to ehotelat, the climate in the US state is, relatively unaffected by maritime influences, temperate-continental. The course of the seasons with warm summers and cool to cold winters, depending on the altitude and latitude, is not unlike that in Central Europe.

In large parts of Kentucky, the maximum daily temperatures in July and August reach around 30 degrees Celsius, while in December and January frost can be expected at least at night. In spring the air warms up slowly, and cool Easter is the rule. In autumn you can expect a mild climate well into October. The temperatures between day and night differ by around 10 degrees, i.e. less clearly than in the pronounced continental climate.

In the south of Kentucky the climate is subtropical in color. Temperatures, especially in the low-lying plateaus of the south and southwest of the US state, average slightly higher than in the north and east. In addition, the south is more humid than the north. The annual precipitation in Kentucky exceeds that recorded in Europe in any case, with 1,000 to 1,200 mm annually it is almost twice as high as in London or Berlin.

In the east of Kentucky are the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, especially here with continuous snowfall in winter and a closed snow cover of up to 60 cm in height.

From March to September it can be stormy, and tornadoes also haunt the US state from time to time.

Best time to visit Kentucky

The US state of Kentucky is best to travel to from May to September ; from a purely tourist point of view, there isn’t much to be said for a stay in winter. In March and April it can still be very changeable, cool and also stormy. Summer is rarely dramatically hot and has warm evenings.

Those who prefer a moderate climate should travel to Kentucky in early autumn through mid-October. The tendency towards storms then subsides and the temperatures are still pleasantly mild during the day.

In the US state of Kentucky you are never completely immune to rainy periods and should therefore be equipped accordingly.

Kentucky Landmarks

Kentucky is also known as Bluegrass State (due to the many dusty blue flowers in the state’s meadows). Likewise, the tobacco fields and racehorses are symbols of Kentucky.
Above all, the state offers its visitors a large number of different sights and attractions.

For example, you should have seen the Cardome Center in Lexington. The building was founded in 1898 as a convent for the Visitation Sisters.
A visit to the Switzer Covered Bridge in Frankfort should also not be missed. This is a 19th century wooden bridge covered with a roof. The wooden bridges with roofs were a typical construction of the bridges in the state at that time.
A visit to the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site is certainly interesting. If you are already in the birthplace of the famous president, you should definitely check out Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace. This is a classic temple building with a replica of Lincoln’s birthplace.
Also worth seeing is the grave of Daniel Boone who lived from 1734-1820. He had opened up the Wilderness Trail and also founded the city of Bonnes borough. He also became a hero in the book Leather Stocking.

Museum lovers won’t miss out in Kentucky either. So you should definitely visit the most important art museum in Louisville Kentucky Center for the Arts. Something special is the stone fortress near the same town. The fortress dates from pre-Columbian times.
Old Kentucky Chocolades is also well worth a look. This was a candy factory in Lexington, whose specialties are Bourbon Cherries with Bourbon Wiskey.

Nature lovers also get their money’s worth in Kentucky. The Mammoth Cave National Park is well worth seeing. In the park is the Mammoth Cave, one of the largest and most famous caves in the world. The cave has a mapped extent of over 560 kilometers. The park is now a World Heritage Site and is also protected as a biosphere reserve.
You shouldn’t miss the Cumberland Falls either. It is a very large waterfall that falls into the Cumperland River from a height of 23 meters.
The Red River Gorge is also worth a visit.

Kentucky – key data

Land area: 104,659 sq km (ranked 37th of all US states)

Share of water surface: 1.7%

Population: 4.27 million (2008 estimate, ranked 26th of all states in the United States)

Population density: 40.8 residents per square kilometer (22nd place of all states in the USA)

Member of the United States since: June 1, 1792

Capital: Frankfort (27,741 residents, 2000)

Largest city: Louisville (557,789 residents, 2007, metropolitan area 1.23 million residents)

Highest point: 1,263 m, Black Mountain

Lowest point: 78 m, Mississippi River

Governor: Steve Beshear (Democrat)

Lieut. Governor: Daniel Mongiardo (Democrat)

Local time: West : CET -7 h. From the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November: CET -6 h.
The time difference to Central Europe is -7 h in both winter and summer.

East: CET -6 h. From the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November: CET -5 h.
The time difference to Central Europe is -6 h in both winter and summer.

Postal abbreviation: KY

Kentucky Travel Guide