20 Best Things you Shouldn’t Miss in Bowling Green KY

Steve Jennifer
Updated: April 24th 2023

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I loved knowing Bowling Green, even more, when I learned that it is not only the third largest city in the state of Kentucky but the Home of the Corvette. I am sure this fact will interest a lot of race car enthusiasts.

Besides being a dream city for Corvette lovers, the city has a lot to offer to its visitors, including scenic landscapes, historical sites, caves, museums, and outdoor recreation spots. The city captures the essence of the state and is a great place to visit and know the culture and history of both the state and the city.

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Lost River Cave is a must visit adventure spot in Bowling Green. The cave is over seven miles long and here, you get to take an underground boat tour in a river where you can explore the caves and see their different formations, the underground pools as well as learn about the local history which includes stories about the Native Americans, Civil war troops, and Jesse James, a notorious American outlaw.

Sprawling over 135 acres, the lake is a reservoir where you can enjoy activities like fishing, paddling and boating in the lake. The lake is surrounded by beautiful natural vegetation and has hiking trails, cliffs and dozens of waterfalls.

If you want to spend some time outside and just relax, this historical landmark is the place for you. Constructed in the 19th century, the park used to be a place where parades, protests and pageants were held.

Now, it is a beautiful place, with a fountain and statues all around, where you can sit back and relax under the sun or take a stroll, have a picnic and spend time with your family outside. It is also a great place to take pictures. You can visit the park any day between 8 am and 9 pm.

Bowling Green is the home of the Corvette and there is no way you can miss the National Corvette Museum. Opened in 1994, the museum celebrates the American sports car, Chevrolet Corvette and preserves its past, present and future.

Here you will see a great collection of Corvettes which includes more than 80 models of the car, learn about their history as well as get to test drive one of the cars on the fast track. It can be visited any day of the year between 9 am and 5 pm.

This national park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve. This natural wonder has the longest cave system in the world with over 400 miles of cave routes mapped.

You can visit the park any time of the year and look at the hills, river valleys, flora and fauna surrounding the park as well as go for hiking, biking, camping, horseback riding, fishing, kayaking and exploring the various plant and animal species here.

This barn is also a restaurant which will offer you a very interesting experience, where you can not only taste delicious homemade ice creams made from fresh milk and cream from jersey cows from the barn, and other food like sandwiches, burgers, soups etc, but also take a self guided tour around the farm and learn more about dairy farming.

You will also get to see sights like the robots milking the cows. You can take a look around the barn from Monday to Friday between 11 am and 9 pm, on Saturday from between 10 am and 10 pm and on Sundays between 12 to 8 pm.

Hobson House is a historic Victorian house that played an important role during the Civil War. The house was built in the 1850s and was inspired by Italian architecture. It represents the culture of the 1800s with its architecture, furniture and ornaments.

The house makes for a beautiful sight, surrounded by beautiful surroundings including the Barren River. You can look around the house, explore the architecture and surroundings while learning more about the role it played in American history betwen 10 am and 4 pm from Tuesday to saturday and betwee 1 to 4 pm on Sundays.

This place is a dream for art and nature lovers. Founded in 1992, the Baker Arboretum is surrounded by over 600 varieties of plants and sculptures and other pieces of art kept amidst them. The Downing museum opened in 2008, and exhibits the works of art by artists from all over the world, including local and regional.

Overlooking the Barren River and surrounded by hills and a lake, the resort lies in the lap of nature and here you will find amenities like lodges near the lake, an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, a basketball court, beach, a pool, hiking and biking trails, restaurants, and pubs making it a great place to live.

Located inside the campus of Western Kentucky University, the museum attracts lots of history buffs.Here, you can learn about the history of the state and see the various historical exhibits including artifacts from the 18th century, the civil war, the Duncan Hines displays, decorative arts and other items that tell the history of Kentucky. You can also have a look around the University campus.

Here, you will get to see exhibits of various military and supersonic airplanes and aircrafts including the Phantom II from the Vietnam War, NASA T-38 Talon flown by every Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo astronaut as well as learn about the historic events these aircrafts were a part of. You will also learn stories about regional heroes and the role they played in American history.

The amusement park was opened in 1898 and spreads over 379 acres. Filled with rides, roller coasters, a campground and a water park, called Splash lagoon, the amusement park is one of the best plays to visit and have plenty of fun with friends and family in the hot summer months, when it opens between Memorial day and Labor day.

This raceway is located 480 feet above sea level and is a very popular spot for race car lovers. If you are someone who loves dragstrip racing, do not miss this place. Here, you will get to see drifting competitions, vendor showcases, drag races and many other events which are held every week from March to November, when the track remains open.

The park covers an area of 111 acres which includes a lake which spreads over 33 acres, basketball courts, tennis courts, a hockey rink, a soccer field, a football field, picnic area which includes a grill, playgrounds for kids and a hiking trail.

Here you can relax and have a picnic, sit in the sun and read a book, or do something exciting like go fishing in the lake or enjoy any of the numerous recreational activities including hiking, playing golf, tennis or soccer any day of the week between 7 am and 8 pm.

This unique yoga studio is built inside a man-made cave which is built with salt rocks from the Himalayan Mountains known for their healing abilities as well as for curing the symptoms of asthma, allergies, anxiety, depression, etc.

Here, you get to work towards relaxing your mind, body and soul with yoga. Besides doing yoga, you can also take massages, spa and guided therapy sessions, which will make sure that you leave this place lighter and happier than before. You can take a session from Monday to Tuesday between 10 am and 6.30 pm, on Saturday between 10 am and 5.30 am and on Sunday between 1 and 4.30 pm.

A performing arts center founded in 1890 as a vaudeville house, it has a state of the art auditorium with a seating capacity of 1800 people, a theatre, two galleries and many rehearsal halls. It has a marvelous architecture and hosts artists from all over the country.

You can watch live performances here including musicals, orchestra, concerts and stage plays and spend a great evening in this historic centre. the tickets for each one of the shows along with their information is updated on the website regularly.

If you want to go wine tasting in Bowling Green, visit the Bluegrass Vineyard, spread over 30 acres with over 2000 grape vines. Here, they have a collection of over 25 premium, handcrafted wines which you can enjoy while sitting outside, any day of the week.

Not only that, you can take a tour around the vineyard and learn more about winemaking. This place is also an Airbnb and a beautiful place to stay. if you are visiting, go between 10 am and 6 pm on weekdays and between 12 and 6 pm on Sundays.

A record and curio shop which has been running since the 1940s by a man named Freeman Kitchens, here you will get to country music records and artifacts, especially from the 20th century, which have been collected over time by the owner.

You can visit the store any day between Monday and Saturday and get to see the vast collection of music records as well as listen to the story behind each musical artifact in the shop from the collector himself. You can also buy a musical souvenir from the shop.

It is a historic national landmark since 1979 and located inside a railroad station which was earlier known as the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Station. in this museum, you will get to see various railroad artifacts which tell about the history and heritage of the railroad.

You can take a guided or self guided tour around the museum any day of the week between 10 am and 4 pm and explore the artifacts like a diesel engine, a dining car, sleeping cars etc. by seeing, touching and hearing them.

It is a boutique winery, where you can enjoy wines that are locally produced and not easily found in the area. They also provide outside seating where you can simply sit outside, drink wine while enjoying some live music.

You can also take a tour around the winery. If you want a private tasting room, you can book it by appointment on Mondays; for the rest of week, they open between 11 am and 7 pm from Tuesday to Thursday; between 11 am and 8 pm from Friday to Saturday; and between 1 and 5 pm on Sundays.