Locust Grove Historic Site

Beautiful grounds, historic home and a museum with gift store that has all kinds of cute things. This is truly a Louisville gem that more people need to see!

Locust Grove holds a semiannual fundraising book sale which is worth checking out if you are interested in low-​cost acquisitions. The vast majority of the goods are one dollar per paperback and two dollars per hardback. As with most of these types of events, one must delve deep to find the gems, but the tables are constantly replenished throughout the three-​day sale. On Sunday, they cut the prices in half.
Beyond dirt-​cheap books, the coolest thing about this sale is the people watching. It’s close quarters in there, and sifting through the merchandise requires bumping elbows, not to mention hips, shoulders, behinds, etc. I overheard two wizened hillbillies discussing their respective collections of «Bismarckiana» (I swear – their term) in the world history section. Come on, you can’t make this stuff up. God bless America.
The next sale is August 22 to 24, 2014.

History and nature lovers, Locust Grove is for you!
I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to visit Locust Grove. It is the embodiment of every thing I love: history and nature in a palpable setting. The main house has been lovingly restored. The tour guides will let you know about the special wallpapers and the efforts it took to achieve that shade of green paint on the walls. I especially enjoy the staging in the rooms. It is as if the occupants merely left the room for a moment.
My favorite place on the property is the kitchen which is next to the main house. The guides have placed real fruits and vegetables on the tables. And somehow, the room is still infused with that lovely scent of smoked meats cooked over a wood fire. To me, this smell makes the kitchen the most tangible part of the house.
The property is of course, within a grove of Locust trees. Everything was so green and lush on this rainy spring day. I can’t wait to come back here to sit under the trees with a picnic basket.

Very serene and scenic location preserved quite nicely. Apparently the space ca be rented for special events, which is why I was there.
A walk through of the home was insightful, but the highlight of this historical location is nature itself. Since I live in Florida, being able to see colored trees in the fall was a real treat.
The gift shop has selections of teas, period trinkets and gifts, and customizable jewelry pieces.

Don’t take pictures with the flash on while on the tour of the old home! Tour guide Nancy Lee somehow has a lifelong appreciation of history but has an aversion to camera flashes — as if it’s going to damage things. Really irritating. Almost asked for another tour guide. Other than that, it was a great little walk back in time.

I visited Locust Grove for the first time today to see the annual gardeners’ fair and I had a lovely time. There were more than 20 tents there selling plants, tools, decorative wrought iron structures (some really affordable ones at that), garden furniture, preserves, soaps, honey, maple syrup – basically anything made from or to do with your garden. It turned out to be a beautiful day for it once the skies cleared this afternoon and the property was gorgeous. I didn’t go inside the historic home as there was so much going on outside, but I know I have something extra to look forward to on my next visit.
The fair lasts all weekend and they host a Mother’s Day brunch on Sunday. Locust Grove also hosts the Jane Austen Society, a seasonal antiques market, and a lecture series on the first Wednesday of every month, among other interesting locally and historically related events.

History comes alive at Locust Grove — and it’s also a fun place to hang out when the weather’s nice!
Spurred on by an event posted by a fellow Unilocaler, I took the time yesterday to prepare a nice picnic and head out to Locust Grove. Even though it was a steaming hot day, the shade of the large trees on the property made the perfect picnic spot to enjoy my BLT with tomatoes fresh from the garden. Nothing extraordinary, just a nice afternoon to take a breather and enjoy nature in the place where George Rogers Clark used to sit and listen for the steamboats on the Ohio River.
I’ve been to Locust Grove many times before, and would also recommend the house tour if you’re a first time visitor. It’s fun to see and the tour guides are full of historical tidbits. If you have kids, the summer camps are a ton of fun — I remember dipping to make my own candles and weaving baskets on the back porch of the main house.
Memories of today, childhood, and times past are all alive and well at Locust Grove. I’m a fan!

My wedding was held at Locust Grove last September and it was beautiful. I had the ceremony between the garden quadrants, facing the historic home and the reception was under a tent in the field. The grounds are always beautiful and well kept. All of my guests had a great time. The bathroom facilities are very easy to get to & when the museum is open, it’s great! My only complaint was that I still haven’t received my security deposit. We received a letter in the mail about a month after the wedding to tell us that it was on the way but, alas, 7 months later it has never arrived.