It has been years since my mom, sister and I did a girl’s trip! So, for my mom’s birthday this year we decided to surprise her with a small weekend getaway to somewhere we could easily drive to. Our conditions for picking a location included: a pretty location, good shopping, good food, and a safe environment where we felt totally comfortable walking and driving around by ourselves. The idea of Lexington came about a long time ago while talking to a sweet friend of mine who takes a similar sort of girl’s trip with her mom and sister. So, after talking with her and a few weeks of research, the decision was made to take a girls weekend in Lexington, KY!
Scroll down to the bottom of this post for a full map, featuring each location listed in this post!
Where to Stay in Lexington, KY
I began researching Lexington and following a few Lexington travel bloggers in the weeks leading up to our trip. This is a huge travel tip of mine: if you are planning a trip, try to find some travel bloggers with niches for their state/city/location! There is nothing better than a locals recommendation and then you can have your entire trip planned before you even arrive. It saves hours of trying to decide where to eat and go once you get to your destination, so you can just relax and enjoy your time. This research method is how I discovered The Origin Hotel in Lexington! Tap the TikTok icon above to see a video of the hotel from our trip.
The Origin Hotel is a modern, gorgeous, southern hospitality oriented hotel conveniently nestled in a large shopping center called The Summit at Fritz Farm. The Summit is an upscale shopping center with over 60 shops including ones like: Lulu Lemon, Ariat, Free People, Pottery Barn, and more. The lobby of the hotel is home to 33 Staves, an outstanding restaurant and bar specializing in Southern cuisine day or night.
The Origin has complimentary parking, a 24 hour front desk, and is within walking distance to over 20 restaurants…these are all huge bonuses if you are looking for a stress free stay when booking a trip! You do not want to have to worry about finding a meter or pay for parking, and even though you could get food delivered, experiencing a restaurant is half the fun. Although, save room for the complimentary cookies at check-in!
But, it doesn’t matter how convenient a hotel may be, if its not clean, I will not stay there. Research and reading reviews is a great way to decipher this beforehand, but sometimes there is just no way of knowing. However, I knew as soon as I walked through the front doors that we would have no cleanliness issues. The hotel is spotless and every detail is accounted for. The rooms were crisp and clean with fresh, white sheets and towels. The shower was free of any dirt or hair and the floor was spotless. The only thing I would have changed was that the shower head sprayed in a funky way making it really hard to wash your hair. And on a girl’s trip, this is something we all noticed which I thought was really funny! But, a small price to pay for such a nice room.
The décor of the hotel was beautiful and payed tribute to Lexington and our decision to stay in the horse capital of the country! The rooms have a modern color pallet of black, white, and green with natural wood and brass toned accents. It is not your typical hotel but rather a perfect reflection of what a boutique hotel should be: unexpected, personalized, and gorgeous. I was hoping for a unique, clean, and beautiful hotel for our mom’s surprise birthday trip, and The Origin did not disappoint!
I am partial to The Origin Hotel and its convenience to shopping and restaurants, but there are some other great lodging options around the area that would also be perfect for any girl’s trip (or any trip for that matter)!
- 21c Museum Hotel
- The Campbell House: A Curio Collection by Hilton
- The Kentucky Castle
- Lexington Griffin Gate Marriot Golf Resort and Spa
- The Sire Hotel Lexington, Tapestry Collection by Hilton
Shopping in Lexington, KY
I truly believe that you could stay at The Origin Hotel and not have to leave The Summit at Fritz Farm. Great shopping and dining are both conveniently located to the hotel, within walking distance of everything! But we are an adventurous group and knew we really wanted to check out Fayette Mall, the largest mall in Kentucky, which just so happens to be about 5 minutes from the Origin….again, extremely convenient! The Fayette Mall has over 120 stores to choose from, making it the perfect one-stop-shop for us. We spent the entire day at the mall, and it was fabulous! There is a Cheesecake Factory located within the mall which is where we decided to eat lunch since we knew we wouldn’t have to leave the grounds. If you are planning a girl’s weekend in Lexington, the Fayette Mall is a great way to spend the day!
But, don’t stick to just shopping at the Fayette Mall, there are so many other cool shopping endeavors to take during a weekend girl’s trip in Lexington! Try your best to take a quick stroll around the The Square – located in downtown Lexington. It is located in a gorgeous historic building and has been around since the 1880’s, meaning there is no shortage of charm here! You will find a few unique shopping experiences but a whole lot more in the realm of art, museums, galleries, and dining experiences. Not a huge must, but worth it just to take a stroll. But, if you are like us and are really looking for the full shopping experience 1) let’s be friends, and 2) be sure to visit some of Lexington’s most iconic and exciting shops like these:
- Monkees (Boutique)
- Street Scene (Vintage)
- Kentucky for Kentucky (KY gear)
- Bella Rose (Boutique)
- Scout Antique and Modern (Furniture)
- The Black Market (Boutique)
- Steel Mill and Co. (Clothing)
- Peplum (Boutique)
- The Domestic (Vintage)
- Peggy’s Gifts and Accessories (Boutique/Monogram)
- Queen Bee Gifts (Boutique/Home)
- Forage (Plants and decor)
Food and Coffee in Lexington, KY
There is no shortage of great food in Lexington, that’s for sure! It would take months to try all of the cool restaurants and coffee shops you pass as you drive around. But, for efficiency and time sake, let’s stick to our weekend in Lexington itinerary. We obviously didn’t get to visit all of these, but each one made my list for future visits for their own individual reasons: some offer delicious food, some have a unique atmosphere, but all are recommended by locals! (Don’t forget to scroll to the very bottom of this post for a full map with every location mentioned in this post)
Breakfast and Coffee:
- The Kentucky Castle
- North Lime Coffee and Donuts
- Josie’s Restaurant
- East End Tap and Table
- Old School Coffee
- Brevede Coffee Co.
- 33 Staves (located inside The Origin Hotel)
- Manchester Coffee
Lunch/Dinner
- Giuseppe’s Restaurant Italiano
- Honeywood
- Zim’s Cafe
- Bella Notte
- Tony’s of Lexington
- Dudley’s on Short
- Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse
- Carson’s Food and Drink
- Merrick Inn Restaurant
Bourbon Tasting in Lexington, KY
Although we didn’t do any bourbon tasting on this trip, we saw plenty of distilleries that would make for the perfect addition to a girl’s weekend in Lexington. If you are looking for authentic Kentucky bourbon, here are my top picks: PS – All of these are in Lexington, or in very close proximity, so be sure to pace yourself accordingly and don’t have too much fun at your first stop if you know what I mean!
- Woodford Reserve Distillery
- Lexington Brewing and Distillery (part of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail!)
- The Old Pepper Distillery
- Barrel House Distilling Co.
- Bluegrass Distillers
- Whiskey Bear (located in The Summit at Fritz Farm)
- Town Branch Distillery
Well, there you have it girls! A full itinerary of food, shopping, and fun for a weekend in Lexington, KY…is there anything better in life?! We had so much fun on this trip simply because everything was so conveniently located to us: the shopping, food, everything was within walking distance or less than a 15 minute drive. If you use this post to plan your weekend trip in Lexington, KY be sure to follow the blog and tag me on Instagram so I can see how much fun you and your girls have! I can’t wait to follow your Lexington adventures too!
Check out the Visit Lexington website for even more ideas on what to do and where to stay when visiting Lexington.
All text and some images are an owned/copyright entity of Indiana Hannah and cannot be used without permission from the owner. Any images not taken by me are to be credited to the Instagram account of the business depicted in the image and are not owned or affiliated to me in any way.
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