Cheese travel
Cheese in Kentucky
Kentucky's cheese is beer cheese, and its home is Winchester, the seat of Clark County, east of Lexington. The town runs a year-round Beer Cheese Trail of restaurants and holds the Beer Cheese Festival on the second Saturday of June. For cheese made on the farm, drive to Kenny's Farmhouse Cheese in Austin, south-central Kentucky, where you can watch cheesemaking on production days.
Coming Up
- 12 Jun 2027 Beer Cheese Festival, Second Saturday in June (date not yet announced) (expected, not yet confirmed)
Factories and Dairies to Visit
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Cheese Trails
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Winchester and the Bluegrass
The Commonwealth of Kentucky recognised Clark County as the birthplace of beer cheese in 2013. The story goes back to the late 1930s, when Joe Allman made a sharp, salty spread for his cousin Johnnie's Driftwood Inn on the Kentucky River, to keep drinkers thirsty. The site is now Hall's on the River, one of the stops on the Beer Cheese Trail. Every June the Beer Cheese Festival closes Main Street for a day of tastings, with a professional and an amateur contest.
In nearby Lexington, Boone Creek Creamery makes handmade cheeses such as Kentucky Derby, Sassy Redhead and Boone Blue, and advertises free tours of its cheese kitchen.
South-Central Kentucky
Kenny's Farmhouse Cheese is a 350-acre dairy farm near Austin in Barren County. Cows are milked by robots, cheese is aged in the farm's own caves, and visitors can watch cheesemaking on scheduled production days. Two apartments above the robotic barn rent through Airbnb.
When to Go
June, for the Beer Cheese Festival on the second Saturday (13 June in 2026). The trail is open all year, so any season works for a Winchester food trip. Kenny's cheese shop opens on Friday and Saturday from 10am to 2pm and takes a winter break; in 2026 it reopened on 6 March. Call ahead to find out which days cheese is being made.
A Suggested Route
Spend a day in Winchester: lunch at a trail stop downtown, such as Loma's at the Opera House on Main Street, then dinner at Hall's on the River by the Kentucky River. Stop at Boone Creek Creamery in Lexington on the way west, then take the interstate south toward Bowling Green and Glasgow for Kenny's on a Friday or Saturday morning.
Getting Around
Drive. Lexington's Blue Grass Airport is the closest to Winchester, and Nashville or Louisville airports are the usual choice for Kenny's. During the festival, park and ride shuttles run from two lots into downtown Winchester.
Other Places to Buy Cheese
| Name | Town | What you can do | When open | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boone Creek Creamery | Lexington | Free tours of the cheese kitchen, Kentucky Proud store, handmade cheeses and gift baskets | Mon to Fri 10am to 6pm, Sat 10am to 2pm; call ahead on 859-402-2364 | boonecreekcreamery.com |
Where to Stay in Kentucky
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Questions People Ask
Where was beer cheese invented?
In Clark County, Kentucky, at the Driftwood Inn on the Kentucky River near Winchester, in the late 1930s. The state recognised Clark County as the birthplace of beer cheese in 2013. Hall's on the River stands on the site today.
When is the Kentucky Beer Cheese Festival?
On the second Saturday of June in downtown Winchester, from 10am to 5pm. The 2026 festival was on 13 June; the 2027 date has not been announced, but the pattern points to 12 June.
Can you visit a cheese farm in Kentucky?
Yes. Kenny's Farmhouse Cheese near Austin welcomes visitors and lets them watch cheesemaking on production days; call for the schedule. Boone Creek Creamery in Lexington offers free tours of its cheese kitchen.