Kentucky State Capitol
Kentucky State Capitol
5
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- Anne MPeabody, Massachusetts141 contributionsExcellent guide and Capitol tourOur tour of the Kentucky State Capitol was interesting and informative. Our guide, Scott, is a retired American history teacher whose passion for the capitol building and its history was apparent throughout the tour. Although the exterior of the dome is scaffolded for repairs, the inside of the building is fully open and you can see the changing colors on the inside of the dome.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 17 October 2023
- Les ZBeaver Dam, Wisconsin2 contributionsKentucky State Capitol TourScott Johnson was our tour guide and was an excellent guide with interesting commentary on the history of the Capitol and the past governors and their families. His own personal experiences from his childhood being in the Capitol where his father worked were delightful. The Capitol building was one of the top two we have toured.Visited October 2023Travelled with familyWritten 18 October 2023
- CindyLou2262Denver, Colorado6,933 contributionsLinda and George are the bestIt is a beautiful building with a lot of history. Construction started in 1905 and was finished at 1909. Granite and marble inside was from, Vermont, Georgia, and India. honestly, I wouldn’t enjoyed it as much if George and Linda hadn’t been there, they were delightful. Good people! I WOULD RECOMMENDVisited October 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 23 October 2023
- thomas kMadison, Wisconsin2 contributionsKentucky Capitol TourMy spouse and I decided to take a trip to the southeast and see some sites. As she loves mansions and capitols and I'm big into Nascar, South Carolina and North Carolina seemed like a good bet since we had not visited either area in years. As we decided what state capitols, we wanted to see on our way out and back. Kentucky was a sleeper in the mix. Located in Frankfort KY. not a big well know city we weren't sure what to expect. we were pleasantly surprised. As we pulled up Capitol Avenue to the capitol, we were taken back to our rural roots of small-town charm in this quint city. We took the guided tour as to capture as much history as possible (guided tours give you so much more over self-tours). I have to tell you Denise Melancon our tour guide was one of those people that was welcoming. We have toured many capitols and Denise was by far the best guide we have ever had. She was extremely knowledgeable and very inviting that kept your interest peaked. This was not "you have seen one capitol you have seen them all". You need to see this capitol and have Denise be your tour guide, you will not be disappointed.Visited July 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 6 July 2024
- Karen A1 contributionWonderful Tour and HistoryWe had a wonderful tour through the Kentucky Capitol building. We had a great tour guide, Denise Melancon, who was so knowledgeable about the capital history and the history that surrounds it. It was so worth the tour. Thank you so much! Chas & KarenVisited July 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 11 July 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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5.0
47 reviews
Excellent
38
Very good
7
Average
2
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Thor1412
Horace, ND163 contributions
Nov 2019
This historic 1910 capitol is an impressive building by itself. A lot of history has been preserved in the rotunda and surrounding hallways. Be sure to “look up” the Kentucky State Capitol and “look up” at the ceiling to appreciate the magnificent painted murals. People will see lots of decorations on a free walk through the building. There are 70 enormous columns and lots of sculptures. The glass floor on the second floor of the library was awesome to walk on.
Written 3 April 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kathy K
Oviedo, FL811 contributions
July 2019
I've visited enough capitols to prefer the ones that actually tell me something about the state. This one does and is beautiful, too. The brochure is not slick some in other states. It is black and white and looks like an over-sized piece of paper folded up. But, it is chockablock full of info. You even get the state song. It tells you little things to look for all over the building. What it doesn't tell you is what the lady at the desk told me- watch the dome from the rotunda for a few minutes. I won't spoil the surprise, but it is cool. I didn't take a guided tour, but roamed on my own and it was very enjoyable.The State Reception Room's mirrors were cool. I wasn't surprised to see Lincoln in the rotunda, but was surprised to see Jefferson Davis nearby. I hadn't expected to see him in a capitol of a state that stayed in the Union. It turns out that he was born in Kentucky, too.
Written 6 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Roman Y
2 contributions
Sept 2023 • Solo
Historian Scott Johnson did a wonderful job showing me the capital building. It is amazing what ~$2Million could buy back in the day the Capital building was constructed. Best materials, amazing art, fascinating history. Plan on coming back with family. Got some amazing pictures and fun anecdotes from the era.
Written 29 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karen D
115 contributions
Mar 2022 • Friends
The security and welcome staff were very welcoming and informative. The capital is made out of beautiful marble with great chambers. The First Lady inaugural ball dressed on the dolls, art, county quilt squares and veteran memorial quilts were very interesting.
Written 1 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anne M
Peabody, MA141 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Our tour of the Kentucky State Capitol was interesting and informative. Our guide, Scott, is a retired American history teacher whose passion for the capitol building and its history was apparent throughout the tour. Although the exterior of the dome is scaffolded for repairs, the inside of the building is fully open and you can see the changing colors on the inside of the dome.
Written 17 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CMKE12
England, UK7 contributions
Sept 2023 • Couples
Scott was hands down the best guide of any historical tour I have ever done. He’s so enthusiastic and makes learning fun. I’m not from Kentucky, so he was happy to go a little more in depth about the topics covered to give me some much-needed background information.
Scott was also very engaging with us, ensuring we understood what we were learning and encouraged questions. I suggest Scott teach all the guides at every single state Capitol building how to be a great guide. I’ve been to a number of these, and all of the guides could really learn a lot from Scott. I recently went to a neighbouring state’s Capitol building and kept thinking, “Why can’t they be more enthusiastic like Scott?!” Scott knew so many interesting facts, like he knew the history of the door knobs in the building!
If you’re on the fence with visiting, just go. You won’t be disappointed and Scott will certainly make your visit a memorable one.
Scott was also very engaging with us, ensuring we understood what we were learning and encouraged questions. I suggest Scott teach all the guides at every single state Capitol building how to be a great guide. I’ve been to a number of these, and all of the guides could really learn a lot from Scott. I recently went to a neighbouring state’s Capitol building and kept thinking, “Why can’t they be more enthusiastic like Scott?!” Scott knew so many interesting facts, like he knew the history of the door knobs in the building!
If you’re on the fence with visiting, just go. You won’t be disappointed and Scott will certainly make your visit a memorable one.
Written 10 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nick F
1 contribution
Sept 2023 • Solo
The Kentucky State Capitol is a beautiful building that is well worth a guided tour. Last Tuesday, our guide Scott, a former U.S. history teacher, gave us a thorough and fascinating tour of the building and grounds. His knowledge of the building's architecture and history, as well as the functioning of the Kentucky legislature, made for a fascinating afternoon. As a group, we were astounded by his knowledge of each table, rug, and column, and he presented it in a way that made it all feel like a story. Go visit!
Written 11 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dee M
St. Petersburg, FL12 contributions
Aug 2023
Wonderful learning experience and tour guide Scott Johnson was absolutely the best. He's a retired school teacher and I recommend you ask for him if you want real insight to Kentucky and the capitol itself. The statehouse has dolls, in formal gowns, of all of Kentucky's first ladies, including the famous Phyllis George. Pretty neat.
Written 25 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Les Z
Beaver Dam, WI2 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
Scott Johnson was our tour guide and was an excellent guide with interesting commentary on the history of the Capitol and the past governors and their families. His own personal experiences from his childhood being in the Capitol where his father worked were delightful. The Capitol building was one of the top two we have toured.
Written 18 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
thomas k
Madison, WI2 contributions
July 2024 • Couples
My spouse and I decided to take a trip to the southeast and see some sites. As she loves mansions and capitols and I'm big into Nascar, South Carolina and North Carolina seemed like a good bet since we had not visited either area in years. As we decided what state capitols, we wanted to see on our way out and back. Kentucky was a sleeper in the mix. Located in Frankfort KY. not a big well know city we weren't sure what to expect. we were pleasantly surprised. As we pulled up Capitol Avenue to the capitol, we were taken back to our rural roots of small-town charm in this quint city. We took the guided tour as to capture as much history as possible (guided tours give you so much more over self-tours). I have to tell you Denise Melancon our tour guide was one of those people that was welcoming. We have toured many capitols and Denise was by far the best guide we have ever had. She was extremely knowledgeable and very inviting that kept your interest peaked. This was not "you have seen one capitol you have seen them all". You need to see this capitol and have Denise be your tour guide, you will not be disappointed.
Written 6 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
How long does a guided tour last? Are there regular times that they begin?
how long does a guided tour last?
Written 17 September 2023
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