Jerry and I built our first home in LaGrange, Kentucky. When we first drove out to look for land, our daughter, Heather, then only 7 years old, sounded out the words of the sign she saw as we crossed over the Jefferson/Oldham line and shouted, "I don't want to live in OLD - HAM County !" But she loved living in LaGrange, and is so happy we moved there because it's where she met - and married - her high school sweetheart.
We now live in Crestwood (still in Oldham County), but we both love to take the short drive to LaGrange whenever we get a little time off. There's so much to do in downtown LaGrange, all year round.
I love meeting a girlfriend early on Saturday mornings at the Farmer's Market. Our routine is to get a tall cup of gourmet coffee and sample the fresh fruit. The Farmer's Market has everything from wonderful fresh produce to baked goods to live music. Before our busy weekend as Realtors gets started, an hour or so Saturday morning really kick-starts my day. Farmer's Market is open Saturdays from June to September.
Our annual summer festival is held on the 3rd Saturday in July. If you've always had an urge to just get out and dance in the middle of the street, here's the place to do it! The Friday night before is a street dance with live music, and Saturay morning starts out with a 5K run/walk and the much-anticipated pancake breakfast fund-raiser, hosted by the LaGrange Rotary Club. How about a stack of chocolate-chip pancakes? The courthouse square comes to life with booths set up everywhere by non-profit organizations and local businesses showcasing the work they do right here in Oldham County. The kids will especially love the parade, and a you can wave at the new marching bands and the Grand Marshall.
Fall is beautiful in Kentucky, and the evenings are great for taking a walk. How about a "ghost walk" around Halloween? The downtown LaGrange Ghost Tours take you inside historic homes and buildings rumored to have "spirited" residents revisiting their old "haunts".
My absoluted favorite event on downtown LaGrange's calender is "Light Up LaGrange". A beautiful and fun celebration of Christmas, you'll swear you walked right into a Norman Rockwell painting! The kids get a special visit from Santa, and everyone enjoys the hot chocolate and Christmas cookies. Carolers walk up and down the sidewalks in period costume while all the shops stay open. Many of the shop owners lure you inside with free hot apple cider. It always gets me in the Christmas spirit!
Whether you're looking for antiques, a special book, or the perfect toy, downtown LaGrange's Main Street shopping will be a treat. My favorite stores are Karen's Book Barn and Java Shop, (because I love to read and I love the atmosphere of this friendly book store), The Treasured Child (because of the "child" still in me and because it's a place where you can find the remarkable and the unusual in children's toys, books, etc.) and I've got to go around the corner to a delightful store called Christmas in Kentucky (because I love the unique and the beautiful this store has to offer). And I can't leave until I visit The 1887 Corner Store (because you can find everything from furniture to collectibles - and because of that Norman Rockwell thing! You'll feel like you stepped back in time about a hundred years. Everything about this store puts me in a great mood.)
(For a more complete list of stores click here: Discover Art, Antiques and Designer Boutiques.)
Gettin' hungry? Lets stop for lunch at Norma Jean's Trackside Restaurant and watch the train roll by. (Yes, the train runs right down the middle of Main Street; hence, our motto: "LaGrange: we're right on track!). Or we can walk down to The Irish Rover Too! if you want Irish fare and atmosphere.
(For a more complete list of downtown LaGrange restaurants click here: Discover Downtown LaGrange)
And don't forget to go off the "Main" drag to discover other great shops and restaurants. You can really make a full day of fun for yourself!
And if you don't want to take a walk, just come downtown and people watch or catch up on the local gossip. The courthouse lawn is a great place to do just that!
So if you're planning a trip to Oldham County, let Jerry and me take you to lunch in LaGrange and introduce you to the shop owners and show you the many reasons we're glad to call Oldham County our home.
Jacki and Jerry are long-time residents of Oldham County. They are Mega Agents with The Shafer Team and Keller Williams Realty Louisville East. They specialize in home sales in Oldham, Jefferson and surrounding counties in Kentucky.
