Food & Drink
4 hours
Free cancellation
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Recommended by 100% of travelers
100% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$82
per adult
Kentucky River Tours
Kentucky River Tours
5
Distillery ToursHistorical & Heritage ToursBoat ToursPrivate Tours
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Full view
About
Catch the Bourbon Boat! THE ONLY DISTILLERY TOUR IN THE UNITED STATES OFFERED FROM THE WATER! A 5 STAR Trip Advisor Experience! We operate in Frankfort Kentucky, on the Kentucky River. We offer guided historical tours and take a different look at bourbon and how the river helped make it what it is. Tours run from 60 minutes to 4 hours, and are filled with history, river lore and FUN! Some tours are done in partnership with Buffalo Trace Distillery.
Frankfort, Kentucky
Women-owned
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Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Improve this listingTours and Tickets by Kentucky River Tours
Historical Tours
1–2 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 100% of travelers
100% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$35
per adult
Food & Drink
2–3 hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 98% of travelers
98% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$90
per adult
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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5.0
392 reviews
Excellent
385
Very good
6
Average
1
Poor
0
Terrible
0
BuddyWayne
1 contribution
Aug 2020
We took the Frankfort History Tour that leaves the dock at 5:30 on MWF evenings. Allison told interesting stories about many of the shoreline areas we passed, and she engaged with friendliness with the passengers. Also she was very knowledgeable about the fare at area restaurants. It was a fun and educational hour on the river.
Written August 8, 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.
Scott04401
Bangor, ME2 contributions
Sep 2022
My wife and I had never been to Kentucky, but as bourbon fans, getting to know the area has been on our list for a long time. Originally, we intended to visit in May of 2020, but the late unpleasantness forced us to delay until September 2022. It was so worth the wait! We reached out to Allison and Nathan for a couple itinerary ideas for our weekend and they delivered more than we could have hoped for. Allison met us at the airport and got us situated at their cozy cottage in Frankfort before our first evening adventure -- dinner at Bourbon on Main, followed by walking around downtown Frankfort, and then a private tasting at the cottage with Nathan and Allison.
Day 2 our guide took us to 3 distilleries: one historical, one modern, and one small craft distillery. Fascinating to see these different approaches and sample their offerings. Each had their unique approach to spirits and the distillery experience. Such a treat, too, to be driven between these by our knowledgeable and companionable guide! Late in the afternoon, we boarded the boat for the Historical Lock Through tour. We are boaters, too, so it was great to not only learn about the river and its history, but also get to geek out on river operations and navigation. That evening, Allison arranged dinner at Limewater, which was the perfect end to the day. Don't miss their cheesecake, if you have the opportunity.
Day 3 began with Sunday brunch at the Sage Cafe and then off to tour 4 distilleries. It was Blanton's day at Buffalo Trace, so we started there, then moved on to the Millville distilleries. Much to learn there and again some fascinating contrasts between the operations and approaches. The highlight, though, was absolutely Glenns Creek Distillery where we had our tasting with the Master Distiller himself. We thought we were getting pretty smart about bourbon by that point, but still have so much to learn!
With a little time to kill on Monday morning before our flight, we also snuck in a visit to Daniel Boone's grave and a tour of the Rebecca Ruth Candy Company. Without a doubt, the Kentucky River Tours team made this the absolutely perfect weekend to explore bourbon and Frankfort. Thank you!
Day 2 our guide took us to 3 distilleries: one historical, one modern, and one small craft distillery. Fascinating to see these different approaches and sample their offerings. Each had their unique approach to spirits and the distillery experience. Such a treat, too, to be driven between these by our knowledgeable and companionable guide! Late in the afternoon, we boarded the boat for the Historical Lock Through tour. We are boaters, too, so it was great to not only learn about the river and its history, but also get to geek out on river operations and navigation. That evening, Allison arranged dinner at Limewater, which was the perfect end to the day. Don't miss their cheesecake, if you have the opportunity.
Day 3 began with Sunday brunch at the Sage Cafe and then off to tour 4 distilleries. It was Blanton's day at Buffalo Trace, so we started there, then moved on to the Millville distilleries. Much to learn there and again some fascinating contrasts between the operations and approaches. The highlight, though, was absolutely Glenns Creek Distillery where we had our tasting with the Master Distiller himself. We thought we were getting pretty smart about bourbon by that point, but still have so much to learn!
With a little time to kill on Monday morning before our flight, we also snuck in a visit to Daniel Boone's grave and a tour of the Rebecca Ruth Candy Company. Without a doubt, the Kentucky River Tours team made this the absolutely perfect weekend to explore bourbon and Frankfort. Thank you!
Written October 1, 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.
These folks were part of our " Bourbon Concierge " service. If a full plan, all-inclusive bourbon trail package is what you are looking for, shoot us an email: captain@bourbonboat.com
Written October 12, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kevin S
Lexington, KY3 contributions
Jul 2020
We had a fantastic experience during the Sunset Riverboat Tour. The first time we attempted to go, a storm rolled in at the last minute. The captain(s) apologized and had to cancel, but made it right by issuing a full refend as a gift card to use any other time. The 2nd attempt the weather was perfect! Captain Allison was a delight and full of useful information. Super friendly, laid back and relaxing experience. It was a great date night experience as the sunset filled the "cotton candy" sky. We are definitely going to try to go back and do one of the bourbon history tours.
Written July 27, 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.
Becky H
1 contribution
Aug 2024 • Business
We chartered the Kentucky River Tours for our summer office party and had the absolute best time. Allison was so easy to work with planning the time on our tour and once there they took care of everything. Everyone from our office was so pleased and are still talking about it. As we traveled down the river, Darrel was excellent at sharing knowledge about all sorts of things and when he led us through the bourbon tasting he made the time very fun and interactive. Thank you to the whole team!
Written August 26, 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.
Jim
Louisville, KY3 contributions
Oct 2022
Allison and her boat pilot were EXCELLENT ! The Sunset Cruise we took recently was a fun and leisurely way to spend an lovely fall evening. Beverages and Bourbon balls were served along with interesting and historical narration. We would definitely take this cruise again!
Jim L. and Family
(Louisville)
Jim L. and Family
(Louisville)
Written October 3, 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.
Kurt C
1 contribution
Aug 2024 • Business
We had a great time with Captain Nathan and Captain Allison. We learned a lot about the Kentucky River in and around Frankfort. We learned some history about Frankfort and Daniel Boone. The river trip was very relaxing. We will incorporate this into future business activities. We had associates from Gravatai, Brazil; Chihuahua, Mexico; Paris, Tennessee and Danville, Kentucky on this trip.
Written August 23, 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.
Erin b
7 contributions
Apr 2023 • Couples
We came to Kentucky for our anniversary and I wanted to do things a little different, didn't want to do just the traditional distillery tours. I found this boat tour that came with a tasting which was awesome because trying to get a tasting are buffalo trace was near impossible. The couple that did the tour was amazing and even though it down poured rain on us the whole experience was awesome thanks to them!
Written April 22, 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.
Thank you so much. Those rain tours always make the memories for us...we have been talking about it on board! Thank you for celebrating such a precious time with us. Here's to many more...cheers!
Written April 30, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ASBCRB
Urbana, OH412 contributions
Apr 2021 • Couples
We had a great tour. Our captain provided lots of stories and information and the tour was great fun. We would take some of the other tours whenever possible. Very reasonable price for such a great job! Highly recommend this for all ages.
Written April 21, 2021
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.
GJ214
Dallas, TX16 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Captains Allison and Nathan were great. Nathan was our tour guide and we learned so much about local history and bourbon history. Highly recommend this company. We were kept updated and informed on our tour and everything we needed to do leading up to our boat ride. Followed it up with the Old Taylor Tour at Buffalo Trace distillery. Great day!
Written October 23, 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.
jodyrk22
West Bloomfield, MI28 contributions
Oct 2022
We did the sunset river tour. There were 8 of us on the boat, plus the operators. They were very knowledgeable, laid back and fun hosts. They provided us with blankets for the cool night, water and ginger ale as well as locally made chocolates. It was a lovely evening, and a perfect way to cap off our vacation.
Written October 26, 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.
Where in Frankfort does the Bourbon history tour embark? We’re trying to see if we have enough time to get there from another distillery but I can’t find an address & their phones aren’t taking messages until this weekend.
Written August 2, 2022
How much does the tour cost? Can you buy tickets in advance?
Written May 15, 2019
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