Sparta

I'm going to have trouble finding much to say about Sparta, especially considering the other review. This is an extremely small town with almost no restaurants, schools, or entertainment options. The one thing people come here for is the Kentucky Speedway. Fortunately, that's a lot of fun and brings in a fair number of folks every year.

It doesn't really matter how much you enjoy racing, if you've ever been to the Speedway you know it's a lot of fun. I've always been a racing fan, but my girls aren't, and I worried this would make it difficult verging on impossible to get them to come to the races with me. I can happily say this is not the case. They all love to come by to check out all the festivities. People camp out, play volleyball, have some drinks and a fantastic time. While Sparta may not have anything else going on, enjoying a tailgating cookout with new friends is such superb fun that I don't think many people can really complain. If you open yourself up to a good time you are sure to have it.

Sparta is a very safe town, though sometimes fights break out at the Speedway. Otherwise you'll be fine and not run into any problems.

Likewise, Sparta is very affordable. I think the lack of businesses in the area makes it difficult to prop up home prices or the cost of living in general. The lack of schools also makes the taxes relatively affordable.

You will struggle to find work in Sparta, and outside of the races you will not have much to do. It's too bad the area has come more alive because of all the traffic from race fans. I feel Sparta could be a lot more fun if only there were more to do. Regardless, I like to visit, and would definitely recommend Sparta as a place to check out from time to time, but not as a place to live.

I wrote a little while back about Carrollton, and one of the big things about that town, much like it's a big thing for Sparta, is that it's so close to the Kentucky Speedway. Well, as much as Carrollton gets a lot of life from the Speedway, Sparta's only real thing is racing. This is a tiny little town. I looked up the population and it's less than 300 people. It's just that tiny. There would likely be nothing here if not for the Speedway, but fortunately that is right here, so there are a few things worth noting.

First, if you're a big racing fan (I'm not) you will no doubt visit Sparta at some point in your life. There's a Ramada Inn and a Speedway Inn to accommodate travelers heading to the races.

There aren't many restaurants, but you can try Hog Wild for some above average BBQ. It's not fancy, but it's good and hits the spot when you're preparing for or recovering from a day at the races. It is honestly the only thing I've ever done in Sparta other than check out the Speedway. I think there's a strip club nearby, but that's not my thing.

I assume there are schools here, but the population is so small that I can't imagine they're very big or very good. I hate to be so down on a town, and it's mostly due to my boredom with racing, but Sparta has so little to offer. I'd rather check out almost any other town. It's probably pretty safe, but then there's hardly anyone in town to commit crimes. It's just a little too small and boring to make much difference.