Winchester

I feel the other reviewer sorta stole my thunder here, but the number one thing to mention about Winchester has to be the Beer Cheese Festival. I don't think I've ever had as much fun at a festival as I have at the Beer Cheese. The food is incredible, and there's so much fun stuff to do. Add in the fact that it's incredibly unhealthy (which I like just to spite healthy people) and it's amazing.

Winchester benefits from being roughly 60 miles from Lexington, so it's not really nearby, yet at the same time it's not so far as to struggle to get there for a day trip if you feel like it. The town also isn't terribly small, with around 20 thousand residents, and this helps provide for more dining options than you might find in other towns.

Don Senor is a great little Mexican restaurant, Stinky and Coco is a superb diner, and my favorite, Engine House Deli, is really something special. They make the River Rat Beer Cheese, and their subs are really really good. You don't have a ton of truly fine dining options, but you will have no problems finding something good to eat.

I really enjoy Winchester. I don't get here nearly enough, but every time I visit I find more than enough to do. It's a fun place to check out, especially for the festival, and there are some really good places to eat. The schools aren't supposed to be great, and I've actually heard less than good things about George Rogers Clark High School, though I know they've won some sporting championships, so maybe what I've heard was exaggerated. Still, it's a fun town for a day trip. I don't necessarily suggest living here, but definitely give it a look!

I wish I could say the same for the nightlife. Not great.

Winchester is a fun town with a few cool activities and a nice atmosphere. It's not too big, yet at the same time it's not terribly small so you get a nice mix of what you need. It's not too far from my home here in Lexington, so I've been through Winchester on a number of occasions and always liked it.

The good stuff: The Beer Cheese Festival. Really, if you're going to talk about Winchester this has to be one of the first things you mention. The Beer Cheese Festival is held once a year in June and it has a lot of really fun activities. Of course, the main attraction is beer cheese, a tasty cheese spread that is put on all sorts of stuff. You don't see beer cheese very much outside of Kentucky, and it's been here for about 70 years. There's usually a beer cheese competition, and plenty of shopping from various vendors and lots to eat, so it's a lot of fun. The Beer Cheese Festival brings a ton of people out too, with something like 10,000 people attending most years. It's covered by local TV Stations and is a big event for this part of Kentucky.

Outside of the festival you have a few good restaurants to enjoy in Winchester like Don Senor, a pretty decent Mexican restaurant, DJ's Bar, which has really good American style food, and Great Wall Chinese for some really good Chinese food. There aren't a TON of options in Winchester, but you won't be struggling to find a place to eat out at like in some other small Kentucky towns.

If you're the active sort, there are some gyms to exercise like College Park Gym, though I'd prefer to go to College Park itself. The park isn't exactly picturesque, but there's a nice basketball court and tennis courts if you're interested in getting some good exercise through a sport. Not big. Not super nice. But it's there and gives you the option.

Winchester is pretty safe, and not expensive at all. With how close it is to my Lexington it's hard not to like Winchester. It offers plenty to do while at the same time giving you the chance to keep up with other things and travel to a bit bigger city to get some fun at different restaurants and bars.