BARDSTOWN, Ky. (July 24, 2012) — Bardstown will celebrate its designation as the Most Beautiful Small Town in America on Wednesday, July 25, at Kreso’s Theatre, 218 N. Third St., Bardstown.
Festivities begin at 7 p.m., followed by a viewing of the Travel Channel special about the selected towns at 8 p.m.
The town was recognized in the Rand McNally/USA TODAY Best of the Road contest, conducted last month. Five teams, who traveled nearly 30,000 miles visiting the finalist towns, consulted with a panel of judges and chose the five best small towns full in the country out of 650 nominated towns.
The husband-and-wife team Nikki and Dusty Green (also known as “Two for the Road”) visited the Most Beautiful finalist towns, but were struck by the history and tradition of Bardstown.
The couple said they were smitten by downtown Bardstown’s “classic Norman Rockwell” look and feel.
“Bourbon is Bardstown’s history and tradition and the countryside is beautiful, but we probably got fewer scenic shots in Bardstown than anywhere else,” admitted the Greens about their visit to central Kentucky’s Bluegrass Country. Instead, they said, “the people turned us around. We realized maybe we’re not just here to see mountains and rivers, maybe there’s something else. Our hearts are still in this place.”
The other Most Beautiful Town finalists were Danville, Ky.; Jim Thorpe, Pa.; Tybee Island, Ga.; Sedona, Ariz.; and Baker City, Ore.
Murray, Ky., was chosen as the Friendliest Town in the competition.
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