The Great American Brass Band Festival

The Great American Brass Band Festival -- Celebrating 20 Years!

Dine & Recline

Check out the town's offerings

The Great American Brass Band Festival features a lot to see and do, but during the down times there are a lot of places to investigate in Boyle County and the surrounding areas.

If you want to stay within walking distance of the festival, Main Street offers a variety of shopping opportunities. Bridal shops, a jewelry shop, gift shops and a bike and fitness shop are a few of the places shoppers can go. Walking Main Street is just plain fun to do, even without actually looking to purchase anything.

Several eateries are located near the Centre College campus, where the greatest part of the festival is located.

There are a growing number of restaurants in Danville where customers can buy an alcoholic drink with their meal. Alcohol by the drink sales in restaurants that seat 100 people was approved in a November election. Other restaurants serving alcohol include Guadalajara Mexican, O'Charley's and Applebee's restaurants, all on the Danville bypass and Reno's on Hustonville Road.

Burke's Bakery, near Constitution Square State Historic Site, is a traditional stop for breakfast goodies. Dix's Restaurant and The Red Rooster offer inexpensive home-cooked meals. Ace Billiards is a place to combine recreation with lunch. If delicatessens are your flavor, Melton's Deli, across the street from the post office, offers sandwiches, soups and homemade cookies.

Along Fourth Street, Subway, Bluegrass Beach House and further down, Fourth Street Deli offer more eating enticements. Also on Fourth Street are a couple of clothing stores.

For fast meals and treats, Little Caesar's, Papa John's and Baskin-Robbins are located near the festival on West Main Street.

Centre Shoppes provides a combination of books and refreshments. The shop is located on Main Street in the old Hub building adjoined by The Hub Coffee House & Cafe. Festival-goers can browse the bookstore for the perfect volume and then trek over to the Hub Coffee House & Cafe for a cappuccino, a cup of the specialty coffee of the day, a bite to eat or to check out the art or live music featured on the weekends.

If you like historical places or appreciate attractive architecture and houses, Main Street, Lexington Avenue and Maple Avenue provide a variety of each.

Architecture along Lexington Avenue varies from the Greek Revival style to the Gothic Revival style. Along Second and Third streets, a walker can see houses in the Italianate style, the Federal style and Romanesque style.

Old Centre, on the college's campus, is believed to be the oldest college building west of the Alleghenies, and also is located on Main Street.

Along Maple, you can see Twin Hollies, 406 Maple Ave. Built around 1839 by Robert Russell Jr., this house was the home of Fontaine T. Fox, whose grandson Fontaine Fox III became nationally known for his "Toonerville Trolley Cartoons" in the last half of the 19th century.

Main Street features a number of historical homes, as well as Constitution Square, where the Supreme Court of the District of Kentucky and the Constitutional Conventions that led to Kentucky's statehood were housed. While near the park, festival-goers can check out the Museum Store, which is loaded with lots of Kentucky and Danville crafts and goodies. Also in Constitution Square are Gallery on the Square and the Wilderness Trace Art League for those interested in the visual arts. For more information about Constitution Square, call (859) 236-7794.

Across from the square is the McDowell House at 125 S. Second St. Dr. Ephraim McDowell performed a famous ovariotomy without anesthesia on Jane Todd Crawford on Dec. 25, 1809.

Drive down Main Street and take a right on Stanford Road, and you'll come up on Old Crow Inn and Pioneer Playhouse on your left. Old Crow Inn, the oldest stone home west of the Alleghenies, was built in 1780. It now is a bed and breakfast and there is a gift shop on the grounds featuring the pottery of owners Andre and Linda Brousseau and other craftsmen. Old Crow Inn also has opened its winery and sells its label, Chateau du Vieux Corbeau.

The playhouse and dinner theater is Kentucky's oldest outdoor theater and features a campground area for those averse to hotel rooms during the brass band weekend. The playhouse has seen more than 50 years of tourists and play-goers.

For a more complete listing of historical places, a brochure titled "Historic Walking and Driving Tour" can be picked up at the Danville-Boyle County Convention and Visitors Bureau, 304 S. Fourth St. Or call (859) 236-7794 or (800) 755-0076 outside Boyle County.

The brochure also lists a number of bed and breakfast inns in the area, as well as other accommodations, and provides a map of the local area.

If you want to take a drive in your car and do a little shopping, Danville contains several shopping centers with a variety of stores. While shopping at the Southland Shopping Center on Hustonville Road, you can get a quick hair cut or shop for tools, shoes and such. Danville Manor Center, on Hustonville Road and U.S. 150, contains Chinatown restaurant, several fast food eateries, clothing stores, an electronics store, shoe stores and Peddlers Mall flea market. Two restaurants -- Shoney's and Woody's are on the bypass.

Across U.S. 150 is a Wal-Mart SuperCenter store and Jumbo Buffet, as well as a Dairy Queen and a Starbucks coffee shop. On this same strip along the bypass is Ridgefield Shopping Center with a Kmart, a clothing store, a pharmacy, a music store and Rally's. A Super Kroger is located next-door in the Kroger Plaza which also has a clothing store, specialty stores, Great Clips and Goodwill. Further down are Captain D's and Huddle House restaurants.

Other corners at the intersection of Hustonville Road and the bypass contain Super Lowe's and Cracker Barrel.

About 10 miles out Perryville Road, drivers can find the Perryville Battlefield, site of an annual battle re-enactment in October. The battlefield contains numerous monuments and a museum store. For more information about the battlefield, call (859) 332-8631.

Travel along Merchant's Row, the center of trade during the mid-19th century, located along Perryville's Old Main Street.

North of Boyle County is Mercer, a historical county that has many places to see and things to do.

One piece of history is Old Fort Harrod, a camp established in 1774 by James Harrod and his party as they traveled west from Virginia. The site eventually became modern-day Harrodsburg, the oldest permanent settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains.

Old Fort Harrod contains an exact replica of the original fort. Tours are given daily.

The Beaumont Inn is internationally known for its fine food and has been featured in many books and periodicals. Signature dishes at the inn include 2-year-old country ham, corn pudding, and Yellow-Legged Chicken.

Shakertown, located at Pleasant Hill in Mercer County, was the home of the religious Shakers in the 19th century. Of the original buildings, 33 have been preserved and the village is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Shakertown offers tours, river excursions, a restaurant and a variety of other activities. For more information about the village, call (800) 734-5611.

For additional information on accommodations, contact the Danville/Boyle County Convention & Visitors Bureau (800) 755-0076.