Kentucky’s small towns are the most charming small towns, and we never pass on an opportunity to give these little locales their 15 minutes of fame. Today, it’s Shelbyville’s turn in the spotlight, and if you’ve yet to visit this impossibly charming small town in Kentucky, allow us to introduce you!

Located in the heart of the Bluegrass State, Shelbyville is a delightful town of around 17,000 with a decidedly "small town" sensibility.
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The town is known as the Saddlebred Capital of the World, and indeed, you'll find stables and horse farms aplenty here (over 90, in fact!). For equestrian enthusiasts, places like Red Fern Riding Center and Kismet Farm are pretty much paradise.
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Family farms are also in great supply in Shelbyville, with places like Mulberry Orchard perennial fall festival favorites in Kentucky.
Mulberry Orchard, 1330 Mulberry Pike, Shelbyville, KY 40065, USA
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Shelbyville is a delightful mix of old and new, with each business -- big and small -- an inextricable part of the whole.
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The Shelbyville County Courthouse is the town's anchor. Built in 1912, this Beaux Arts-style building is breathtakingly beautiful.
Shelbyville County Courthouse
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The quaint downtown is walkable and historic, with local shops and long-standing businesses standing tall along the sidewalk-lined streets. Local restaurants like McKinley's Cafe and Bell House Restaurant keep folks happily fueled and fed!
J. Stephen Conn/Flickr
In terms of shopping, you'll find it all in Shelbyville. While there is a brand-new factory outlet in town, if you're into antiques, Wakefield-Scearce Galleries and Paisley Pig Antiques & Collectables offer the full gamut of vintage furniture, art, and wares.
Paisley Pig Antiques & Collectables, 528 Main St, Shelbyville, KY 40065, USA
Paisley Pig Antiques & Collectables/Facebook
This dichotomy of old and new is a common theme in Shelbyville, where you're just as likely to stumble upon a gorgeous new distillery...
Jeptha Creed Distillery, 500 Gordon Ln, Shelbyville, KY 40065, USA
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...as you are a long-standing mom-and-pop shop!
Carriss's Grocery, 7 Southville Pike, Shelbyville, KY 40065, USA
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This reverence for history and forward-thinking progressiveness is Kentucky in a nutshell; when you add a healthy heaping of Southern warmth and hospitality, you get the impossibly charming, always-worth-a-visit town of Shelbyville, Kentucky.

Have you visited Shelbyville before? Did you know about this charming small town in Kentucky? Between its history and prime location in Bourbon *and* Horse Country, Shelbyville is about as perfect as it gets!

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