Ultimate Hallmark Channel Town Travel Guide || Stanford, Kentucky || Where to Stay, What to Do, and Where to Eat

We get asked a lot about our favorite small towns and which of them we’d consider to be ‘Hallmark Channel’ towns. Over the course of 2020 we’ve actually come across a few different ones, but Stanford, Kentucky is one of our favorites.

Check out these videos for a more visual look at our time in Stanford sponsored by Wilderness Road Hospitality.

The first thing that makes a small town a ‘Hallmark’ town is the people. In Stanford there is a population of about 6700, and of the people we met, every single one of them was unreasonably kind.

On our first day we were leaving one of the stores downtown and a man stopped us to chat. We then spent the next five minutes talking to him from across the street. It’s things like that we find in these ‘Hallmark’ towns that really seal the deal for us.

This travel guide will walk you through where to stay, what to do, and where to eat in Stanford. If we don’t address something you wanted to know about, leave a comment and we’ll answer any questions you have!

WHERE TO STAY

In Stanford there are a few different places you can stay, but all of the best options are part of the Inn at Wilderness Road. You can stay at their inn (downtown), but you can also stay in one of five different guest houses. We stayed in the Whitley Cottage, which had two bedrooms, a living room, laundry area, and kitchen.

We had everything we needed at Whitley Cottage, and it would be a great spot for a small family, a couple, or small group to stay when traveling to Stanford.

WHERE TO EAT

In downtown Stanford there is a restaurant that opened in 2012 that, over the last several years, has become a staple of Stanford. It’s called Bluebird, and they’re serving all-natural, farm-to-table food that is good and good for you.

Chef Bill, the executive chef of Bluebird, has crafted some incredible dishes that people of all dietary needs can eat and enjoy. Chef Bill actually has Crohn's disease, so creating meals with grass fed and grass finished beef (and other meats) has been helpful for his health, and has become a huge mission of his.

We have an entire video where you can hear Chef Bill’s heart and learn all about the food.

WHAT TO DO

Stanford has a great mix of historical activities and fun downtown shopping. Let’s start with a few of the awesome shops we think you need to check out…

Morgan’s on Main

At Morgan’s on Main you’re going to find a wide variety of boutique style clothes in sizes from XS to 4X, which we loved. They have adorable little tops, dresses, skirts, and pants along with accessories like belts, scrunchies, and earrings.

We found ourselves drawn to some of the adorable sweaters and most of the earrings. We probably got way too many, but look at them! How can you resist?

4 Generations

4 Generations has a little bit of everything. We found some adorable notebooks, scrunchies, face masks, and even some clothes. While we were there we picked up a couple of cute Kentucky shirts.

Something unique and interesting about 4 Generations is that they also sell their homemade ice cream, which quickly became a town favorite.

Kentucky Soaps and Such

The name of this one is kind of a dead giveaway. Kentucky Soaps and Such makes their own bar soaps, liquid soaps, and lip balms in the basement. They also sell a variety of Kentucky made products.

We love their bar and liquid soaps. The bars are so soft and lather up beautifully. The liquid soap feels luxurious and we love having it by the sink. However, for Jenni the star of the show has to be the lip balms. They are so smooth and make your lips feel softer than any chapstick we’ve used before.

One of our favorite Kentucky products they sell is the Prayerful Pretzels. These things are almost sinful, y’all! So delicious and we highly recommend.

If you’re looking for some historical sites to visit, Stanford has you covered. We were able to check out three of the towns coolest spots.

Baughman Mill and L&N Depot

Both of these spots are located right next door to the Whitley Cottage.

The L&N Depot has been restored as an incredible meeting place for everything from family reunions to business meetings.

Baughman’s Mill is one of Kentucky’s oldest grain mills, and it is absolutely beautiful. Our tour guide was Garlan and he said the mill is just waiting for someone to come in and take it over as a business or as a private residence. It lends itself beautifully for either.

William Whitley House

The history behind the William Whitley house was absolutely fascinating to us. William and Esther Whitley built the house as a fortress to protect them and their eleven children from potential Native American attacks. Some of the coolest features of the house are the false ceiling in the kitchen that holds a secret hiding area for the youngest Whitley child. The chimneys were also placed inside of the house instead of on the outside so attackers couldn’t climb the house.

William thought of everything to keep his family safe and he even provided windows that had the perfect vantage point for shooting attackers. This came in handy since his wife, Esther, was an acclaimed sharp shooter.

Logan Station (aka Logan’s Fort)

Built in 1775 by Benjamin Logan, the fort was intended to protect families traveling west from Native American attacks. These types fo forts were fairly common and could be found sprinkled along the trail out west, but Benjamin Logan’s fort was particularly special.

The fort was established not too far from a spring, and this was done so that the men could build a tunnel that allowed them to reach fresh water even if the fort came under siege. This happened in 1777 when Native Americans held the fort for thirteen days. One of the residents of the fort was injured and Benjamin Logan saved him all while protecting himself from Native American arrows with a feather mattress.

Being close to the water source and having access helped families stay clean, hydrated, and healthy. So the rate of disease and death at Logan’s Fort was lower than most.

It’s now being restored and rebuilt as a place for events and reenactments.

Our time in Stanford was filled with delicious food, the perfect accommodations, and lots of fun activities planned for us by our sponsor, Wilderness Road Hospitality. We were even able to receive a massage (Joanie) and facial (Jenni) at Esther’s Wellhouse, which just set the trip over the edge of perfection.

Stanford is a great ‘Hallmark’ town with people and businesses that match that almost too good to be true persona. We loved it and can’t wait to go back.

Thank you to Wilderness Road Hospitality for sponsoring our trip.

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Stanford, Kentucky is the quintessential Hallmark town, and this is our ultimate Hallmark Channel town travel guide to Stanford.