Danville’s log house jail is utterly charming. There it sits, near the meetinghouse where Kentucky’s Constitution was signed in 1792, making it the fifteenth state in the Union. It’s hard to believe this storybook structure held America’s first known serial killers, the savage Harpe Brothers, back in 1799. It did…at least until the prisoners made their escape.
Courtesy Danville-Boyle County Convention and Visitors Bureau
While the jail is a replica of the one that held the Harpes, the post office structure is original. Built pre-statehood, it was the first post office west of the Allegheny Mountains and received its first piece of mail on November 3, 1792. These log structures and others are just a taste of Danville’s historic downtown. Around here, 19th-century storefronts on Main Street house locally-owned restaurants, shops, and art galleries.
Here’s how to explore welcoming Danville, the birthplace of Kentucky statehood.
Shopping In Danville
Browse Downtown Boutiques
Pop into Cerci on Main to shop for clothing, jewelry, leather goods, baby blankets, sweets and treats, coffee, and more. Maple Tree Gallery is an eclectic mix of handmade gifts, local art, seasonal goodies, and custom framing.
Arts And Culture In Danville
Check Out A Glass Museum
Opened in fall 2023, the GLASS National Art Museum showcases the artistry and history of glass blowing. The collection includes works from noted glass artist Stephen Rolfe Powell, as well as others. After looking at the exhibits, take a break at Murrini Café, the museum’s cafe, which is located next door.
Kentucky Tourism
Delight Your Inner Child
Travel through time at The Great American Dollhouse Museum. Through 200 finely-crafted dollhouses and room boxes, you’ll see how ordinary people worked, played, learned, parented, cooked, and built communities over centuries.
Catch A World-Class Show
The Norton Center for the Arts is an internationally recognized performing arts center featuring a busy lineup of Broadway productions, headlining musicians, high-energy circus performances, holiday spectaculars, and more.
Kentucky Tourism
Experience Movie Magic
John Travolta once honed his acting chops at Pioneer Playhouse, now Kentucky’s oldest outdoor theater. The box office was originally the train station on the movie set of the 1957 Civil War drama, “Raintree County,” which filmed in Danville. Spend the evening here and enjoy a farm-fresh dinner on the outdoor patio with professional theater performances and a chance to explore movie memorabilia.
Historic Sites In Danville
Courtesy Danville-Boyle County Convention and Visitors Bureau
Visit Constitution Square
The three-acre Constitution Square Historic Site, an open-air museum and scenic park that makes an ideal picnic spot in town. The first post office west of the Alleghenies and a replica of Danville’s frontier jail are also located here. Self-guided and group tours, which also include the nearby historic McDowell house, are available.
See A Civil War Landmark
See what the 20,000 Union troops and 16,000 Confederate soldiers saw on October 8, 1862, when they clashed on Perryville Battlefield. The site of Kentucky’s largest and bloodiest Civil War battle, the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site has been designated by the American Battlefield Trust as the most intact battlefield of the Civil War.
Eating And Drinking In Danville
Danville-Boyle County Convention and Visitors Bureau
Enjoy Burgers And Bourbon
Danville’s historic downtown is home to more than a dozen locally-owned restaurants. Copper & Oak serves craft burgers, steaks, beer, and bourbon in an upscale, speakeasy atmosphere. The restaurant is known for an outstanding bourbon selection, with Danville’s Wilderness Trail at the top of its list. The distillery, famous for its unique sweet mash process, puts Danville on the famed Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
Take Time For Tea
At nationally known Elmwood Inn Fine Teas, owners/tea experts Bruce and Shelley Richardson have authored more than a dozen tea books, find your blend of tea or piece of teaware: mug, cup, pot, or gaiwan.
Kentucky Tourism
Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth
For a century, family-owned Burke’s Bakery and Delicatessen has been Danville’s go-to spot for homemade bread, donuts, pastries, and muffins. Cookies are the specialty here; flavors include the standard chocolate chip and oatmeal-raisin plus others like cinnamon roll, dark chocolate-peanut butter chip, and caramel-chocolate chip.
