Locals of Kentucky will readily tell you that there’s plenty to do in their fine state. Between the beautiful natural environment to the unique cultures speckling the land, you can find something for just about everyone. The real question is, then, what places have the most to offer all these different types of people? Luckily for you, the Movoto Real Estate Blog is on the case. We tracked down those truly fascinating cities, found out what makes them tick, and compiled this fun list of the 10 best places in Kentucky for excitement seekers. Those thrilling places were: 1. City of Newport
2. City of Bowling Green
3. City of Covington
4. City of Louisville
5. City of Berea
6. City of Lexington
6. City of Owensboro
8. City of Frankfort
9. City of Nicholasville
10. City of Paducah We’re pretty sure some of these rankings surprised you. Louisville not No. 1? Lexington at No. 6? What’s going on here? Don’t worry, we didn’t do this based on opinion and personal feelings. These rankings are strictly by the numbers. But what sort of numbers did we use? You can find that out in the very next section.

How We Created This Ranking

To make this Big Deal List, we first made a list of all the places in the state with populations over 10,000 people that we could get data for from the U.S. Census (2010) and business listings. That was a total of 40 places, and that all important excitement data we gathered included:
  • Nightlife per capita (bars, clubs, comedy, etc.)
  • Live music venues per capita
  • Active life options per capita (parks, outdoor activities, etc.)
  • Arts and Entertainment per capita (movie theaters, festivals, galleries, theaters, etc.)
  • Fast Food restaurants per capita (the fewer the better)
  • Percentage of restaurants that are not fast food (the higher the better)
  • Percentage of young residents ages 18 to 34 (the higher the better)
  • Population density (the higher the better)
Once we had those numbers, we ranked each place in each category from one to 40, with scores closer to one being better. Then, we averaged each place’s rankings into one Big Deal Score. The place with the big deal score closest to one became our most exciting in Kentucky. Don’t see your hometown in the top 10? Not to worry, since  you can see where it ranked on our full list at the bottom of this article. For now, let’s take a look at the 10 spots that garnered our most thrilling title, starting with the most action packed, and probably the biggest underdog win, on our list.

1. Newport

We’ll be the first to admit, this No. 1 was a serious shocker. At only 15,273 people, it’s hard to imagine a little place beating out the biggest cities in the state, but we did all this per capita. So keep that in mind. Newport had the No. 1 ranking in music venues per capita, active life amenities per capita, and arts per capita. It also had the fourth most non-fast food restaurants per capita, featuring places like the York Street Café, where you really have to try the Dirty Hummus. Add in the seventh most young people, and you have a lively, thriving, exciting place to call home. But the main reason this place is in first has to do with the No. 1 nightlife ranking. And holy cow, do they know how to pack in those nightlife venues. With more places than bigger cities like Owensboro and Frankfort, Newport definitely has the most bang for its size. You can spice up your night by picking between The Southgate House Revival, the Crazy Fox Saloon, or one of the many other awesome spots.

2. Bowling Green

We know most people don’t think of museums as exciting, but Bowling Green is home to the National Corvette Museum, and cars like those are pretty good at getting the blood pumping. Besides that exciting attraction, the numbers pretty well speak for themselves. The third best nightlife, the 10th best music venues, and the 10th most active life options mean that whether you like to take long walks or rock the night away, you’ll find a way to stay entertained. It also doesn’t hurt that this place had a high population density, so even if you’re just wandering around, you’re likely to meet new and exciting people every day.

3. Covington

While this city is a little more spread out than most others in our top 10, that doesn’t make it any less exciting. Want proof? Look no further than the No. 2 ranked nightlife and the No. 3 ranked music venues, for all the nightowls out there. We’d recommend heading to the Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar, if you’re not sure where to start. But the thrills and chills don’t stop there. This place also had the seventh best non-fast food restaurants per capita ranking, and the 10th best arts. Not bad to a city of only 40,640. If, again, you want proof that this place does in fact know how to treat a foodie right, just head to Wunderbar, and you’ll be convinced pretty quickly.

4. Louisville

Now, we know it’s no surprise that this place was on our top 10 list, but you might be a little surprised that it’s only No. 4. This place did lose out a little in population density and young population, which knocked it back a spot or two, but don’t worry. This is still one seriously exciting locale. For starters, Louisville had the fifth best nightlife and the eighth best arts, so whether you enjoy your culture in a museum or on the dance floor, you’ll find a good fit here. It also had the 13th best non-fast food restaurants rank, and the 11th best music venues. And yeah, the Louisville Palace is just kinda awesome in its own right. Really, no matter how you like to have fun, this place probably caters to your desires.

5. Berea

This place might also raise a few eyebrows, considering it’s home to only 13,561 people. Still, by the numbers, it’s hard to deny that this place has a certain appeal to it. It had the fourth youngest population, due to a bit of a college vibe, and the highest population density on our list, so when you run into someone on the street—and you will—they’re likely to be ready to have fun. But how to have fun? Well, you’ll have to choose between the fifth ranked arts, the 11th best active life options, or you can just head to the College Square and find something fun to do there. And if you’re looking to get something to eat, you could do worse than the majestic Boone Tavern Hotel.

6. Lexington

This one should be another no brainer. Of course, Lexington had to make our list, if for no other reason that is has a ton of nightlife and music venues for the nightowls reading this right now. In fact, it ranked eighth and ninth respectively in those categories, thanks to places like the Lexington Beerworks and Cosmic Charlie’s. Still, not everyone is a partier, and Lexington caters to those types too. With the 14th best arts and the 12th best non-fast food restaurants per capita, those with a slightly more refined palate in both culture and cuisine are likely to be pleased with their options. We’re pretty sure the folks over at Sahara Mediterranean Cuisine are inclined to agree with us on that point.

6. Owensboro

Tied with much bigger Lexington, Owensboro and its 57,265 locals make a strong showing in the excitement department. Between the low amounts of fast food and the high number of non-fast food restaurants per capita—the sixth most on our list—foodies alone should be salivating just thinking about visiting this place. Not salivating yet? Go take a look at the menu for Bill’s Restaurant. Yeah, we thought so. There’s more to Owensboro than food, though. There are music venues to jam at, nightlife to immerse yourself in, and some lovely art galleries to peruse. Heck, there’s even natural beauty to be found nearby, just in case you’re the more outdoorsy type.

8. Frankfort

It may be the capital city, but Frankfort is still pretty small, and retains its small town vibe without being downright boring. If you’re looking to flex your knowledge on brews, you can check out the Buffalo Trace Distillery or Capital Cellars, and if you’re just looking to get your grub on, you simply have to try a po’ boy at Rick’s White Light Diner (seriously, do it). But maybe you’re looking to work out more than your tastebuds. That’s perfect, because this place had the seventh best nightlife, the second best music venues, and the eight best active life options, so it’s easy to stay in motion. Throw in a little culture, too, with the third best arts ranking, and its easy to see why this place made our top 10.

9. Nicholasville

Looking to meet new people and do some cool stuff? Look no further than Nicholasville. While it was a bit of an older population, at only 16.78 percent of the population being between the ages of 18 and 34, this place still scored highly, showing that the older crowd still knows how to keep a city happening. While this place didn’t exactly stand out in any one particular category, Nicholasville did pretty well across the board. Sure, it’s a smaller place, at only a little over 28,000 people, but it still had room for the sixth most music venues per capita, the 12th best active life options and a whole lot of non-fast food restaurants. Plus there’s always Jakes Cigar Bar & Lounge for people with more relaxed tastes.

10. Paducah

Besides having a pretty awesome name, this place also managed to be named Kentucky’s 10th most exciting spot. Why? Well, besides the Kirchhoff’s Bakery, of course. It’s a pretty little locale, but it packs a big punch. To start, Paducah had the fourth best arts per capita, meaning this place knows culture pretty well, and the sixth best active life amenities per capita for those who like to be out and about. Speaking of being out and about, if you’re looking to make new friends, you could find a much worse place. The fourth highest population density means that you’re likely to run into some familiar, and unfamiliar faces daily, and how exciting is that?

United They Stand...In Having Fun

It’s hard to deny that Kentucky is a pretty fun place overall. Of course, in these 10 places you’re likely to find more fun than you know what to do with. Between little cities with big thrills and the bigger cities you’d expect, you can plainly see that this state knows how to keep partying, active, and refined. Keep it up, Kentucky, we’ll see if we can even begin to keep up with you. Featured Image Source: Flickr user Wyoming_Jackrabbit Most Exciting Places In Kentucky
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