• Northern Kentucky encompasses rolling hills, horse farms, historic villages and the south side of the Cincinnati metropolitan area. When you visit the region, you can choose your lodging from a variety of unusual hotels and bed-and-breakfasts, from medieval to cutting-edge, designed to cater to a variety of interests and budgets.
  
  

21c Museum Hotel

• If you've always wanted to sleep in an art museum, Louisville's 21c Museum Hotel is the place for you. The only museum in the United States to focus solely on 21st-century art, the 9,000-square-foot space showcases work in a variety of media, by living artists. The hotel lobby doubles as a public gallery with rotating exhibitions, and the 90 guest rooms feature cutting-edge design, innovative art and Southern hospitality. Four-foot-tall red penguins---the hotel's trademark---are installed throughout the premises. For horse racing aficionados, the Churchill Downs Racetrack, home of the Kentucky Derby, is less than 5 miles away.
  
  

Wildwood Inn

• Combine your visit to the Mammoth Caves with a stay in the Kentucky Cave Suite, or enhance your trip to the Kentucky Speedway with lodgings in the Speedway Suite. Treat your children to a weekend in the Pirate Ship Suite or the Treehouse Suite. Or experience an African safari village, an Aztec jungle, or Polynesia---all in northern Kentucky. The Wildwood Inn Tropical Dome and Themed Suites, located in Florence, features more than 50 themed suites, as well as regular double, king and king spa rooms, all in proximity to Cincinnati and the Kentucky Speedway.
  
  

CastlePost

• CastlePost may look medieval, but its luxurious guest rooms and restaurant offer the latest in contemporary elegance. Located in Versailles near Lexington, CastlePost stands on green acreage amidst horse farms. You can hold events, from weddings to fundraisers, in the grand ballroom or library, or stay in one of the inn's 12 guest rooms or four turret suites. Each evening, you can enjoy a five-course meal prepared by the on-site executive chef and served in the castle's formal dining room.
  
  

First Farm Inn

• Combine Cincinnati's urban offerings with a rural retreat at the First Farm Inn in Petersburg. Twenty miles from Cincinnati, this bed and breakfast features a herd of unshod horses that are available for lessons and small-group trail rides. Lessons take a holistic approach, from grooming to basic instructions and communication techniques. If you'd rather stay in the farmhouse, you can cuddle with the affectionate resident cats and dog. You can even bring your own pet, if it behaves well and will get along with the other animals. For day trips, you can visit Cincinnati, travel on a riverboat, ski at Perfect North or watch thoroughbred races at Turfway Park.