Are you a recently arrived freshman who, for one reason or another, did not bring a car with them to campus? Are you looking for a way to avoid downtown traffic and want a new way to explore the city? Or maybe you are just looking for an easy way to get some exercise outside the Beck Center hours. Fear not, this guide is for you. From August 2021 to May 2025, I was an on-campus Transylvania student who got around entirely on foot, without the use of a car. And while this may sound like a daunting proposition to those in a similar position to myself four years ago, I have found that, with careful planning, walking can be an efficient and healthy way to traverse and explore Lexington, and can offer a new perspective to those who are used to only seeing the city from behind a windshield.
The guide below will go over various walks and destinations around Lexington, both for those without a car and those who just want to walk for walking’s sake.
Downtown Lexington: Transylvania’s proximity to downtown Lexington provides a myriad of dining, shopping, and entertainment options for students, all within easy and navigable walking distance due to consistent sidewalks and the gridded street plan. Coffee shops like Third Street Stuff, Nate’s Coffee, and Lussi Brown Coffee Bar are all within a five to ten-minute walk from campus, perfect for refueling before or in between classes. For those looking to escape Transylvania Dining, downtown also has several dining options. Goodfellas Pizzeria and a Jimmy John’s location sit directly across from each other on Mill Street, less than a ten-minute walk from campus, and can provide a quick takeout meal at most hours of the day. Other local lunch spots close to campus include Doodle’s, Big Blue Deli, Taste of Thai, and Zim’s Cafe inside the old courthouse.
Downtown Lexington is also host to many local events, whether they be weekly like Thursday Night Live and the Saturday Lexington Farmer’s Market at the Fifth Third Pavilion, or annual fairs like the Cold Brew Festival in August or the Halloween Festival and Thriller Parade in October. Rupp Arena and the Central Bank Center are a convenient ten to fifteen-minute walk from campus – a great way to avoid parking fees – and host countless concerts, University of Kentucky basketball games, and annual events like the Lexington Comic & Toy Convention in March.
Downtown Lexington is home to two movie theatres within easy walking distance: LexLive, a larger entertainment complex complete with a bowling alley, arcade, and sports bar, and the Kentucky Theatre, a historic repertory theatre that more often hosts arthouse films and special events screenings. There are also great parks to walk to in Downtown Lexington, including historic Gratz Park directly across Third St from campus, Thoroughbred and Northeastern Parks on the corner of Midland Avenue and Short Street (complete with climbing boulders), and the Gatton Park on the Town Branch, the recently opened park behind Rupp Arena with an amphitheater, expansive playground, and trails along the historic namesake stream.
UK Campus: A benefit of Transylvania’s location is that, while being a very small liberal arts college, students have access to the resources of not only the city of Lexington, but the much larger University of Kentucky just over a mile south of campus. A walk to the UK Campus is fairly easy, with the hill between Vine Street and High Street being the only potential obstacle. My preferred route has always been going up Upper Street, which takes you through the mostly shaded Historic South Hill neighborhood and is centrally located between the campus and surrounding neighborhoods.
The neighborhoods surrounding the UK campus are full of restaurants and cafes to serve the UK student population. There is the typical chain fare that surrounds major college campuses, like Chipotle, Insomnia Cookies, and Raising Cane’s, a block north of campus. There is also the small South Upper Target location, which, while not ideal due to small size and generally higher prices, is the closest grocery/department store to the Transy campus and is within a more reasonable walking distance than the New Circle Walmart or the Euclid Kroger. The area also contains local favorites like Okome Asian Grill directly next to the Limestone Chipotle, Joe Bologna’s, and Cinco de Mayo on the corner of Upper and Maxwell, and Old School Coffee at the corner of Mill and Maxwell. Old School, a fifteen-minute walk from campus, is a great spot for coffee, breakfast, and studying, though it can get a bit busy during the school year and has a two-hour seating limit.
The campus itself naturally has many resources for students and, for the most part, is fairly navigable. Something to note is that you can always count on some part of the UK campus being under construction – see the White Hall renovation and the construction of the new health education building at the time of writing – so knowledge of alternate routes to navigate the campus is important. While the Gatton Student Center and the green spaces around campus are good for studying or reading, the likely destination for most Transy students is the William T. Young Library. Located near the south side of the academic region of the UK Campus, the massive six-floor facility is unsurprisingly the best-equipped place in Lexington for studying and research. The library accommodates all possible study behaviors, with each floor reserved for different noise levels and choice of long communal tables, private carrels, or enclosed group study rooms. If there is a book you need for a class that is not available in the Transylvania library or bookstore, there is a good chance you can find it in William T. Young. The walk, just under two miles from Transylvania’s campus, is not very strenuous and well worth it for the reward, though those who are going there to study or check out books should consider their ability to make the trek with a heavy bag or backpack.
The highlight of a walk to the University of Kentucky campus, though the furthest from Transy’s campus, is the University of Kentucky Arboretum, the state botanical garden of Kentucky. The 100-acre public park is a horticultural garden and living museum managed by the UK College of Agriculture that specializes in preserving and showcasing native Kentucky flora. The Arboretum contains over two miles of trails, including the Walk Across Kentucky, a trail that goes through recreated environments of seven regions of Kentucky, and a trail through the Arboretum Woods, a remnant of once common Bluegrass forests. Once on the UK campus, those wishing to walk to the arboretum can proceed down University Drive, then cut through the Kroger Field lot to reach Alumni Drive. The front entrance to the Arboretum is not accessible to pedestrians (trying to enter that way would involve going over a ditch, then bolting across Alumni without a crosswalk, which I wouldn’t advise). However, there is a side entrance accessible via sidewalk that can be reached by crossing Alumni at the roundabout across from Kentucky Proud Park, with the entrance at the small parking lot near the Greg Page Apartments. A walk to the Arboretum from campus is almost exactly three miles, so a round trip plus walking the Arboretum trails may be a bit much for a beginner walker. For those without a car, recruiting a friend to hike and reconnect with nature is a fantastic way to destress. On the other hand, for people looking for longer walks, a personal favorite route for me was heading to the Arboretum through the UK campus/University Drive, walking the Arboretum trails, then heading back by proceeding down Alumni towards Tates Creek Road, then turning right and heading up Tates Creek and High to get back to campus, making a roughly ten-mile loop.
Chevy Chase: The Chevy Chase neighborhood and the nearby shopping district are a roughly two-mile walk from Transy. After going through downtown, the quickest route to Chevy Chase is down High Street, flanked by neighborhoods like Transylvania Park and Aylesford. Along the route are many local businesses like Black Swan Books, High on Art and Coffee, and Kentucky Native Cafe, a particular highlight for nature-lovers. There is also Woodland Park, which contains its own walking trails, tennis courts, a skateboard park, and hosts annual events like the Woodland Art Fair. The Chevy Chase shopping district, at the intersection of High and Euclid Avenue, has some of the best restaurants that Lexington has to offer. There are more obscure chain options like Parlor Doughnuts, Joella’s Hot Chicken, and Graeter’s Ice Cream. There are even more local options like the acclaimed breakfast at Josie’s, the atmospheric Charlie Brown’s Restaurant, Lexington’s oldest bar at the Chevy Chase Inn, and the Cajun offerings of Bourbon n’ Toulouse, a personal and local favorite. Chevy Chase also has great connectivity to other walkable parts of Lexington, like the UK campus and the historic Ashland Park neighborhood.
Distillery District: Passing the new Town Branch Park and turning left onto Manchester Street, walkers are greeted with a sign welcoming them to the Distillery District, a tourism-focused revival of the historic center of Lexington’s bourbon industry. While parts of the district are spread out and walkability varies along the Manchester/Old Frankfort Pike corridor, a walk to the district is a worthwhile experience at least once. The area is most known for staples of Lexington entertainment, from performance venues like the Manchester Music Hall and the Burl to the refurbished and tourable James E. Pepper Distillery. There are many restaurants as well, like a larger Goodfellas location and Crank & Boom Craft Ice Cream, all along an outdoor seating area with great views of the Town Branch.
Not far past the Distillery District on Old Frankfort Pike is McConnell Springs Park. The park, named for the settler who gave the city of Lexington its name, is centered around the titular artesian spring and contains over a mile of trails surrounding the springs and remnants of 19th-century Lexington settlements. While the park may seem a doable two and a half miles from the Transy campus, getting to the park is a challenge. The only sidewalk along Old Frankfort Pike, the yet-to-be-completed Town Branch Trail, ends near the Lexington Fire Training Center, so those wanting to get to the park would need to cross the road without a crosswalk and walk along the road shoulder. The park is also a natural pocket located at the back of the Cahill Industrial Park. All of these factors make a walk to McConnell Springs likely not a good idea, though if you can find a way to the park, it is a great hiking spot.
There are many more walking destinations throughout Lexington. There are historic sites with great trails, like the Lexington Cemetery and the Ashland Estate. There are more local restaurants that are within easy walking distance from campus, like Indi’s Chicken and Dingbat’s Pizza. The neighborhoods adjacent to Transylvania are very walkable, and the street grid makes it easy for anyone to customize their own walking route (my personal favorite neighborhoods to stop by were Hampton Court and Fayette Park). While the prospect of navigating Lexington primarily by walking can be frightening, and it is admittedly difficult at times, I can say for certain that it did not negatively affect my Transy experience. Walking became a consistent part of my day, was an easy way to ground myself in stressful times, and allowed me to get to know Lexington in a unique way. Whether by necessity or choice, walking through Lexington is undoubtedly a worthwhile trail to follow.
