Mansion
Gift shop
Slave quarters
The smokehouse.
Bergamot in the gardens
I love historical places. YEEEEHAAAW!!!
I. J.
Apr 21, 2024
Excellent personal tour by Kathy. Great place to stop and hear some KY history of the Bryant Boone family. Price is fair and i love love that we were able to walk into each room and see the antiques up close. We were so pleased to find this tour.
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Lauren D.
Jun 29, 2024
We visited Waveland historical site for family pictures. This location is a gorgeous venue. It has many buildings as well as lush gardens for a picturesque experience!
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Jim B.
May 27, 2020
Twice during this corona virus pandemic my wife and I have made the trek from Frankfort to Lexington to get carry out from one of our go to restaurants. Not wanting to let the food cool off on the trip back to Frankfort we have stopped at this beautiful place to picnic. The grounds are immaculate. There are picnic tables spread around. Today we shared our space with a small flock of cedar waxwings followed by a tiny little squirrel. What an unexpected pleasure!!We would never have found this lovely spot were it not for the pandemic. What a silver lining. When it is safe we will be back to take the tour.
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Janet V.
May 27, 2018
WOW! What a treasure we found when we visited the Waveland State Historic Site! I had no idea this was in the Kentucky Park system. We were in the area with free time so we decided to check it out. What a nice surprise. We received a tour given by a very knowledgeable guide dressed in period clothing. The home is full of beautiful furniture much of which is original to the home. The history contained includes the Bryan family well known to Lexington and goes back to their ties to Daniel Boone. The home has been carefully preserved and is truly an unexpected treasure. You tour almost all of the home along with the slave quarters with kitchen and the smokehouse. The grounds also feature several gardens. Waveland Museum is also available to rent for weddings and parties. I highly recommend a visit to this hidden gem. The amount of history contained within the walls and the detail of the tour provided at Waveland Museum is truly exceptional.
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Kathy H.
Jul 27, 2018
Beautiful home with beautiful grounds. Very interesting history of the home and farm. The docent was very knowledgeable and answered our many questions. Worth the trip!
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Amy W.
Aug 25, 2014
Pattern upon pattern. I love the Greek Revival tacky and loud carpets, drapes, wallpaper, and faux marble baseboards. The way that this historic home is decorated is over the top! I love cultural history, so an afternoon at a historic home is great entertainment for me. Several of the tour guides dress in period costumes. I haven't seen docents at any of the other historic homes in town dress in costume. In addition, unlike other historic homes in Lexington, Waveland has standing slave quarters included on the tour. Also included on the tour are the ice-house and smokehouse. This a great representation of an Antebellum house and the tour provides interesting information on how a wealthy family lived in the "Athens of the West" during the 19th century.Waveland is a great place to pack a picnic lunch and enjoy beautiful scenery. Many families take pictures on the grounds. There is a lovely garden and a playhouse for children.
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Elaine D.
Jan 3, 2018
Visited on this cold winter evening. The house was still decorated for Christmas, Guides in period costume gave interesting and informative talks about the Bryan family, their history and life on the property during the 1800's. The original slave quarters, with the kitchen on the first floor and their living quarters upstairs is very well preserved, and the displays within the building are excellent. This is a beautiful historic house that is well represented by the furnishings that have been selected as indicative of the period. The grounds are lovely and a peaceful retreat to enjoy a picnic lunch (during warm weather). How many of us have traveled on Nicholasville Road, never having visited Waveland. Do yourself a favor and pick a nice Spring day to step back into its history.
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Jamie G.
Jun 21, 2015
For those who are into historic tours, this has a lot to offer. You could to see about 75% of the house, the kitchen and the pantry and three bedrooms are not on the tour because of a grease fire that was in the warming Kitchen in the 1980s, and the lack of furniture for some of the additional rooms. However some interesting artifacts are at the house and you get to see the kitchen and the slave quarters as well. For seven dollars for an adult and four dollars for students, is a good way to spend about an hour. You need a little bit more out of the experience by walking to the gardens and some of the trails that are available, but the playground doesn't have much to offer for kids. I would recommend this for someone who's interested in history in old houses, and inquiring further stories from the docents. If you only had a day in Lexington, this would probably not make my list of top historical tours, but for someone who wants something different to do on the weekend, I would recommend it. The house was auctioned off and for awhile in between the original owners the house was owned by a farming family. Since the 50s this has either been owned by the state department or University of Kentucky, and the groups have done a good job returning it to its original look from the 1800s.
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Jim N.
Dec 3, 2019
What a pleasant holiday treat! A group of twenty attended the holiday tea at Waveland today. Beautiful venue; outstanding Christmas Tea, tasty food & sweets, followed by an expert docent-led tour. This might become a holiday tradition! Great experience!
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Ashley M.
May 25, 2015
I needed to get out of the house today so after 14 years of hearing about it, I finally drove 2 miles over to the Site and walked around. It was a very relaxing walk with a few gardens to linger in. I obviously missed the peak-spring blooms but other buds are coming in just in time for Summer. Older kids will get bored quickly if you don't bring a ball to kick/throw around but younger ones will be distracted easily with the small playground on-site. The log cabin playhouse is darling and no doubt the back-drop in many photo shoots. I've yet to take the house tour or walk through the gift shop but now that I know how charming the grounds are I'll go back soon and update this review ;)
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