Graves County offers a variety of ways to shape your stay, including nature, park activities, culture, and events ranging from markets to seasonal festivals. Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge, activities at Kess Creek Park, and exhibitions and performances each offer a different focus. If you’re looking for a hotel, you can base your choice on the experiences you want to put at the heart of your trip.
Nature, Walking Paths and Design
Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge covers approximately 12,000 acres in total and is located in Marshall, McCracken, and Graves counties in western Kentucky. This acreage figure refers to the refuge as a whole. Kess Creek Park offers a different mix of activities: the park includes a disc golf course, a fishing pond, and walking paths. You’ll find a range of ways to spend time there, whether you want to get some exercise or enjoy a lap around the pond.
Graves County’s Barn Quilt Trail offers another perspective on design. The route leads to painted wooden quilt squares on barns and businesses. The Mayfield-Graves County Art Guild, by contrast, focuses on solo and group exhibitions. Art lovers can choose between a route featuring the painted squares and the Art Guild’s exhibitions.
Markets and Seasonal Events
Mayfield Trade Days takes place every Monday throughout the year at the Mayfield-Graves County Fairgrounds. There are 60 to 90 vendors, though the number may vary. Trade Days dates back to the 19th century, when it began as “Mule Days.” The Monday schedule gives the market a different rhythm from events held only during certain weeks of the year. Check the date before you travel.
A regular annual fall event is the Gourd Patch Art Festival: it takes place on the third Saturday in October in Mayfield and also includes a pumpkin-car race. Cartwright Grove holds themed open-house days during the last two weekends in October and every weekend from Thanksgiving through Christmas. That means you can choose between a single October day and several seasonal weekend events. The Purchase District Fair features rides and demolition derbies; dates vary each year. Check the specific event dates before your trip.
Stone Figures, Exhibitions and Live Performances
Wooldridge Monuments is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The unusual stone figures include depictions of an aristocrat, a Civil War soldier, family members, friends, and beloved animals. This gives the site a cultural focus distinct from the Art Guild’s exhibitions or the performance schedule in Mayfield.
The Purchase Players Community Performing Arts Center offers annual seasons featuring performances by children, teenagers, and adults. Fourth of July celebrations also take different forms: in Mayfield, the celebration includes fireworks and music at the Mayfield-Graves County Ballpark. In Fancy Farm, it includes a hometown parade featuring the Fancy Farm Mules. These events can be added to your trip plans as further cultural and festival options.
Wine and Regional Cuisine
In the Graves County community of Fancy Farm, Fancy Farm Vineyard & Winery offers a variety of wines. The winery grows seven grape varieties on six acres of land. Four restaurants in Mayfield-Graves County are part of Kentucky’s Western Waterlands BBQ Trail; participation in the trail may change. Check the winery’s current operating details and the latest trail list before your visit.
When choosing your travel dates, it’s worth noting the difference between weekly market days, a single annual October event, and seasonal event weekends.
Discover more destinations: Mayfield, Shelby County, Lawrence County, Hardin, Monroe County, Laurel, Pike County, Harlan
For the main travel overview: Kentucky.
