Sept. 6, 2013 — The Kentucky Horse Park has been chosen as an overall winner in the Top 25 Amusement Parks and Water Parks in the United States category by TripAdvisor.com in its 2013 Travelers’ Choice awards for attractions. One of the world’s largest travel sites, TripAdvisor has established itself as one of the most important for travel information among consumers due to its platform of posting unbiased reviews of real travelers.
This is the first year that Travelers’ Choice honors have been presented to attractions. The TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Attractions awards recognize the world’s best landmarks, parks, museums, and amusement and water parks, based on millions of valuable reviews and opinions from travelers around the world on TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor uses a proprietary algorithm that determines rankings based on the quantity, quality and frequency of reviews for any given property.
“We are thrilled to be honored by TripAdvisor as one of the Top 25 Amusement Parks in the United States, and are fully cognizant of the excellent company we are in,” said John Nicholson, executive director of the Kentucky Horse Park. “We understand and appreciate that it is not only TripAdvisor but also the reviews of our visitors that have afforded us this honor, and we will strive to continue to be worthy of their esteem and recognition.”
Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor, said. “To inspire travelers setting out on summer trips, TripAdvisor has named the top attractions across the globe based on the valuable feedback from millions worldwide. Honoring more than 1,200 winners, these remarkable sights offer enriching and entertaining experiences for travelers of all ages.”
The Kentucky Horse Park is unique in the Top 25 Amusement Parks and Water Parks category, being the only attraction devoted entirely to the horse. Known as “THE place to get close to horses,” there are plenty of opportunities to do so throughout the park. From meeting retired racing greats at the Hall of Champions, to seeing horses of all types and sizes in the Horses of the World Show, taking a ride with draft horses on the Horse Drawn Tour, or petting mares and foals in the Kids Barn, visitors get a personal experience with horses when visiting the park.
Admission to the park includes three different equine museums. The International Museum of the Horse, a Smithsonian Affiliate, explores man’s relationship with the horse throughout history. The American Saddlebred Museum & Gift Shop, the “Showplace for Saddlebreds,” is the home of Kentucky’s first native breed of horse and is exhibiting “The Art of Selling with Saddlebreds: The Show Horse in Vintage Advertising” through January. The Wheeler Museum in the United States Hunter Jumper Association headquarters, exhibits memorabilia from the hunter jumper sport and the Show Jumping Hall of Fame.
In addition, the Kentucky Horse Park hosts equine competitions and breed shows, special breeds weekends and community events throughout the many competition and show facilities located on park grounds, most of which are included with park admission. Events are scheduled nearly every weekend at the park throughout the year, and a full listing of these events and their dates is available at www.KyHorsePark.com.
General admission, including the next day free, is $16 for adults and $8 for children 7-12. Children six and under are always admitted free of charge when accompanied by a paying adult. Admission includes the International Museum of the Horse, a Smithsonian Affiliate, and the American Saddlebred Museum & Gift Shop. Additional activities such as horseback riding, pony rides and tours to area horse farms are available through the park and are offered at an additional fee.
For reviews on the Kentucky Horse Park, go to http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g39588-d103526-Reviews-Kentucky_Horse_Park-Lexington_Kentucky.html. To see 2013 Travelers’ Choice winners go to www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice.
