Welcome to Kentucky!
Unusual visitor centers offer info and more
Visitors expect to be warmly greeted at a Kentucky welcome center, but may be pleasantly surprised to also get a trip through history along with a smile. Some of the state’s local welcome and visitor centers are destinations themselves, inhabiting what once were family homes, and even a county courthouse and a grocery store.
Whatever they are housed in, welcome and visitor centers across the state have apps, maps and tons of tips to get you road-trip ready for your next adventure.
Clay Cloyd Salter House, Richmond
Brutus Clay, an active politician, minister to Switzerland and son of abolitionist Cassius Clay, first made his home in what is now known as the Clay Cloyd Salter House. The historic home, built on Richmond’s Main Street in 1927 with Swiss-inspired architecture, is named for the families who lived there throughout the years—the Clays, the Cloyds and the Salters—all with medical ties.
Brutus Clay helped fund Richmond’s first hospital, the Pattie A. Clay Infirmary, honoring his wife. Next, Dr. Cloyd and his family occupied the home for 30 years, with the doctor often treating patients there. After that, Dr. Salter, his wife, and their two children lived in the house for 40 years before it became the city’s visitor center in 2018.
Lori Murphy-Tatum, Richmond Tourism executive director, says of the home-turned-welcome center: “For us, we feel that it’s a gateway to who we are. It’s our first impression of who Richmond is.”
For touring Richmond and beyond, the welcome center offers the latest information, like a new Civil War battlefield app and new kiosks. But guests also receive personalized destination recommendations and travel tips for exploring the state based on the must-see Kentucky attractions guests most want to visit. “We can help them navigate, so they can see as many places as possible,” says Murphy-Tatum.
She hopes visitors to the Clay Cloyd Salter House feel at home there. “The Clays were well-known for being welcoming and for entertaining, and we are no different,” she says. “We definitely want you to come in, stop and talk to us.”
Neal Welcome Center & Museum, Carlisle
What began as a business in 1883 on Carlisle’s Main Street in Nicholas County now serves as a space to greet visitors— the Neal Welcome Center & Museum.
“It’s a unique old building. It started out as a grocery store,” says Gladys Shrout, Carlisle-Nicholas County Tourism co-chair.
Mozart Hall, on the 2nd floor above the grocery, was a hub for late 19th century entertainment and a venue where traveling musicians frequently performed. Even now, event attendees’ signatures are visible on the walls.
The Neal family ran the grocery store and sold furniture in the building from 1932 until 2003, when they donated it to the Nicholas County Historical Society, which restored the building to its 1880s splendor. Today, visitors find many preserved artifacts, like collections from a shuttered local school, vintage grocery items and even a historic Burton gun made in Nicholas County.
The welcome center provides visitors information on local and regional points of interest, such as Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park, Wendt’s Wildlife Adventure and Daniel Boone’s cabin—built in 1795— and his last Kentucky residence.
“We are a very small community, but we are a close community that’s very dedicated to people that come to visit with us,” says Shrout. Visiting Carlisle is like stepping back in time, she adds.
Todd County Welcome Center
If you’re a history buff—or traveling with one—U.S. Highway 68 in western Kentucky takes you to the historic Todd County Welcome Center in the heart of Elkton’s town square. Built in 1835, it served as the county’s courthouse until 1971, and it’s one of the oldest courthouses in the state.
Not only can visitors get maps, brochures and personalized recommendations on what to see and do in the region, but they can also take a tour of the welcome center’s first floor (future plans include restoring the upper floor to its original condition).
Manager Charlotte Myers enjoys sharing unique facts with guests. For example, all the exterior bricks were handmade on site and arranged one brick behind the other in a three-brick thick layer, giving the building added warmth and stability.
One of the oldest courthouses in the state, the Todd County Courthouse in Elkton has a new purpose as the Todd County Welcome Center. Photo: Horizon Drone Solutions
Inside, Myers gives accounts of Civil War Union soldiers who commandeered the courthouse, using the upstairs as a lookout and the downstairs as a horse hideout to keep them from being stolen.
The welcome center houses many relics that provide a glimpse into Todd County’s history, like original cabinetry, a Civil War-era fainting couch, 1895 pump organ, a shoe shining chair and a spinning wheel. “A lot of people like coming in and seeing the older things that we have in the building,” says Myers. “It has very interesting things to see, and you get information on other places in the county to go see.”
Whitehaven, Paducah
Paducah’s Whitehaven is “the most unique welcome center in the United States,” says Gina Harshman, travel and tourism supervisor with Kentucky’s Department of Tourism. “It’s the only one that used to be a private home that is now state owned and used as an interstate welcome center.”
Construction of Whitehaven began in 1860 by the Anderson family and was completed in 1866. Originally a two-story red brick home, the house was called Swanhaven. In 1903, the Atkins family purchased the home— embellishing the front porch, stenciling the ceilings, adding stained glass and painting the exterior white. The home was renamed Whitehaven.
Once a private home, Whitehaven was purchased by the state of Kentucky 1981 to serve as a welcome center. Photo: Gina Harshman
In 1908, the Smiths moved into the home, renaming it Bideawee, Scottish dialect for “stay a while.” They were the third and last family to reside in the home and lived there until 1968, around the time Interstate 24 was being planned, prompting the Smiths to move. For several years afterward, the vacant house was vandalized and damaged by the elements.
With the interstate completed in 1981, then-Gov. John Y. Brown opted to purchase the home off exit 7. Two years later, it became a state-owned welcome center and was restored to its 1903 grandeur.
Today, Whitehaven guests can take guided tours of the home, decorated with period furniture, including the Alben Barkley suite upstairs. Though Barkley had no Whitehaven ties, the suite displays artifacts belonging to the Paducah native and 35th United States vice president, who served under President Harry Truman.
When planning a Paducah-area trip, Harshman says Whitehaven is where all your information starts. “We love to show the house,” she adds. “We love to give the history, and we love to welcome new people that are coming through our area and give them some good, old-fashioned hospitality.”
Welcoming more info
Two welcome centers in Kentucky offer glimpses of their past in videos online. Learn about the history of Whitehaven in Paducah, and about the efforts to renovate and preserve it in this hourlong documentary.
Check out the historic foyer of Carlisle’s Neal Welcome Center and learn about Mozart Hall on its 2nd floor in videos here.
Visit Richmond Tourism’s YouTube Channel.
Adventure awaits at Red River Gorge. Visit the Powell County Tourism – Red River Gorge Kentucky YouTube channel.
