Jailer’s Inn Bed & Breakfast

My husband and I stayed a night here. Our experience was amazing! The breakfast was delicious, the owners and staff were awesome and so welcoming. Our room was cozy and quiet we ate dinner across the street. You are within walking distance of many shops and restaurants. We will be back!!!

We traveled with friends to nearby Bardstown for an overnight stay at the Jailer’s Inn. We came because of its history and it’s ranking as one of the top 10 haunted places in the U.S. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the most friendly innkeeper I have EVER met, Dixie. What a fun person! She truly made our stay 100x more enjoyable. The accommodations and food were average, the tour of the old jail portion was really cool. We also experienced some ghost activity, but you’ll have to go stay for yourself and read the room journals to know more! :)

This was my first time staying at a bed and breakfast, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Jailer’s Inn. All I had to go on was what I had seen on shows like Parks and Rec, and Portlandia (so I wasn’t super jazzed). I was a little worried it would be a musty place full of weird people, and devoid of modern conveniences. I’m not going to lie… there were some weird people, but that can’t really be helped, and it was only one group. Anyway, point is, I was very pleasantly surprised. The rooms all clean, and have interesting themes that are well done. Our room had a flat screen TV, and free WiFi, so no worries there. The owners and staff could not be nicer. In the mornings you can ask for a tour of the jail, the history of which is far more interesting than a small town jail has any business being. The leftovers from breakfast were delicious (I don’t wake up early enough for actual breakfast). I particularly liked the banana bread and blueberry muffins. I’m pretty sure there are breakfast meats available as well since I could smell them, but by the time I would make it outside my room they were always gone.
Ultimately, if you are visiting Bardstown, I cannot imagine a better place to stay than this. Even if you don’t plan on visiting, you should. You should go to Bardstown, go to a bunch of distilleries, and stay at the Jailer’s Inn. It makes for a great weekend getaway.

Great place a bit spooky though~ everyone here was very friendly and helpful plus 1792 is just down the block along with many other shops and attractionS~If in the area come by for a stay or a drink if you dare!

Stayed here last week on a road trip thru KY. What a fun place! Excellent location, beautiful rooms, and the jail was so cool. Dixie was so nice and helped us find a great place for dinner and then made us a wonderful breakfast out in the courtyard. I highly recommend this!

I was on a road trip at the end of April 2012 with no particular scheduled stops when I started searching my Garmin for places to stop for the night. Calls were made to multiple places, but this place won because Dixie was absolutely charming when she answered the phone. My daughter & I stayed there that night. Since we are both into history & genealogy, this seemed like the perfect spot! We requested, and received, a full tour of the Inn, which was very interesting.
The room was perfect and the mattress so comfortable that my daughter asked what kind it was because she wants one just like it. :) The towels and bathrobes were luxurious and soft. .. mmmm. .. just perfect. The décor varied from a jail cell to very comfortable old fashioned rooms, which suited this themed inn quite well. Internet was available, which we connected to with our own laptops to plan the next segment of our road trip.
Breakfast was served on the patio and was delightful. We chose what we wanted the night before, and that is what they made. My dietary restrictions weren’t a problem. They new all about the history of the area and shared their knowledge, including making recommendations of places to go based on our interests.
Although Dixie greeted us upon our arrival, the owners also stopped by to say hello and offer advice on things to do that night. Check in and check out went smoothly. It was great for my adult daughter and I on a road trip, but with such attentiveness by the staff it would be a wonderful romantic weekend getaway as well.
P. S.: This review is posted long after our trip because I just joined Unilocal today. I don’t remember what the price was, but it was much less than I expected for what I got.

I normally don’t feel the need to write reviews, but it’s not fair for a one star review to bring such a great place down. I bought a groupon for Jailer’s Inn and decided to take the gentleman friend to a birthday vacation in bourbon country.
We had a great time. It’s a little spooky with a ton of history. We stayed in the Colonial Room, which has a Queen bed and a double jacuzzi (which was awesome). The décor has not been updated in awhile — which just adds to the experience. It got a little cold at night but there was an electric heater in the room for nights like that. The towels and pillows were surprisingly fluffy. I love my bed at home and theirs didn’t compare — But it was a typical hotel bed so there’s no sense complaining about it.
We were served french toast for breakfast. It was a little sweet for me — I’m not big on sweets in the morning, but then again I’m not a big fan of country type food in general (sweets, fried chicken, etc). That’s my own personal taste though. I saw a poster had complained about the coffee but I thought it was actually pretty decent. Again, nothing fancy but certainly nothing to complain about.
Paul helped us plan both days we spent in Bardstown. He suggested places for us to go and gave us a map with directions. He offered to call restaurants for us and was just all-​around super helpful. We had a great time going to all the distilleries. The only thing that sucked was that we were there on the days all the restaurants like to be closed or close early — Sunday and Monday. So I recommend that if you’re interested in going to restaurants that you not schedule your trip on Sunday or Monday.
Jailer’s Inn is definitely not the place for you if you’re looking for luxurious accommodations but it’s nice, clean, creepy, has a great staff, and has a ton of really interesting stories. We didn’t see any ghosts :(but the gentleman friend was creeped out the whole time. I was perfectly fine.
Ok, I slept with the lights on the first night. But besides that, fine.

My husband and I along with our married friends stayed here over the weekend. We were very underwhelmed.
The Positive:
* The grounds are cool. It’s built in front of a cemetery and who doesn’t love an old jail that you can explore?
* There is a private garden in the back of the jail where we sat drinking cocktails.
* The woman who manages the jail gave us our space. When we did see her she was very friendly and pleasant.
* It’s right around the corner from Circa Restaurant (go there if you are in the neighborhood!)
* The woman who manages the property gives you a free tour of the jail after breakfast. This was the best part.
The Negative:
* The room was nasty. We stayed in the 1819 room which looked like someone died in the bathtub. There was also a sign that said we could not use the bathtub after 10pm. I found that to be ridiculous. They charged $ 170 for this room and I was afraid to touch anything. Unfortunately, this was the last room free so we didn’t have a choice. There was one tiny window and a window air conditioner unit. No natural light. Awful frayed fabric hanging around the bed. I could go on, I’ll stop here.
* They ‘provide’ coffee very early in the morning, which I was excited about. The coffee however is like drinking dirty water. I’m not sure if they reused the filters or what? Not good.
* We talked to the woman at the desk about getting eggs instead of the canned peaches and french toast in the morning and she said she would tell the manager (food allergies with canned fruit make us feel sick). The next morning we were still served the canned peaches and french toast. Half of our party ate this out of pure hunger but a few hours later they were feeling ill from it. The rest of us frantically searched for fresh coffee and breakfast elsewhere. There is NOTHING open on a Sunday in the area. Very disappointing.
* She also served breakfast outside in the garden. That seems great until you realize it’s 45 degrees out. I accepted another cup of coffee at this point just to keep my hands warm.
Obviously, a lot more negatives than positives. I would NEVER go back here. I would sleep in my car before paying money to stay here.

This was the first trip to a B&B for me and the significant otter.
The Jailer’s Inn has a nice website listing their room options. I told the Otter I’d prefer the Library Room but was open to any other aside from the one with the waterbed. We ended up in the Victorian Room which is lovely but the bathroom has no door (good thing the Otter and I have been dating like 20 years or that woulda been awkward). Everything is very clean and the towels (thick and fluffy) and pillows (actually function to support your head) are way nicer than those at The Greenbrier. I missed breakfast which worked out well ’cause of food allergies; the Otter said it was a delicious meal featuring stuffed french toast.
Our hostess/​jailer, Dixie, was super friendly and very attentive to all guests’ needs.
The Inn is conveniently located in beautiful Bardstown, and conveniently located on the Bourbon Trail.
Like Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, I don’t consider myself a B&B person but I’d totally be a repeat offender here.

This place is completely awesome, and freaky too. I’ve never stayed at a bed and breakfast. When I visited my relatives in Kentucky, we stayed here. The name «Jailers Inn» is exactly what you get, A real jail!
At first we thought it was a theme type bed and breakfast where each room had a special theme. Yes, they were themed, but more so than we thought. There’s several rooms including a 1819 Room, Garden Room, Colonial Room, (the room I stayed in) and the «Jail cell» room. This room really was a former jail cell, let alone, jail, complete with the original bunk beds that prisoners actually slept in. My brother and his wife stayed in this room, and I swear, she slept maybe a couple hours at most because she was so scared. The door was cast iron and around the corner were the other original jail cells that prisoners were held in. Iron bars were all around, with newspaper clippings of different stories of murderers, rapists, KKK people, etc…
In the backyard they did hangings/​executions of prisoners who received the death penalty. It’s not there anymore but there’s actual photographs inside the inn. Freaky!
This place was a jail from the early 1800’s all the way up until 1987! It’s listed as #9 on the top 10 scariest places to visit.
The good thing about everything is that Lisa, the person running the inn, doesn’t tell you all the info on stories that have happened to her, and detailed stories of what happened at this jail until the next morning when you’re about to check out. But, if you’re planning on going there or want to hear about some details check out my youtube page, I recorded a vid of her giving the rundown. Thanks to Lisa who accommodated us so well, she makes a mean breakfast and has so much info on this historic place. I will be back if I am ever in the Bardstown, KY area.
For my room, I got the colonial room, it was plush. A double-​jacuzzi/​shower, queen size bed, fan/​ac, and a TV.
There’s so much more to write but I’ll leave it at that because the best part is discovering it while you are actually there…
Overall I highly recommend this place if you are an adventurous type, just keep in mind that this place is not for the faint of heart. It is good for couples, but may not be the most romantic place to some people. Families with young children are NOT recommended. While the inn is nice, don’t expect the amenities to be top notch. It’s a former jail people!
– my site with the story on the jailers inn. (Part 1)
(Part 2)
– their website