LEXINGTON – VisitLEX is pleased to sponsor activities and tours in honor of the upcoming Juneteenth holiday. SoulFeast Week, Bites of the Bluegrass Black History Walking Food Tour and the African-American Heritage Self-Guided Walking Tour will celebrate local Black history and culture.

SoulFeast Week

A 10-day celebration of Black culinary culture, SoulFeast Week kicks off on June 16. It is an opportunity for Kentuckians of all races and backgrounds to support Black businesses. Festivities range from Black Restaurant Week to a diaspora dinner to SoulTeenth Fest to cocktails and cigars to hip-hop and gospel brunches.

On June 19 and 20, a Black History Walking Food Tour will kick off from the Lexington Visitors Center. Participants will dine their way through Downtown Lexington, while learning about the city's rich Black history. The tour will feature award-winning chefs, fresh Kentucky-farmed vegetables and food as it reflects, celebrates and honors Black trailblazers of Lexington's past.

For more information on dates and to purchase tickets, visit: https://www.soulfeastweek.com/.

African American Heritage Self-Guided Walking Tour

VisitLEX is pleased to partner with with local historian Yvonne Giles to expand the original African American Heritage Trail. The original trail launched in 2018 with 11 interpretive signs installed throughout the downtown core highlighting the history of African Americans in Lexington.

Among the more than 45 stops, participants will learn about Lexington's history of slavery, segregation, the Black Freedom Struggle, and the many achievements of Black Lexingtonians.

New to the tour are the South Hill and Jefferson Street neighborhoods.

Linking downtown to the University of Kentucky campus, South Hill is an historically integrated neighborhood that was once home to some of Lexington's most prominent Black citizens. South Hill features the houses and history of prominent Black families from the late 1800s to the 1940s. The tour features families of doctors, lawyers and business owners who were all highly involved in community, church and Lexington Colored Fair.

Jefferson Street was the home of prominent Black jockeys and business owners. This tour takes participants around western downtown, through one of Lexington's oldest neighborhoods. Explore the streets and alleys where African Americans once lived and worked and learn about some of Lexington's hidden gems.

For more information, visit https://www.visitlex.com/things-to-do/tours/african-american-heritage-walking-tour/