Graves County: Nature, Arts and Events

Graves County offers several starting points for planning a trip: outdoor nature, regional arts and events. If you want to plan around a specific date, it’s best to distinguish between weekly offerings and seasonal events.

Nature and Outdoor Activities

The Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge covers approximately 12,000 acres and is located in Marshall, McCracken and Graves Counties in western Kentucky.

Kess Creek Park offers a different focus: a disc golf course, a fishing pond and walking paths. Three distinct activities are featured there—disc golf, fishing at the pond and taking a walk. Compared with the Refuge’s expansive natural area, the park has specific recreational activities. You can plan accordingly based on whether you’re interested in a vast nature preserve or a particular activity in the park.

Weekly Offerings and Fall Dates

Mayfield Trade Days take place every Monday year-round at the Mayfield-Graves County Fairgrounds. There are 60 to 90 vendors, though the number may vary. Check the date before you travel. Trade Days dates back to the 19th century, when it began as “Mule Days.”

The Gourd Patch Art Festival follows a different schedule: it takes place annually on the third Saturday in October in Mayfield. The festival also includes a pumpkin-mobile race. Trade Days offers a weekly date, while the Gourd Patch Art Festival marks a specific Saturday in October. If you’re planning a trip around an event, this difference can help you choose when to go.

Art, History and Exhibitions

The Wooldridge Monuments are unusual stone figures of an aristocrat, a Civil War soldier, and family members, friends and beloved animals. They are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Their focus is on figurative monuments; by contrast, the Barn Quilt Trail features painted wooden quilt squares on barns and businesses. It’s a route featuring these designs.

The Mayfield-Graves County Art Guild also presents art in a different format, with solo and group exhibitions. These three subjects differ in form: stone figures, quilt designs on barns and businesses, and exhibitions. If you’d like to explore art and local design, you’ll find different approaches here rather than a single type of experience.

Performing Arts

The Purchase Players Community Performing Arts Center offers annual seasons with performances by children, teenagers and adults. Its focus is on performing arts, while the Wooldridge Monuments, the Barn Quilt Trail and the Art Guild represent visual arts or historic designs. The annual seasons provide a recurring framework; check specific performances and dates separately when planning your trip.

Seasonal Events

Cartwright Grove holds themed open-house days on the last two weekends of October and every weekend from Thanksgiving through Christmas. These dates are tied to the season; confirm the specific dates before your trip.

The Purchase District Fair includes rides and demolition derbies, among other attractions. Its dates vary from year to year, so it’s a good idea to check the dates for the event year in question. Along with the Gourd Patch Art Festival, held annually in October, it shows how planning can differ: a festival with a fixed Saturday on the calendar on the one hand, and a fair with dates that change each year on the other.

Wine and Barbecue

The Western Waterlands BBQ Trail of Kentucky includes four restaurants in Mayfield-Graves County. Participation may change, so check current listings before planning visits to individual restaurants.

Fancy Farm Vineyard & Winery offers a variety of wines in the Graves County community of Fancy Farm. The business grows seven grape varieties on six acres of land. Growing grapes and offering wine are two distinct ways to explore the topic of wine. If you’d like to include the winery in your trip, check current operating details ahead of time.

More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Mayfield, Nelson, Union County, Lyon County, Meade County, Breathitt County, Scott, McCracken County

For the main travel overview: Kentucky.