Inside the John G. Carlyle Cafe at Buffalo Trace Distillery
Buffalo Trace Distillery’s John G. Carlyle Café serves both cocktails and sandwiches. Here’s what I found tired at the new restaurant.
Summer camps are usually for children, but there are also summer camps for adults, including women-only camps. Our newest adult summer camp currently underway is free for bourbon lovers.
Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, is holding an online contest for two upcoming summer camp sessions (August 29th and September 5th, both Saturdays), but only 200 lucky winners will receive a free invitation. Interested parties can apply for a chance to attend day camp or day camp with overnight luxury camping on these two dates.
Participants will learn about how bourbon is made and participate in hands-on activities at the distillery, including woodworking, tasting sessions, and trivia contests.
“At Buffalo Trace Distillery, we are always looking for new ways to create memorable moments for our guests, and Camp Buffalo Trace provides an opportunity to celebrate the fun and connections that make summer special,” Buffalo Trace Distillery General Manager Tyler Adams said in a news release announcing the contest. “By combining interactive activities, bourbon education, and overnight camping accommodations, we have created a unique program designed to help our guests create lasting memories at our distillery.”
At the end of the day camp activities, overnight campers will stay on the distillery grounds in “air-conditioned canvas tents equipped with premium indoor and outdoor furniture, a fully stocked mini-fridge with water and Freddy’s Old Fashioned sodas, plush robes and slippers, and more,” according to Buffalo Trace.
How to earn a spot at Buffalo Trace Summer Camp
Buffalo Trace, which recently opened its first restaurant, will begin accepting entries for the Camp Buffalo Trace Sweepstakes on July 14th at noon ET until July 21st at 11:59 a.m. ET.
To participate, visit the Buffalo Trace website at https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/camp/. Transportation costs are not included, but all on-site experiences are free.
Participants can choose between day camp only or day camp with one night of luxury camping on either date. Overall, 90 winners will be selected for each day camp session and 10 winners for each day/overnight luxury camping experience for a total of 200 winners.
Winners will be randomly selected to be in attendance for both dates (August 29th and September 5th). According to Buffalo Trace, those seeking the day camp/overnight camp option will be eligible for a day camp experience even if they are not selected.
Camp Buffalo Trace Activities
If you’re one of the lucky 200 winners to attend Buffalo Trace’s summer camp, you’ll be able to participate in four hands-on experiences that “combine craftsmanship, competition, and discovery,” according to Buffalo Trace.
- Whiskey woodworking workshop: According to Buffalo Trace, campers will be able to make their own cocktail stirrers (tools used to press fruit and other drink ingredients) using real barrel sticks while “learning first-hand the role white oak plays in bourbon production.”
- Bung driving relay: A skill competition to seal a whiskey barrel.
- Blind Tasting and Buffalo Trace Trivia: This contest tests campers’ bourbon skills and knowledge.
- Single Barrel Challenge: According to the distillery, a tasting test was conducted using three barrels of the same bourbon from different maturation periods to educate campers on “how time, warehouse layout, and aging affect the final character of the whisky.”
Mike Snyder is a national trends news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, and X, and email him at: mike snyder & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com.
