Today is National Kentucky Day, which recognizes the Bluegrass as the 15th state to receive statehood — making us the first state west of the Appalachian mountains to join the union.

Rivalries aside, we here at LOUtoday + City Editors Aaron and Molly with LEXtoday have a lot of love for the commonwealth, which is why we're sharing a few of our favorite ways to celebrate and enjoy the Bluegrass.

🛍️ City Editor Sarah’s pick: Shopping for cool T-shirts on Kentucky for Kentucky's website. Bonus: Get in the Halloween spirit with these nine spooky Kentucky movies.

🥃 City Editor Aaron's pick: Sippin' on Kentucky's cash crop — check out our list of local bourbon tours to mash-out. We mean cash-out.

🥾 Senior City Editor Katie’s pick: Hiking in Red River Gorge — and we've got the trip planned for you already.

🐴 City Editor Molly’s pick: Petting all the horses + spending money at local shops. In LOU, we recommend hitting Mamili boutique in NuLu Marketplace.