City: Trappist, KY

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (502) 549-3117

Address: 3642 Monks Rd.

Description: Visitors have been welcomed at this, the country’s oldest monastery still in use, from the first days of its foundation in 1848. Situated on more than 2,000 acres of farmland near Bardstown, the Abbey of Gethsemani is considered to be the “mother house” of all Trappist and Trappistine monasteries in the United States. Made famous when acclaimed author and poet Thomas Merton made it his home in the 1940s, today the abbey enjoys a brisk trade in homemade cheese, fruitcake, and fudge. The Welcome Center has films, archives, and a gift shop, and is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; no advance arrangements are needed to attend church services or walk the grounds.