Explore Paducah's history with us as your guide!
Looking for a new way to experience Paducah's spirited history? Check out our walking and trolley tours. Whether you are a local or a visitor, explore the rich history of Paducah's downtown on one of our expertly guided tours.
Kentucky History award winning tour!
Forgotten Spirits: Paducah's Contributions to Bourbon is a new downtown guided walking tour that focuses on Paducah's rich connections to the bourbon industry. Participants will learn the history of bourbon brands connected to Paducah, their founders, and the contributions of African Americans and Jewish and Italian immigrants who helped build Paducah's bourbon industry.
Walk in the footsteps of Isaac Wolfe Bernheim, Joseph Friedman, John Keiler, Leslie B. Samuels, and Bill Samuels, whose iconic bourbon brands still dominate shelves today.
The 0.7 mile low-intensity tour is 60 minutes, wheelchair accessible, and features nine stops along the scenic streets of Paducah's downtown and riverfront.
Please arrive 10 to 15 minutes early to check in or purchase your tickets. Participants are allowed to carry an alcohol beverage purchased from a downtown established per Paducah's Entertainment Destination Center. For more information please visit https://www.paducahky.gov/departments/things-do/entertainment-destination-center-downtown .
Tours go on rain or shine, please dress for the weather. In the event of severe weather, we will contact you to reschedule.
Afterwards, visit Barrel and Bond to purchase a bourbon flight of brands discussed on the tour. *Tour ticket price does not include the price of the bourbon flight, which is only available at Barrel and Bond.
Learn about the city's former "red light district," discover the location where multiple Western Kentucky moonshiners were tried for the selling and distilling of the illegal substance.
Did you know a Wild West Show called Paducah home? That's right! Learn about the infamous characters who created Buckskin Bill’s Wild West Show. Visit a spot associated with one of Paducah's longest unsolved murders that occurred on the most dangerous road in Western Kentucky, Paducah's Pool Road. Learn about these topics and others on our Wicked Paducah walking tour!
The 0.5 mile low-intensity tour is 60 minutes, wheelchair accessible, and features five stops along the scenic streets of Paducah's downtown. This tour meets on the sidewalk in front of the Columbia Theater at 504 Broadway Street, Paducah, Kentucky, 42001.
Please arrive 10 to 15 minutes early to check in or purchase your tickets. Tours go on rain or shine, please dress for the weather. In the event of severe weather, we will contact you to reschedule.
A historical walking tour of the residents of Oak Grove Cemetery led by Roy Hensel. Did you know that there are more people buried at Oak Grove than the population of Paducah today? Each one has their own story, their own history, and their own secrets; however, some have more interesting tales than most and some families have skeletons in their closets. The founders, the famous, and the infamous, are all buried right there, side by side. Among the famous are Dr. Reuben Saunders, who discovered the cure for cholera. Irvin Cobb rests under a dogwood tree. Lynn Boyd is also there. who had a hand in the compromise of 1820 and the Jackson Purchase. Then of course, there is the famous ghost and story of Della Barnes. On the infamous side, there is Mary Rockwell, a murderess who murdered her three children.
These are just a few of the stories you can experience at Oak Grove! Please arrive 10 minutes early to check in or purchase your tickets.
Tours go on rain or shine, please dress for the weather. In the event of severe weather, we will contact you to reschedule. *Please bring a flashlight.
Kentucky History award winning tour!
On this hour and a half tour, we visit the locations of Carson's bottling factories, the first business to which he sold a bottled Coke, and his house on Jefferson Street. You will also learn about the impacts of the 1937 flood on the city of Paducah and Carson’s Coca-Cola operation. We conclude the tour with a walking tour of Carson’s Art Deco-inspired bottling factory, now known as “The Coke Plant.”
Please arrive 10 to 15 minutes early to check in or purchase your tickets. Tours go on rain or shine, please dress for the weather. In the event of severe weather, we will contact you to reschedule. This tour is not a hop on hop off--we will be inside the trolley for the duration of the tour.
Meet the team
Richard
Richard
Richard
Ahoy, I'm Richard! I'm the co-founder of Atomic City Tours. I've always loved history all of my life and have degrees in history from Murray State University and Western Kentucky University. I’m also the vice president of the Jackson Purchase Historical Society and the author of two regional history books, The Wild World of the Jackson
Ahoy, I'm Richard! I'm the co-founder of Atomic City Tours. I've always loved history all of my life and have degrees in history from Murray State University and Western Kentucky University. I’m also the vice president of the Jackson Purchase Historical Society and the author of two regional history books, The Wild World of the Jackson Purchase and Wicked Western Kentucky. I love sharing our region’s rich history and look forward to seeing you on a tour!
Emily
Richard
Richard
Hi, I'm Emily, the co-founder of Atomic City Tours! I'm a native of Paducah and a middle school drama teacher. I've performed in numerous theater productions for over 20 years with Murray State University, the Market House Theater, Badgett Playhouse, and local schools. I absolutely love sharing my hometown with others and getting to use my talents to promote Paducah! I hope to meet you on a tour!
Roy
Richard
Mitch
I'm Roy, a local historian and elementary school teacher who has taught in Carlisle and McCracken counties. I've researched many of Oak Grove’s residents. I'm also active as a history educator, speaking to schools and other groups, writing Facebook posts about Paducah's history, and sharing my knowledge of history as a Paducah Ambassador
I'm Roy, a local historian and elementary school teacher who has taught in Carlisle and McCracken counties. I've researched many of Oak Grove’s residents. I'm also active as a history educator, speaking to schools and other groups, writing Facebook posts about Paducah's history, and sharing my knowledge of history as a Paducah Ambassador. Come join me in the graveyard. I know of 30,000 people who are just dying to meet you!
Mitch
Richard
Mitch
I'm basically a history nerd who loves talking about the past. I've spent a lot of time as a museum guide, and now I'm taking folks on time-traveling adventures with Atomic City Tours. I've got some acting chops, a knack for storytelling, and a voice that keeps people awake, so you're in for a fun ride—not just a history lesson!
Interested in a private tour?
Send us a message below with the name of the tour you're interested in, date, time, and the size of your group.
