Springfield offers safe, vibrant, small town country living within 55 minutes of two metropolitan areas. Access to excellent medical facilities, airports, and other city amenities are within an hour’s drive of Springfield. You don’t have to escape to the quiet, safe countryside – you can experience it here and enjoy the small town friendliness! Washington County was one of the first counties in the Commonwealth and the place where legends and icons found their beginnings.
Steeped in tradition and heritage, Washington County’s illustrious past has given birth to a wide selection of events and attractions. Springfield is the ancestral home of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. Several of his historical family homes and homesites are accessible to the public, including the Mordecai Lincoln House, home to his favorite uncle.
Springfield is also the birthplace of Giants’ Super Bowl winning quarterback and CBS’s No. 1 NFL analyst, Phil Simms. Explore the Phil Simms Museum at the Springfield Opera House, and spend the night at the estate he lived in, now home to historic Maple Hill Manor Bed and Breakfast.
Legendary Ernie Brown Jr., a.k.a. Turtleman, known from Animal Planet’s Call of the Wildman, was born right here in Washington County, in the quiet town of Mackville. You won’t want to miss this stop on your Turtleman Trek along the filming locations of many of his episodes.
The very first Dollar General store opened in Springfield, Kentucky, on June 1, 1955, making 2015 the neighborhood dollar discount store’s 60th anniversary. You will still find a Dollar General here today, and many more unique small-town shopping treasures. Washington County is the place for adventure, you can skydive over the Bluegrass, rent and pilot a plane yourself, or stay grounded and marvel at the world’s largest radio control jet show, golf, fish and hunt or take the family and enjoy the award-winning Heart of Kentucky Holiday and Sorghum Festivals, bring your bike and ride the crossroads of a portion of the Bourbon Trail and the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail.
Springfield and Washington County always have something to offer, from historic tours to adrenaline rushes. Springfield residents have ready access to preschool through college classes without leaving the city. There are 6 public schools in Washington County School District, serving 1,719 students as well as one private school serving about 200 students. Washington County is also home to Elizabethtown Community & Technical College Springfield campus, Kentucky Tech school which is a facility that offers adult education, customized and vocational training, and assessment services.
The Bluegrass State Skills Corporation is also located in Washington County. The Bluegrass State Skills Corporation is an independent public corporation created and funded by the Kentucky General Assembly, provides programs of skills training to meet the needs of business and industry from entry level to advanced training, and from upgrading present employees to retraining experienced workers. There are so many amazing things to see and do in Springfield and Washington County.
