Updated March 23
The health and safety of Bowling Green and Warren County visitors and residents are of extreme importance to the Bowling Green Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. We are continuing to monitor the state, federal and international response about COVID-19/Coronavirus and following their guidelines to help keep our community and visitors feel safe and informed.
As of Monday evening, March 16, 2020, all restaurants and bars in Kentucky have been ordered to close their establishments to patrons and only serve customers via curbside, drive-through and delivery. Most of our locally-owned restaurants offer these services and would very much appreciate support during these difficult times. Also, providers such as Take-Out Waiter, Uber Eats, and GrubHub are available in the area.
As of Monday evening, March 23, 2020, all non-essential retail stores in Kentucky have been ordered to close their establishments to in-person shoppers (excludes grocery stores, pharmacies, specialty food stores, liquor stores, and pet stores), but a few of our locally-owned shops continue to offer curbside service, local delivery and shipping.
We understand that some event organizers are taking safety precautions and canceling and postponing events. Our office is uniquely positioned to assist event organizers who are looking to reschedule due to our relationships with industry partners. We are also updating the Events calendar of our website with information about postponements and cancellations, as that information becomes available.
We encourage visitors and residents to follow CDC guidelines on staying healthy during this situation. The Barren River Health Department is providing monitoring and updates at barrenriverhealth.org/covid-19-information.
The CVB will continue to review information from the US Travel Association, which is having briefings with the CDC on a regular basis. That agency has developed a tool kit with materials that can be printed off and used in hotels, restaurants, attractions and other businesses: https://www.ustravel.org/toolkit/emergency-preparedness-and-response-coronavirus-covid-19.
Please reach out to our office if you have any questions or concerns about tourism in the Bowling Green Area. Beth Noffsinger, Communications Director, may be reached at 270-782-0800 or beth@visitbgky.com.
Additional Resources
American Hotel & Lodging Association
American Society of Association Executives
CDC Guidance for Businesses and Employers
Commonwealth of Kentucky and City of Bowling Green
Facebook Small Business Grant Program
Kentucky Chamber and Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce
Kentucky SBDC Disaster Recovery Toolkit for Small Businesses
Closures, postponements, and alternative hours of area businesses and attractions
- In accordance with WKU policies and World Health Organization recommendations, the Kentucky Museum and Hardin Planetarium have elected to close from March 14 to April 6. For more information, visit wku.edu/covid19.
- SKyPAC is postponing events scheduled through April 10.
- The Bowling Green Hot Rods Opening Day has been postponed, and the team's offices will be closed to the public through March. Team representatives will be available by phone. This cancellation includes the Fan Fest originally scheduled for March 14.
- All city and county parks, as well as Aviation Heritage Park, are temporarily closed. The city's golf courses are also closed.
- Riverview at Hobson Grove has suspended tours from March 17-April 6.
- All branches of the Warren County Public Library are closed beginning March 15 until April 6, and programming is suspended until April 13. Visit their Facebook page for some virtual programming.
- All Spring Mid-South Conference events have been canceled.
- Kentucky Downs in Franklin is closed through March 30.
- The National Corvette Museum is closed to the public effective at 5pm Wednesday, March 18. This closure does NOT affect the R8C Museum Delivery program for new Corvette owners picking up their cars. Additionally, the Corvette Café is available for carry-out and delivery (through Uber Eats).
- The NCM Kartplex will be closed until May 1 due to the nature of shared equipment (i.e. helmets). The Michelin NCM Bash has been rescheduled for May 28-30.
- Flea Land will be closed from March 20-April 12.
- Mammoth Cave National Park will temporarily suspend all cave tours and close the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center and campgrounds until further notice per guidance from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Where it is possible to adhere to the latest health guidance, park trails will be open for hiking, biking and equestrian use.
- Lost River Cave, including its trails, are temporarily closed. You can support this non-profit with a donation here
- The Historic RailPark & Train Museum is closed, but you can virtually shop its gift shop at https://www.historicrailpark.com/shop/.