Adsmore House & Gardens is located in Princeton.

When Maysville’s Rosemary Clooney in 1954 recorded her No. 1 hit “This Ole House,” she couldn’t possibly have been thinking about the state’s beautiful historic homes. Her song reached the top of the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Some may recall the song’s lyrics that spoke of an old house in such disrepair that it needed to be torn down or fall down first. “It’s a gettin’ ready to meet the Saints,” her song concluded.

Some of Kentucky’s most beautiful homes are open to be visited and enjoyed. At one time they may have been in need of some serious attention, but not anymore. Today, they are more than just beautiful structures. Some are living history lessons.

Communities both large and small throughout the state are realizing that Kentuckians are interested in the stories these houses have to tell. And now with autumn upon us, it’s a great time for some mini-excursions across Kentucky to check some of them out.

Several of the homes offer period-dressed docents who guide and weave stories relevant to the history of the house. Others allow for self-guided tours with interpretive signage. In either case, it is suggested that hours of operation at each individual house be verified before visiting.

Federal Hill, better known as My Old Kentucky Home, in Bardstown has long been the most publicized home tour in the state. However, there are others with interesting, colorful stories about the families who lived there.

One of Kentucky’s most colorful politicians lived at White Hall in Richmond.

Cassius M. Clay was an emancipationist who served as minister to Russia under President Abraham Lincoln. The 44-room Italianate mansion was built in 1799 and remodeled in the 1860s.

Kentucky’s 16th governor, William Owsley, lived in Lancaster in a beautiful Federal-style home called Pleasant Retreat. The home has been restored, and visitors can view the Owsley family portraits as well as the original 1812 French wallpaper.

Liberty Hall in Frankfort was home to Kentucky’s first U.S. senator, John Brown. Listed as a National Historic Landmark, the home now interprets early American politics and everyday life in the state’s young capital. The gardens that surround the home are open year-round.

Historians consider Riverview in Bowling Green as one of Kentucky’s finest examples of Italianate architecture. The home, which was built between 1857 and 1872, offers a look in the Victorian lifestyle of a prominent local family. The home is on the John Hunt Morgan trail.

Whitehaven in Paducah, which was built in 1860, is credited with being the only historic home in America that has been restored as an interstate tourist welcome center. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and its second floor features memorabilia of Paducah native Alben W. Barkley, who served as vice president under Harry Truman.

The Conrad-Caldwell House in old Louisville’s St. James Court depicts the Victorian lifestyle of the upper class. The mansion is architecturally significant for its exterior stonework and interior wood carvings, parquet flooring and beautiful stained glass.

Adsmore House & Gardens, a living history museum, sits on a four-acre estate in downtown Princeton in western Kentucky. This elegantly Victorian home describes life as it was in the early 1900s. Adsmore is a year-round attraction that offers eight different interpretive settings throughout the calendar year.

All of these historic homes have admission charges with the exception of Whitehaven in Paducah.

Here is where they are located:

Whitehaven, Paducah, 1845 Lone Oak Road. Phone: 270-554-2077.

White Hall, Richmond, 500 White Hall Shrine Road. Phone: 859-623-9178.

Federal Hill/My Old Kentucky Home, Bardstown, 501 East Stephen Foster Road. Phone: 800-323-7803.

Riverview, Bowling Green, 1110 W. Main Ave. Phone: 270-843-5565.

Gov. William Owsley House, Lancaster, 656 Stanford Road. Phone: 859-792-2500.

Liberty Hall, Frankfort, 218 Wilkinson St. Phone: 888-516-5101.

Conrad-Caldwell House, Louisville, 1402 St. James Court. Phone: 502-636-5023.

Adsmore House & Gardens, Princeton, 304 N. Jefferson St. Phone: 270-365-3114.

Other mansions to visit include:

Dinsmore Homestead, Burlington, 5656 Burlington Pike. Phone: 859-586-6117.

Waveland, Lexington, 225 Waveland Museum Lane. Phone: 859-272-3611.

There’s no excuse, get up, get out and get going!

– Gary P. West can be reached at westgarypdeb@gmail.com. His column appears monthly.

Historic homes of kentucky

• Whitehaven, Paducah, 1845 Lone Oak Road. Phone: 270-554-2077.

• White Hall, Richmond, 500 White Hall Shrine Road. Phone: 859-623-9178.

• Federal Hill/My Old Kentucky Home, Bards-town, 501 East Stephen Foster Road. Phone: 800-323-7803.

• Riverview, Bowling Green, 1110 W. Main Ave. Phone: 270-843-5565.

• Gov. William Owsley House, Lancaster, 656 Stanford Road. Phone: 859-792-2500.

• Liberty Hall, Frankfort, 218 Wilkinson St. Phone: 888-516-5101.

• Conrad-Caldwell House, Louisville, 1402 St. James Court. Phone: 502-636-5023.

• Adsmore House & Gardens, Princeton, 304 N. Jefferson St. Phone: 270-365-3114.

Other mansions to visit include:

• Dinsmore Homestead, Burlington, 5656 Burlington Pike. Phone: 859-586-6117.

• Waveland, Lexington, 225 Waveland Museum Lane. Phone: 859-272-3611.