When you think of bourbon tourism, you likely think of distilleries and bourbon bars. While there are plenty of people who just breeze through Kentucky, making a stop here or there, more often these days people are actually planning trips just to visit Bourbon Country. “That’s the biggest change we’ve seen,” says Mint Julep Tours co-founder Lisa Higgins. “People are now coming for 3 or 4 days, calling and planning ahead. There’s just so much now for them to do.”

Lisa and her husband Sean founded Mint Julep Tours in 2008, starting off with just one bus and doing business around…