Just like good bourbon or a hot brown, antiques are a Kentucky tradition. And Kentucky, from one end of the state to the other is blessed with quality shops that offer visitors a choice of not just furniture, but glassware and accessories as well.

Where does a person start? Well, regardless of where you're reading this column from, the best place to start is at your nearest tourism office.

There's a good bet they'll have brochures, maps and suggestions for an antique shopping itinerary that can help make your experience ever more enjoyable.

Antique shops in Kentucky are abundant, and even though certain communities might have a reputation for them, you can bet there's probably a shop or two in every town in Kentucky.

You've just got to find them.

Towns like LaGrange, Shelbyville, Midway, Franklin, Glendale, Smiths Grove, Auburn, Russellville, Cadiz and Hazel are just a few of the towns that are very serious about their antiques.

You can spend hours in each and can count on quality merchandise and friendly shopkeepers who are not afraid to tell you about other stores in the area.

That's one of the things about antique dealers. They seem to be glad you're in their store and don't mind telling you about others.

There's strength in numbers and they recognize it.

Please be careful not to pass up a good flea market. Ask around because sometimes the best finds are at flea markets, especially in the London, Corbin, Prestonburg and Pikesville areas.

The town of Hazel is not on the beaten path, but if you've got the time and desire to seek out antiques, it's worth the effort to get there.

Hazel sits near the Kentucky-Tennessee line on Highway Ce41S in Calloway County about eight miles from Murray. Twelve shops totaling 500 antiques dealers make this a place where beginners can afford all the way up to high end collections.

In Hazel there are three things that make antiquing enjoyable, the range of merchandise is good, prices are affordable and the clerks are very friendly and helpful. You don't have to buy a thing to have fun.

One new shop, Antiques and Artifacts, was more like an antique salvage shop, somewhat a small scale Joe Ley's in Louisville.

Owner David Thompson decided to relocate his Tennessee shoop to Hazel because it "just seemed like business was good here".

Then there's Charlie's Antique Mall and Soda Fountain. There's the impression you can browse for days in this shop and when you get tired there's the 1950 style soda fountain with hand-dipped ice cream, banana splits, malts and shakes.

In the early 1980's downtown Hazel was pretty much just a shell.

But for the vision of a retired brick man who was passing through town and stopped to buy a soft drink, all of that began to change after he opened an antique store.

Bill and Martha Price were among the first to join in when they opened Miss Martha's Antiques in August of 1983.

They, too, moved from Tennessee, and over the years their shop has gone through several expansions and is a major shop in the town.

"We've been doing this business for a long time and love it here", offered Miss Martha herself.

The main drag of Hazel is lined with shops, but also drive down some of the side streets. They're there too!

The days are cooling down a bit so it might be a good time to plan an antique getaway. Only a handful of towns and shops have been mentioned here. There's plenty of others to be seen.

For more information on Hazel antiques call the Murray Tourism Commission at 1-800-651-1603.