Hamburg
Updated November 2026
Hamburg at a Glance
- Trash and recycling day
- Varies by block in Hamburg. Look up your address on the trash pickup map.
- Council district
- Varies by location. Find your exact district by address.
- Zip code
- 40509
About Hamburg
Hamburg is one of Lexington's largest commercial areas, sitting in southeastern Lexington along the I-75 corridor. What's now a sprawling commercial and residential district was, for about a century, one of the most famous thoroughbred breeding farms in the country. The name Hamburg comes from a single horse. The history is genuinely remarkable. John E. Madden bought a young colt named Hamburg for $1,200. The horse won 12 of 16 races in his first year, and in 1897 Madden sold him to Marcus Daly for $40,001. In 1898 Madden used that money to buy 235 acres on Winchester Pike and named it Hamburg Place, and the farm later grew to more than 1,300 acres. Hamburg Place became one of the country's most successful horse breeding operations. Madden bred five Kentucky Derby winners, Old Rosebud, Sir Barton, Paul Jones, Zev and Flying Ebony, and five Belmont Stakes winners, and he was the country's leading breeder by money won eight times, 1917 to 1923 and 1925. Sir Barton, the first Triple Crown winner in 1919, was bred there. The Madden family held the farm for about a century, from 1898 until it was developed in the late 1980s and 1990s, and the streets of the new commercial development were named for the farm's horses. Sir Barton Way. Plaudit Place. Star Shoot Parkway. Alysheba Way. Driving through Hamburg today, the roads are named for the farm's horses. The Hamburg Place Horse Cemetery still sits in a small park among the big-box stores. Madden began burying horses there in 1908, and in 2005 the cemetery was moved to Sir Barton Way, where it stays open to the public. It holds Plaudit, the 1898 Kentucky Derby winner, Nancy Hanks, the trotter whose grave is its centerpiece, Star Shoot, Sir Barton's sire, and Bel Sheba, Alysheba's dam, among others. It's a small piece of horse country history hiding in plain sight. Today Hamburg is a bustling shopping destination for visitors and locals. Housing and development have exploded. Off the top of my head I can think of at least 9 prominent subdivisions there. And I am sure there are more. My sister lives in the Prestwick subdivision in Hamburg, I visit often. One thing I notice that Masterson Station doesn't have that hers has is it's a tight knit neighborhood. There is a cohesive bond there between neighbors that I have not seen in a long time. Neighbors will bring their kids over to play with my sister's kids, we can use the neighbor's driveway, and people who always walk down the sidewalk always stop and say "hi" or to talk. It's kind of refreshing for this modern fast paced life. When I am not visiting my sister I like to go to Liquor Barn and look around their humidor for a nice cigar, then head over to the gazebo at Hamburg Pavilion and smoke it while I people watch. That is my desired pattern, but my wife sometimes has other plans for us. Hey, happy wife happy life, right? What we usually do is head over to Barnes and Noble and look at books, then head to Target and look around, then go to Bonefish Grill for a nice dinner.
Areas within Hamburg
Hamburg Pavilion
The biggest of the Hamburg retail areas, at 2308 Sir Barton Way off Man o' War Boulevard near I-75. It opened in 1997 and runs to close to a million square feet of open-air retail. The area's movie theater, Regal Hamburg Pavilion, is one of its tenants.
Hamburg East
Hamburg East is the name of two things at the same interchange, which is worth untangling before you go looking for it. In the Hamburg Place retail directory it is the area anchored by Costco and Cabela's. It is also the name of the 44-acre mixed-use project described above, at I-75 and Winchester Road, which broke ground in early 2024.
Sir Barton Place
A retail strip on Sir Barton Way, named for Sir Barton, the 1919 Triple Crown winner bred on this farm. Bonefish Grill and Johnny Carino's are here.
Plaudit Place
A retail area named for Plaudit, the other of the two strong two-year-olds Madden had in 1897. Plaudit went on to win the 1898 Kentucky Derby and became one of the first stallions to stand at Hamburg Place. Liquor Barn and Outback Steakhouse are among the tenants here. Carrabba's closed after a fire early on Thursday, October 8, 2026, and the company says it is working to reopen.
War Admiral Place
The retail area anchored by Lowe's, Walmart and Hobby Lobby, with Smashing Tomato, Raising Cane's and Sportsman's Warehouse alongside them.
The Shetlands
A single-family subdivision built on the original Hamburg horse farm land, within walking distance of the commercial district. Its homeowners association filed its articles of incorporation with Kentucky in 1998 and now goes by the Hamburg Homeowners Association.
Prestwick
A single-family subdivision in Hamburg with its own homeowners association, registered with LFUCG and listed in the city's neighborhood association layer. It is the subdivision described above.
Hamburg Farms
A rental community of townhomes and flats at 2498 Aristocracy Circle, a little over half a mile on foot from Hamburg Pavilion. It is apartments rather than houses for sale, which is worth knowing if the name turns up in a home search.
What's Nearby
Hamburg's whole identity is shopping and dining. The area centers on Hamburg Pavilion, which opened in 1997 and has 75 stores across nearly a million square feet of retail. You'll find Costco, Target, Meijer, Walmart, Lowe's, Hobby Lobby, Barnes and Noble, and PetSmart in or near the Pavilion. The dining options run from chain anchors to local favorites. Some are the same chains you'll find near Andover (Bonefish Grill and Johnny Carino's, both reviewed in detail on the Andover neighborhood page). Hamburg has more on top: Malone's Steakhouse, Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen, Smashing Tomato, Joella's Hot Chicken, Gold Star Chili, Culver's, and The Local Taco. Bonefish Grill is one of my favorite restaurants in town. If you are in Hamburg, I highly recommend this place for dinner. For healthcare, Hamburg has become a major medical hub. Baptist Health Hamburg opened in April 2024 at 3000 Baptist Health Boulevard, with an emergency department, an ambulatory surgery center and a cancer center. UK HealthCare owns 41 acres nearby where it plans an outpatient medical office building, after dropping its hospital plan in July 2024; no construction had been reported as of October 2026. The biggest development happening in Hamburg right now is Hamburg East, a 44-acre mixed-use project by Cowgill Inc. that broke ground in early 2024. The site sits at the corner of I-75 and US-60 (Winchester Road), next to UK HealthCare's 41 acres. Plans include apartments, a hotel, restaurants, retail, and offices, all wrapped with bike trails, walking trails, and green spaces. The developer has said the full build-out would take about a decade, with restaurants and hotels before apartments, and as of October 2026 the city shows no buildings up on the site yet. This matters beyond the immediate development. According to the developer, the Hamburg East site is the last corner of the Fayette County interstate system available for development inside the urban services area. After Hamburg East, the easy commercial land on Lexington's east side is essentially built out. Shopping and dining in Hamburg. The ranked list of Lexington restaurants covers the Hamburg spots alongside the rest of the city, and the coming soon directory tracks what has been announced, licensed or just opened, which is the faster way to answer whether something new has arrived. If you are looking for a few hours rather than a meal, the Pavilion itself and Regal Hamburg Pavilion, the area's movie theater, sit next to each other, and the Hamburg Place Horse Cemetery park is a little over a mile north on Sir Barton Way.
Annual Events
Hamburg's recurring events are the weekly and monthly kind, most of them in the Pavilion's parking lots.
Bluegrass Farmers Market
Saturdays 9 to 2 and Tuesdays 2 to 5, April through October (in 2026, Apr 4 through Oct 31)
Liquor Barn Hamburg lot, 1837 Plaudit Pl
A producer-only farmers market inside Hamburg. Free.
Event detailsJohn's Run/Walk Shop free community 5K
Second Saturday of every month, 7:30 am, year-round
3090 Helmsdale Pl (the shop's lot)
An untimed, free 5K that starts from the store; weekly Saturday group runs too.
Event detailsKentucky Pop-Ups markets at Hamburg Pavilion
About one Saturday a month, spring through November, 11 to 4 (the 2026 Fall Market ran Sep 26)
Regal Cinemas lot, 1949 Star Shoot Pkwy
Kentucky makers set up tents in the Regal parking lot about once a month. Free to walk, easy parking. We went to the fall market in 2026 and here's what I found.
Event detailsLex KY Cars and Coffee
First Saturday of every month, 8:30 to 11 am, year-round
Southland Christian Church, 2349 Richmond Rd, about eight minutes away
An open-to-all-makes cars-and-coffee meet. Free.
Event detailsBarktoberfest
A Saturday in October, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (2026 ran Oct 10)
Liquor Barn Hamburg, 1837 Plaudit Pl
Paws 4 the Cause's dog-friendly fundraiser with free brats, local beer and wine, a silent auction and costumed dogs everywhere.
Read our Barktoberfest write-upSanta at Hamburg Pavilion
Weekends from late November to just before Christmas (2025 ran Nov 29 through Dec 21; Sat 10 to 2, Sun 12 to 4)
2308 Sir Barton Way, storefront facing the Regal lot
Free Santa photos, face painting on Saturdays, and carriage rides on select dates.
Event details
Up I-75, the Kentucky Horse Park's Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event (2026 ran April 23 to 26) and Southern Lights drive-through (in 2026, Nov 27 through Dec 31, closed Christmas Day, $35 a car) are about 20 minutes away.
Dates are the most recent published as of September 2026; check the organizer before you go.
Highlights
- Historic Hamburg Place thoroughbred horse farm
- Hamburg Pavilion shopping center (1997)
- Baptist Health Hamburg, and 41 acres where UK HealthCare plans an outpatient building
- Hamburg East mixed-use development, site work begun in 2024
- Easy I-75 and I-64 access
Amenities
Cost of Living
No listing site tracks Hamburg on its own, so the closest figures are for ZIP 40509, which covers Hamburg and the subdivisions around it. As of October 14, 2026, Redfin put the ZIP's median listing price at about $475,000, with homes staying on the market about 54 days and 49 homes sold in the past month.
Schools
Hamburg school zoning splits across several schools and varies by exact street address. Mary E. Britton Middle School opened in August 2025, and the district adjusted middle school lines for its opening under the rezoning plan the board approved August 26, 2024. Elementary: Every Hamburg address we checked with the site's own school zone lookup, all 309 city address points in The Shetlands, Prestwick and Hamburg Farms on Aristocracy Circle, is zoned for Liberty Elementary School (2585 Liberty Road, southwest of Hamburg Pavilion). Middle: Those addresses split between two middle schools. The Shetlands and Prestwick, about 58 percent of them, are zoned for Mary E. Britton Middle School (2185 Polo Club Boulevard). Hamburg Farms on Aristocracy Circle, the other 42 percent or so, is zoned for Crawford Middle School (1813 Charleston Drive). High: Every address we checked is zoned for Frederick Douglass High School (2000 Winchester Road). It is known for specialized academies in technology, professional services, and health science education. You can check any address with our Lexington school zone lookup, which also shows whether the elementary assignment changes in fall 2027. Middle school lines here split by subdivision, so look up your exact schools with the FCPS SchoolSite Locator.
Hamburg FAQ
Is Hamburg part of Lexington?
Yes. Hamburg is a district of southeastern Lexington along the I-75 corridor, at the Man O' War Boulevard interchange, Exit 108. Hamburg Pavilion is about 5.5 miles from the Main Street core by car.
Why is Hamburg in Lexington called Hamburg?
After a horse. John E. Madden bought a colt named Hamburg for $1,200, sold him to Marcus Daly in December 1897 for $40,001, and in 1898 used that money to buy 235 acres on Winchester Pike that he named Hamburg Place. The farm later grew to more than 1,300 acres.
What zip code is Hamburg in Lexington, KY?
40509.
What are the shopping areas in Hamburg?
Hamburg Place lists six: Hamburg East, Hamburg Pavilion, Meijer, Plaudit Place, Sir Barton Place and War Admiral Place. VisitLEX lists the same six. Hamburg Pavilion is the largest, at close to a million square feet of open-air retail.
Are new restaurants opening in Hamburg?
Often. The site keeps a coming soon directory of announced, licensed and newly opened Lexington businesses, linked from the shopping and dining section above, and the Hamburg entries show up there as they are confirmed.
What is the Hamburg horse cemetery?
The Hamburg Place Horse Cemetery, a small park tucked among the big-box stores. John E. Madden began burying horses there in 1908, and in 2005 it was moved to Sir Barton Way, where it stays open to the public. It holds Plaudit, the 1898 Kentucky Derby winner, Nancy Hanks, the trotter whose grave is its centerpiece, Star Shoot, Sir Barton's sire, and Bel Sheba, Alysheba's dam, among others.