A Carry-On Packing List for a Weekend in Paducah, Kentucky

Opening up my suitcase and sharing a late-summer packing list for a weekend getaway to Paducah, Kentucky

Earlier this month, Michael and I hopped on a plane and jetted off for a weekend in the vibrant arts city of Paducah, Kentucky. It was a glorious weekend of fiber art, great food and drink, and plenty of walking (we clocked nearly eight miles in 36 hours!)—and I’ve shared all about it in my Paducah Travel Guide.

Today I’m sharing my real-life packing list for my weekend in Western Kentucky, why I chose each item for this packing list, and my thoughts on local style.

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But before I jump in, I should probably share some helpful background info about this specific trip, in order to help you plan your very own packing list for Paducah (or anywhere else in the region!). As always, factors like weather, travel plans, and mode of transport can impact your decision-making when packing for a trip.

Time of Year | Nearly mid-September (September 8-10, to be exact!).
Weather | A break in the summer heat occurred just as we touched down in Paducah, leaving us with highs in the low 80s, and lows of 60°F.
Itinerary | A visit to an art museum, shopping, casual and upscale dining, and lots of walking.
Method of Travel | Air (Contour Airlines) and taxi.
Luggage | One carry-on suitcase℅ (review) and one personal item (review), both included in the airfare.

Ready to get packing? Here’s everything I packed for a weekend getaway:

SUMMER PACKING LIST FOR PADUCAH, KENTUCKY

A collage of all items packed for Paducah, Kentucky — Reversible Tank℅ | Light Denim* | Midi Dress℅ | Maxi Dress | Cardigan | Pajama Top | Pajama Pants | Leather Sandals℅ (save 20% with code WAYWARD20) | Belt | Sunglasses℅ | Sneakers℅ | Satchel*

WHY I CHOSE THESE ITEMS

Alyssa stands in front of a brick wall wearing a midi dress and sneakers — Midi Dress℅ | Sneakers℅ | Sunglasses℅ | Hoop Earrings | Stud Earrings | Necklace | Ring℅ | Bracelet (Save 20% with code WAYWARD20) | Anklet

Alyssa wears a black tank with white denim — Reversible Tank℅ | Light Denim* | Leather Sandals℅ (save 20% with code WAYWARD20) | Belt | Sunglasses℅ | Satchel* | Hoop Earrings | Stud Earrings | Necklace℅ | Ring℅ | Gold Bracelet (Save 15% with code WAYWARD20) | Rope Bracelet

First and foremost, I completely failed at my blogger duties to capture all of my outfits for this trip, but I hope you can both forgive me and use your imagination a little bit.

It’s no secret that I love neutrals for their ease—try as I might to find colorful clothes I feel good in, I usually wind up feeling like an impostor. That’s not how I want to feel when I’m traveling, so I lean into pieces I feel good in—and for travel, that usually means wearing black. It dresses up and down easily, it hides sweat and grime, and it is easy to mix and match with other items in a wardrobe (especially my own!).

For this packing list, I leaned in hard to my black and white palette (adding an olive purse for a considered dose of color) and brought along four high-quality garments: a reversible tank (reviewed here) in one of my favorite summer fabrics, off-white denim in a relaxed fit, and two long dresses—one solid and one patterned (reviewed here).

Looking for more packing list inspiration? Discover what's in my suitcase each season: Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter

While I haven’t surveyed the entire globe, I would wager that the item most travelers struggle with packing is shoes. I had plenty of room, so I packed two pairs for this trip: a pair of lightweight chunky sandals (reviewed here—save 20% with code WAYWARD20) for dressing up or down and my trusty white sneakers (reviewed here). Both have been broken in to the point where I can walk miles in them comfortably—and I recommend you choose shoes that allow you to do the same!

I suppose all that’s left are the little things. For jewelry, I packed a small assortment of gold pieces from brands like ABLE, Quince, and GLDN, to keep things streamlined. A black leather belt makes a simple outfit feel more styled, and this one has yet to set off a metal detector at the airport. Finally, a fun pair of sunglasses (reviewed here) offered a bit of shade from the sun and upped the cool factor.

*some items in this post are no longer available and a similar product is linked

NOTES ON LOCAL STYLE: PADUCAH, KENTUCKY

Normally I love poking around on Instagram’s location tags and snooping around on the local style, but I confess I didn’t have time to do that before this trip. Had I done so, I might have noticed that locals in Paducah dress more casually than I’m used to back home and adjusted my packing list accordingly.

T-shirts (plain or with sports logos), shorts or jeans, and sandals (flip-flops or slides) appear to be de rigueur in Paducah, so pack some of your faves! As the day turns into night, don’t be surprised to see lots of alt-fashion like all-black, ripped jeans, and chains or studded belts among the younger crowd.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON PACKING FOR PADUCAH

I generally consider a packing list a “success” if three conditions are met: 1. I wear everything in my suitcase, 2. I feel comfortable (both in my clothes and in my skin!), and 3. I feel reasonably dressed like I belong.

Check and check on points one and two, and a big ol’ nope on number three (though we had never met, our Airbnb host spotted us in a large crowd, and approached us with a kindhearted laugh saying, “I saw you over there and thought, ‘Those two must not be from around here.'”).

Ah, well, you can’t win them all. As long as you pack comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing, you’ll be a-ok—you’ll find that Paducahans are a warm and welcoming bunch who see the person, not the clothes.

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Questions for you

Where does your personal style fall on the casual to formal spectrum?

If a destination’s style preferences were different than your own, would you alter your packing list to match?

Where to next? Why not give one of these other posts a read:

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Traveling Light: A Packing List for a Weekend in Paducah, Kentucky