What's in Kentucky?
 

Our family is going to be visiting relatives in or near Knoxville, TN, Louisville KY, and possibly Chillicothe in August 2004. What are some family oriented places of interest? We are also driving to Asheville/Balck Mountain (Ridgecrest). My kids are 10 & 12.

There are horses in Kentucky. Horse farms.

Horse farms are beautiful and some have tours.
What about the original KFC location in Corbin where Col. Sanders started it all? Berea, Kentucky is a pretty area with a religious college and a wonderful restaurant there.
Mammoth Cave is great! Cumberland Falls is scenic. You can ride an old paddlewheel in Louisville on the Ohio River.

You need to join AAA if not already and pick up the Ohio, Tennessee, and Kentucky tour books. They are filled with ideas.

Kentucky Derby, Appalacian trail, Fort Knox, home of the American Cheese burger, Daniel Boone National Forest, Abraham Lincoln's birthplace and childhood home, loads of civil war museums, sights, Largest cave in the world, Mammouth Cave, Robeling Suspension Bridge which is the model for both the San Francisco and Brooklyn Bridge.

You question got me interested I would go for good old southern cooking but you can find out more at http://www.kytourism.com

ps I did nor read the Message part of your post befor I answered, still the link should help you.

I travel frequently from Michigan to Tennessee and always plan a night's stopover at The Cumberland Inn, just south of Corbin at the Williamsburg exit. The rooms at the hotel/motel are spotless, the restaurant is excellent and is very affordable, and I enjoy their glassed-in swimming pool overlooking the mountains. If you are a runner, across the street is Cumberland College's running track. The rooms are quite reasonably priced, and discount tickets are usually available in travel books that you pick up from the TN state border welcoming center. (note: This is a dry county.)

Happy Trails,
Paul

Meant to leave the website address for the Cumberland Inn:

www.cumberlandinn.com

We always liked to stop in Berea and eat at the Boone Tavern (reservations might be needed, as is a coat) hotel and look through the shops at the handmade crafts and furniture that the area is famous for.

If your family has any interest in baseball, go to the Louisville Slugger Museum. Lots of interactive exhibits, all about the famous bats and much more.

Kentucky's Mammoth Cave is not be missed. Louisville's Derby Museum is really nice. Knoxville's aquarium is great.

Correction, Chattanooga has the aquarium, not Knoxville.

If you have children with you, the Kentucky Horse Park is a MUST in the Lexington area. There are horses to pet, ride, and see for kids of all ages! http://www.kyhorsepark.com/

Just a FYI: young children are not welcome at most Thoroughbred horse farms.

Pleasant Hill, a restored Shaker village, is on the road from Lexington to Harrodsburg. It is interesting to visit and has a wonderful restaurant.

If you like old houses, Louisville has Locust Grove, where George Rogers Clark lived out his last days at the home of his sister; Farmington, visited by a young Abraham Lincoln and similar in style to Monticello; and the Thomas Edison Museum where he boarded while working in town.

Meant to say Harrodsburg has a restored pioneer fort, as does Boonesborough. Frankfort, the state capital, has a number of interesting sights. There are several distillery tours if that interests you.

Try Labrot & Graham Distillery between Frankfort & Versailles. The Basketball Museum at Rupp Arena in Lexington is fun for sports lovers. Whitehall State Shrine outside Richmond is fun --- Cassius Clay was a fascinating character! Old Kentucky Dinner Train in Bardstown, Wakefield Scearce Gallery in Science Hill, Louisville Stoneware in Louisville, Louisville Slugger factory, and many more. Have fun!

KY is a very diverse state with different attractions wherever you are. The eastern mountain area has lots of state parks and is very pretty...however it is also the most economically depressed.

The bluegrass region around Lexington is also very pretty with the aforemetntioned horse farms...all very manicured...lots of history in this area....might want to check out our state capital, Frankfort, it's beautiful with lots of history.

Louisville has lots of attractions by itself.

The central KY region has the bourbon country w/ lots of distrilleries you can tour.

South Central Ky has the caves and corvettes.

Western KY has BBQ, bluegrass music, and the land between the lakes rec area.

Tell me what areas you'll be in and I'll give more spcific advice. I've lived here all my life.

Thanks! I'll know more where we're going as time gets closer. Did you say corvette???

Yes, the only place in the world that Corvettes are made is in Bowling Green, KY. There is also the National Corvette Museum across the road from the plant.

When you say Chillicothe, I assume you mean Ohio? If so, don't miss the outdoor drama Tecumseh. It's wonderful! Check out their website for more information.
http://www.tecumsehdrama.com/

Is the Corvette plant still open for tours? Dad wanted to visit Mammoth Cave which we all enjoyed but the corvette plant tour was a surprise extra birthday present for our son.