Kentucky | Escape to the Bluegrass State
By Bea Herndon
Stunning landscapes, massive lakes, exciting adventures — you never know what’s around the bend in Kentucky. We know what you’re thinking: Kentucky is all about bourbon and horses, right? There’s no denying that many memorable days do start with these storied activities, but they’ve got lots more up their sleeves. Whether you're into underground excursions, American history, family fun or exploring the outdoors, there's a Kentucky experience for you. No matter how long your trip, there’s endless ways to have fun!
Natural Arch
Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, Parkers Lake
The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area abounds in dramatic cliffs, arches, and rockshelters. The region may contain more natural arches that any other region in the eastern United States.
Natural arches are found frequently in the Big South Fork at the edges of the tableland surface, there the resistant Rockcastle Conglomerate slowly succumbs to erosion. Arches form along gorge edges where the resistant sandstone is able to support its own weight when layers below erode away.
One of the more impressive and accessible arches in the Big South Fork, Natural Arch, is located in the northern part of the park, in the Daniel Boone National Forest. The scenic attraction is a spectacular sandstone arch that spans nearly 100 feet. You can see a panoramic view of the arch from an overlook.
Choose from three different trails — ranging from approximately half a mile to just a hair over five miles — to get your best view of the arch. Trails within the Natural Arch Scenic Area are designed for hiking and day use only. Picnic sites, group picnic shelters, playgrounds provide year-round shelter. kentuckytourism.com/parkers-lake/natural-attractions/nature-wildlife/natural-arch-scenic-area
Kentucky Bourbon Distilleries and Tours
The smell of the angel’s share. The sight of rickhouses stacked to the rafters with spirits. The taste of fresh-from-the-barrel bourbon. A visit to a Kentucky bourbon distillery will be imprinted on your senses forever.
Many of Kentucky’s nearly 70 distilleries offer tours and tastings, each one of them a unique experience. Take a Hard Hat Tour at Buffalo Trace to see everything from cooking to fermentation to distilling up close. Hand-dip your own bottle of Maker’s Mark in the distillery's famous red wax.
Buffalo Trace Distillery
Frankfort
Standing today as the oldest continuously operating distillery in America, Buffalo Trace Distillery has been making whisky for more than 200 years. Designated as a National Historic Landmark, Buffalo Trace is the most award-winning Distillery in the world, garnering more than 300 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. As an American family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky, the Distillery is fully operational and dedicated to preserving the rich history and rugged authenticity that founded the Distillery, while always striving to create the world’s most perfect bourbon ever made through innovative experimentation. Experience a tour for every taste. They offer six distinct tours, all of which are complimentary and include a complimentary tasting afterwards. Each tour lasts about an hour and photography is permitted on the tour.
Maker’s Mark Distillery
Loretto
Generations of the Samuels family distillers have carried forth a recipe from prohibition to become one of the most beloved Bourbon brands in the world. The red wax on the bottles is every bit as recognizable as the Maker’s Mark name. Every bottle is still hand-dipped today, and when you visit the distillery, you can dip your own.
Bourbon vs. Whiskey: What’s the difference?
They both look the same, but here’s a hint: all bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon. Bourbon is a type of whiskey, much the way that champagne is a type of wine. One of the main things that sets bourbon apart is other whiskeys is the way it is manufactured and aged. All whiskey is spirit made from fermented grain and then aged in barrels. But the kind of grain and the kind of barrels — bourbon is always aged in new charred oak barrels without additives or coloring, for example — determines the variety of whiskey. Per the American Bourbon Association, in order to be classified as bourbon, a whiskey needs to be distilled from a mixture of grains, or mash, that’s at least 51 percent corn. That corn gives bourbon its distinctive sweet flavor.
MegaCavern: MEGA ZIPS
Louisville
Your trained tour guides will lead you on a 2-hour thrilling and exhilarating adventure that will take you into never before seen sections of this man-made cavern.
Following A.C.C.T. standards, our trained tour guides will lead you on an up to 2 1/2 hour (depending on tour size) thrilling and exhilarating adventure that will take you into never before seen sections of this man-made cavern. Your tour guides will also educate you about the geology and history of this unique attraction. With over 17 miles of underground passageways beneath the City of Louisville, the size and scale of this cavern is huge.
Featuring six underground zip lines, including a fun filled dual racing zip, two awesome challenge bridges that will test your skill, balance, and mettle, this tour is guaranteed to get your heart racing and your adrenaline pumping. If you are looking for a one-of-a-kind adventure, MEGA ZIPS is the place to visit. Mega Quest, Mega Tram and Mega Walking Tour
louisvillemegacavern.com
Muhammed Ali Center
Louisville
A visit to the Center is not just an experience, but a journey into the heart of a champion. The Center’s three levels of award-winning exhibits and galleries invite visitors to explore Muhammad Ali’s legendary life, as well as to reflect upon one’s own individual values, inner strength, character, and what makes you the greatest person you can be.
In its 14-year history, the Center has created programs that exemplify the principles of Muhammad Ali and the mission of the Center. Over the past decade, the Center has developed impactful programming serving children and adults, reaching people of all cultures, nationalities, ages, and geographic areas.
Be sure to mark your calendar for the 5th annual Muhammad Ali Festival June 4-13, 2021. The fesitval been expanded to provide inspiration, entertainment, education and activation through events that celebrate the anniversary of Muhammad Ali’s passing and his impactful legacy and love for Louisville. The festival will kick off with the annual Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards on June 4 and conclude with the Derby City Jazz Festival on June 11-13.
alicenter.org
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park & Abraham Lincoln Boyhood Home at Knob Creek
Hodgenville, Kentucky
Long before Abraham Lincoln became one of the preeminent leaders in American history, he spent his earliest years in Hodgenville, and his family had roots all around Kentucky. The Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park is home to the First Lincoln Memorial, (pre-dating the memorial in Washington D.C. by more than a decade), a replica of Lincoln’s birth cabin, as well as Abraham Lincoln's Boyhood Home at Knob Creek located nearby.
In commemoration of the centennial anniversary of Lincoln's birth, the memorial was built on the knoll above Sinking Spring, where it is believed that Lincoln's original birth cabin stood. President Theodore Roosevelt laid the memorial's cornerstone and construction began on February 12, 1909. It was completed in 1911, and dedicated by President Howard Taft. Enclosed within the memorial is the symbolic birth cabin of President Lincoln.
Of his boyhood home, Lincoln said, “My earliest recollection is of the Knob Creek place.” Located just 10 miles from his birthplace, the Knob Creek farm was the home of the Lincoln family from 1811 to 1816. Here, a young Abraham would help gather wood, carry water, and go fishing in the stream; it was also where he first saw African Americans in bondage.
Privately owned until November 2001, the Abraham Lincoln Boyhood Home at Knob Creek is now part of the National Park System as a unit of Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site. It was here, with his parents, Nancy and Thomas, that Abraham Lincoln had his earliest recollections in life. Facilities and services are limited. Buildings and cabins serve as exterior exhibits only. Radio transmitter provides information. Grounds open daily 9:00 am to 5:00 pm year-round. Memorial Day to Labor Day enjoy morning nature hikes and a 2:00pm family program. Pack a lunch and enjoy your meal on the grounds in the lunching area. Admission is free.
Lincoln's birthplace and The Abraham Lincoln Boyhood Home are only a couple of the many places to visit along Kentucky's Lincoln Heritage Trail.
kentuckytourism.com
Kentucky Horse Farm
No other place in America or indeed the world is as synonymous with horses as Kentucky, home to both the Horse Capital of the World (Lexington) and the Saddlebred Capital of the World (Shelbyville). Here you’ll find legendary horse racing tracks, a wide variety of equestrian activities, and pretty-as-a-picture farms where the most magnificent horses in the world graze on our famed bluegrass. Even if you don’t come to Kentucky a horse lover, you’ll almost certainly leave as one.
Set on a picturesque working horse farm just outside Lexington, the Kentucky Horse Park is a must-see attraction for horse lovers of all ages. No other place on earth celebrates the special relationship between humans and horses like this 1,200-acre park; here, visitors have unparalleled opportunities to get up close and personal with many breeds of horse, through barn tours, horseback riding, youth camps, three outstanding museums — including the International Museum of the Horse, where you can view a timeline tracing a history of the horse back to ancient times — daily Parade of Breeds show, and more. Several retired celebrity horses make their home at Kentucky Horse Park, much to the delight of adoring fans.
The park also hosts the most comprehensive schedule of equestrian events in the country. Equine enthusiasts flock here to witness steeplechase, cross-country competitions, specialized breed shows, carriage driving, polo and the only four-star equestrian event in North America, the Land Rover Kentucky Three Day Event™.
kyhorsepark.com
