At the end of June, A had his "summer break", AKA three days off. We extended a weekend and drove down to Kentucky to see the sights we missed the first time we passed through the state. But first, we had to go through Indiana. I don't know if you've ever driven through Indiana, but in my opinion, one time is enough. The best part (for me) is seeing the fields of windmills. Beautiful!
Our first stop was Louisville. We headed to Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. The Twin Spires are famous in the racing world.
The Kentucky Derby Museum will tell you everything you wanted to know about horse racing's most famous event (and more!).
They had a large collection of some of the most
There was simulated betting - you pick win, place and show, and the machine even prints out a ticket. Then you watch the footage of an actual race and see if you bet well!
I liked the different methods of picking the winning horse. Especially the "poop method". :)
This is an actual portion of a starting gate. And they're off!
There is also a racing game - the better your jockey stance, the faster your horse goes! A had it perfected.
I'm pretty sure this was for the kids, but I still tried on some jockey silks. Spiffy, no?
As part of the tour, we saw the track and grounds. We happened to be there on a race day. First stop: The paddock for mounting up.
Then on to the track for the race! They thundered down the stretch while the
After our tour we walked around a cute artsy area of Louisville, then went to find dinner.
We passed up a man cooking pizza in a truck for Lynn's Paradise Cafe. I'd read about it online, and it did not disappoint. The decor was extremely eccentric, and the food was quite tasty!
They had plastic animals and a seek-it game on each table. It was a tube full of beads and had tiny objects to find. It wasn't easy!
Our server suggested we try their french toast special as dessert. Totally worth it!
One table was a diorama of a farm.
The outside of Lynn's is just as interesting as the inside.
That night we drove to Corbin so we wouldn't have to get up too early in the morning for our whitewater rafting adventure. No pictures from that - they didn't have photographers and even if I'd brought a water camera, we were busy paddling! We rafted down the Cumberland River below the Falls. It was an easier river than the ones we've done before (Class II-III+). Still very fun!
On our way out of Corbin, we stopped by the birthplace of KFC, the original Colonel Sanders Cafe. (Actually, it was originally part of a hotel across the street, then they moved it.)
We split some chicken just for the heck of it. It tastes the same as at any KFC, if you were wondering.
Being a road trip, we stopped to fill the tank often. We were amazed by the price of gas in Kentucky... over a dollar cheaper than in Chicago!
That night we stayed in Horse Cave, KY, not far from our next destination, Mammoth Cave National Park. Pretty much the middle of nowhere. Our hotel was one of about five. There were only three restaurants to choose from.
The next morning we took the Historic Tour of Mammoth Cave. It starts at the natural cave entrance. As you get close, you can feel a cool breeze. We were glad we had our jackets - the average temperature in the cave is 54*!
As I'm sure you guessed from the name, this cave is huge. It's actually the longest known cave in the world. It was used by the Native Americans 4,000 years ago, then rediscovered in the 1700s. At that point, they decided to mine the saltpeter from the cave for gunpowder. The equipment they used is still there!
This is the Rotunda Room, one of the bigger areas of the cave. You could have a sit-down dinner for 250 people in there!
The guide turns on and off the lights as you enter or exit areas of the cave. It's a tad nerve-wracking to realize how dark it really is down there.
After the cave tour, we stopped by this awesome-looking antique store. They had SO MUCH stuff. Everywhere. Anything you want (or don't want).
Before we headed to Lexington, we had lunch at Big Bubba Buck's BBQ. With a name like that, who could resist?
Out back there is parking for truckers. Inside there is room for about 20 people. Keeping with the theme, they have many types of pigs on display. The food was interesting, but not as tasty as expected.
In Lexington we stayed at a DoubleTree. It was the prettiest hotel I've seen in a while. We enjoyed the warm chocolate chip cookies!
The next morning we visited the Kentucky Horse Park. It was like a dream come true for my eight-year-old self.
They have a Hall of Champions where some of the best racehorses of all time spend their retirement. Including Funny Cide and Cigar.
The Parade of Breeds was very educational for A. (Not sure he wanted to know the difference between a Tennessee Walking Horse and an Arabian, but now he knows!)
If you ever read Misty of Chincoteague, this is one of those ponies!
A tried out the grown-up version of the strip mall mechanical horse. It demonstrated different speeds of canter.
Then they brought out the foals... even smaller and cuter because they were miniature horse babies!
Our last goal of this road trip was to hit up the Bourbon Trail. We tried out the Buffalo Trace distillery. They offer a free tour with tasting, and they were the closest to our location. The tour was better than we expected - we learned a ton about bourbon! We got to walk through one of the warehouses.
The warehouse, floor in the warehouse, and exact location on the floor all affects the taste of the bourbon. Once it's in the barrel and the barrel is placed, they do not rotate or move the barrels.
There are really narrow pathways between the rows of barrels. Just over the width of a wooden plank. Workers use them to test the bourbon.
We stopped in a bottling area to see the process. All done by hand.
Then the best part: tasting! We made two discoveries. 1- K likes bourbon! And 2- Bourbon Creme is delicious! (It's very similar to Irish creme.) We brought home a bottle as they're not selling it in Illinois yet.
Then we headed home (back through Indiana... wasn't anymore exciting the third time). As always, a fun vacation!
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