Your Kentucky road trip will be an adventure that
you will want to do on a regular basis. There are two things that Kentucky
natives take seriously and that is their bourbon and horse racing. The
Kentucky Derby is no exception and is an enormous celebration and event that
takes place annually in May and the entire state joins in the festivities.
There are fantastic parks and camping adventures awaiting you in the state and
you can also take a stroll on the bourbon trail to sample some of the best
whisky in the world. Louisville features some absolutely fantastic
nightlife on 4th street and will provide you with some amazing memories.
Louisvilleis a great stop on your Kentucky road trip because there
really is a lot to do in this friendly bustling downtown. You may choose
to visit the Louisville Slugger museum, the Muhammad Ali Foundation, or take in
a horse race. One thing that you absolutely must do is make your way down
to 4th Street and take in some of the best nightlife in the country. The
bars are open until 4:00 am on the weekends and jammed packed with people having
an amazing good time. You will not run out of ideas or places to see in
Louisville.
Lexington
is also a perfect city for your downtown city adventure and is commonly referred
to as "The Horse Capitol of the World". There are many great restaurants
and fabulous hotels to stay at as well as fantastic shopping adventures waiting
to happened. There are tons of colleges and universities in the area
including Kentucky State University. Wherever you have colleges, then that
automatically means that there are great bars and nightlife as well-Lexington
will not disappoint you.
Every year in Kentucky the entire
state nearly shuts down because of this fantastic event that is held the first
weekend in May. People from all over the world travel to Churchill Downs
in Louisville to witness this historic race. Although the grandstand seats
are quite expensive the real party is in the infield and tickets are very
affordable.
Over 95% of the bourbon whisky in
the world is only made in Bourbon County (which is ironically still a dry
county). The
Bourbon Trail is a perfect activity for your Kentucky road trip because it
will allow you to drive through the scenic country sides and see the
distilleries first hand. The trail consists of the following eight
distilleries.
Buffalo Trace
Four Roses Bourbon
Heaven Hill
Jim Beam
Makers Mark
Woodford Reserve
Wild Turkey
Tom Moore
Kentucky National Parks
offer a wide variety of great activities and sites for your road trip.
Mammoth Cave is the perfect destination for a
spelunking
excursion. If you are in Middlesboro then you should make it a point
to visit the Cumberland Gap National Park because the scenery is absolutely
amazing-especially in the fall.
There are tons of
State Parks in Kentucky that
are a perfect fit for every traveler. There are over 30 campgrounds in
Kentucky and it makes for a very inexpensive college road trip or family
vacation.
Beech Bend Raceway Park in
Bowling Green features a campground and a huge race track in addition to the
many water rides and thrill rides!
Dogwood Lake Fun Park in Dunmor is a camping resort with water slides and fun for the whole family.
Guntown Mountain Amusement Park in Cave City is
an Old West theme park and is perfect if you already planning to visit Mammoth
Caves because of its close proximity. You'll want to block out an entire
day to explore the haunted house, the live shows, and gunfites!
Six Flags
Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville lives up the splendor of the other Six Flags
theme parks. There are so many thrill rides in this park it will
absolutely leave your head spinning.
Outdoor Festivals
are extremely common in Kentucky and are something you must consider if you are
going to take your road trip through the Kentucky area. The people in this
state are the most friendly anywhere in the United States and love to socialize
and talk to strangers. You will feel welcomed immediately and have an
amazing time.
Wineries
are a true part of the history of Kentucky and the first one was built in 1798!
There are still some bootleggers in the hills who make moonshine but its
difficult to get your hands on that southern delicacy (plus it is highly illegal
to purchase).
Kentucky does not have
professional sports teams but horse racing is huge in this state and people
absolutely love the thrill that these races offer. These races are the
talk of the town and absolutely drive their social planning. Checking out
these races first hand is like something you will not experience anywhere else
in the world because of the heightened excitement.
Churchill Downs in Louisville is the
home of the Kentucky Derby! This is one of the most famous horse races in
the world and is part of the elusive Triple Crown.
Ellis Park features
live thoroughbred racing in Henderson.
Keeneland is an
absolutely spectacular racetrack in Lexington.
Kentucky Downs is in
Franklin and is a great alternative to Churchill Downs if you want to avoid the
huge crowds.
Red Mile is a harness
racing track in Lexington. Admission is inexpensive and there are lots of
facilities for almost every occasion-including a wedding.
Turfway Park is in
Florence which is a quick jog from Cincinnati and is a great place to watch live
thoroughbred racing.