Kentucky Travel

B Berea C Cumberland Falls State Resort Park

R Red River Gorge S Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail T The Wilderness Road

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Chestnut-colored Thoroughbred Horses peeking over white flat fences; the raw, earthy smell of tobacco drying in the barn; Bourbon, fried chicken, biscuits and gravy: Kentucky Travel is all of that and more. Home to 4.2 million residents, about a quarter of them in Louisville, Kentucky combines the graciousness of the south with rolling hills and a diverse landscape. The “Bluegrass State” has been home to many notable Americans, including actors George Clooney and Johnny Depp, singers Rosemary Clooney (George’s Aunt) and Loretta Lynn, President Abraham Lincoln, Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and writer Hunter S. Thompson. Bluegrass music was created in Kentucky as was the whiskbroom, the traffic light, the gas mask, and bourbon whiskey.

Louisville

Louisville, along the Ohio River, in northern Kentucky, is the state’s largest city and home to the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky State Fair, and the annual Matthews Hot Air Balloon Festival and race. Permanent attractions in the city include the Muhammad Ali Center, which includes boxing memorabilia and works in the community and beyond to promote peace and understanding among all faiths and races. Louisville is a lovely city with over one hundred city parks, several of which were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of New York’s Central Park. Louisville is a major tobacco producer and whiskey producer, with companies such as Woodford Reserve and Maker’s Mark making over one-third of the world’s bourbon supply.

Lexington

Lexington is Kentucky’s second largest city and the state capital. Located in the center of the state, it is also the “Horse Capital of the World,” with dozens of major horse farms within the city and surrounding area. Lexington is also the site of the Keeneland Race Track and the Kentucky Horse Park. Just outside of town is Berea, the folk arts and crafts center of Kentucky and home of the unique Berea College, where students receive “free” tuition in exchange for working at the college. Lexington is also home to the University of Kentucky, a perennial contender for the national NCAA basketball championship.

Kentucky Park Land

To experience Kentucky travel is to marvel at the beauty and diversity of the Kentucky landscape. Kentucky’s many state and national parks include the Cumberland Gap, a major pass between the Appalachian Mountains; Mammoth Cave, the world’s longest cave; and Bernheim Forest, a 14,000-acre arboretum and home to a plethora of bird life and wildlife. The Wilderness Road, a pathway through the Cumberland Gap originally blazed by Daniel Boone, offers Kentucky travel visitors excellent hiking, camping, and picnicking opportunities. The Red River Gorge, a magnificent chasm, filled with hiking trails and scenic vistas, offers exhilarating scenery. Within the Gorge is the Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail, a 278-mile path that extends the length of the Daniel Boone National Forest, with dozens of hiking trails leading from it.

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Wherever you travel in Kentucky, you’re sure to become enchanted with the state’s casual elegance, lush green scenery, mountain vistas, and the homegrown horses, whiskey, and bluegrass music.