Kentucky:
This is the
state in which I not only came into life, but was born as well. Living in the Falls Cities area, one becomes
better acquainted with Kentucky
politics than Indiana’s due to
have Louisville TV stations being the only stations one receives. It’s a very beautiful state, except for that
long stretch between Elizabethtown
and Paducah on the WK Parkway. Kentucky
has the most idiotic drivers in the USA,
so be forewarned.
Bardstown: The home of my father’s family, this is the
redneck capital of Kentucky. It has an impressive War museum, as well as My Old Kentucky Home
State Park, which has many neat gifts.
There use to be a nice Miniature Soldiers’ Museum, but sadly it’s been
closed for years.
Cave City: A mini-Gatlinburg, Cave
City is the main access area for Mammoth Cave National Park, which is as
pretty above ground as below. My father
once took me to Guntown Mountain
there, where they had shootouts and amusements, but that was in 1979/1980, so
no telling what it’s like now.
Clermont: Bernheim
Forest is an excellent place for a weekday excursion, with its beautiful scenery. I am glad I got to spend a day there once
with my paternal grandma.
Corbin:
The main attraction to this town is the place where Colonel Sanders
started his business, which is now the Colonel Harland Sanders Café
& Museum. Food is served here;
guess what kind? ;-)
Danville:
I had an internet war with a shop down here. Thankfully, karma prevailed and the shop had
to close, which is a blessing for Magic: the Gathering players worldwide.
Elizabethtown:
The best part about visiting this town is it has one of the few
remaining Po Folks restaurants. It also has a decent mall.
Fort Knox: Home of one of my best
Magic performances ever (Weatherlight
prerelease), the Patton Museum
has many interesting exhibits. Nearby Otter Creek Park, where I camped
overnight in fifth grade, is run by the city of Louisville;
no one really knows why.
Hodgenville: It’s the town with Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace, which is
actually a replica of the log cabin similar to the one the tyrant was born
in. It has both a nice National Park
gift shop, and a nice vendor gift shop.
Horse Cave: This once had a nice outlet
store, but it is seriously hemorrhaging now.
Nearby Kentucky Down Under features
many Australian animals, but I never got to do anything more than visit its
gift shop.
Lexington:
Kentucky’s second city,
although most in Kentucky prefer
it over Louisville simply for the
hellhole that is the University of Kentucky (UK). The subject matter of my Master’s thesis,
John Hunt Morgan, is buried at Lexington
Cemetery, and has a statue downtown where UK students often paint his
horse’s testicles blue and white, for school pride and the fact that his actual
horse was a mare. The Rusty Scabbard is
my favorite hobby shop to visit in the region.
Louisville:
Practically my hometown, Louisville
now boasts of being the 16th largest city in the country, thanks to
the recent city/county merger. I have
many fond memories of the Louisville
Science Center while I was growing up and it was known as the Museum
of History and Science. The Louisville
Zoo finally became a decent zoo when it got some Rockhoppers, my totem
animal. The Kentucky Fair and Expo Center is the home
of the Kentucky State Fair, which I have worked twice in my life, and I am
familiar with most all of the facility. Ditto’s, just south of the
corner of Bardstown Rd and Grinstead Rd, has the best menu selection in town,
with my favorite karaoke bar, Akiko’s, almost across from it. The local seafood chain, Kingfish, is cheaper than Red Lobster and has great quality. The
best mall in Louisville is Oxmoor Center, and the best area to
find better chain restaurants is Hurstborne Lane. Bardstown Rd.
has many interesting shops, especially of the entertainment kind like books and
music.
Paducah:
It is a long drive down there and an even longer drive back. Literally, as it is one mile longer coming
back to Louisville than it was to
originally go to Paducah due to the
way the roads curves going to and from different freeways. A pleasant riverfront, the town features a Quilting museum.
Back to Pilgrimages.