The Best
of Kentucky’s Bluegrass Region
14
Days/13 Nights
Get ready!
We know you may never have thought about Kentucky
as a place to take a long and luxurious vacation.
Wait and wonder no longer.
This is a great trip.
Fourteen days of
wonderful countryside, sophisticated arts, southern
hospitality and interesting attractions.
A great balance of culture, travel and good
old-fashioned “free-wheeling.”
Traveling through the Bluegrass
Region of Kentucky, you can experience the most
interesting history and heritage, the best in arts the
area has to offer, great scenic byways, gardens and
natural areas. In between, you can dine on good southern
cuisine, sip some bourbon, the only spirits invented in
America, and discovering the uniqueness of this genteel
area of the US.
The region has everything great urban regions
have to offer, plus unparalleled Americana and scenic
beauty. In
horse country, the farms are as crisp and groomed as the
best urban parks, and the landscapes as beautiful as any
in the world.
You can also learn the great stories of Mary Todd
Lincoln, wife of President Abraham Lincoln, championship
boxer Muhammed Ali, who inspires through his new center,
the Peace Bell, the Cincinnati area at the Museum
Center, Louisville’s Mansions and Museums, and the
Woodford Reserve’s special take on making bourbon.
When you leave, be sure to take
home the work of some sophisticated Kentucky-crafted
artisans, perhaps a sip of that famous bourbon, and
memories of the warm southern hospitality and gracious
southern ways you’ve experienced in one of the most
special areas of the country.
Who could ask for more!
Day 1: Arrive Northern Kentucky to
Lexington, Kentucky
As soon as you land in Northern
Kentucky, you’ll be heading for Lexington, the “Athens
of the West” and the most cultured frontier city.
Today, it is a wonderful combination of historic
treasures, modern amenities and Southern gentility.
Underground, the limestone in the soil aids in
raising hardy racers, gaining Lexington the distinction
of “The Horse Capital of the World.” The Walking Tour
reveals the carefully restored and detailed downtown.
The Blue Grass Driving Tour meanders through
white fenced horse country past crispy groomed farms
nestled in gently rolling terrain.
Overnight: Lexington, Kentucky
Day 2: Explore Lexington Area
One of America’s most influential
first ladies, Mary Todd Lincoln lived in Lexington until
she moved to Springfield IL, where she met the future
President Lincoln. You can tour her childhood home and
the Hunt Morgan House, home to the leader of Morgan’s
Raiders of Civil War fame.
That house was more recently home to the first
Kentuckian to be awarded a Nobel Prize. Contrast this
great history with the Kentucky Horse Park which
features the lineage and history of the famous steeds
raised around Lexington.
Overnight: Lexington, Kentucky
Day 3: Explore Lexington Area
If you enjoyed Kentucky Horse
Park, you can also visit a working horse farm to get a
glimpse of how real racers are raised.
Top off your day at the Red Mile Harness Track,
to see the horses in action.
In between, visit Ashland, the home of Henry
Clay, a famous senator who may have been able to stave
off the Civil War had he lived. Waveland, the seat of a
massive antebellum hemp plantation, was built by
descendants of frontiersman Daniel Boone.
Overnight: Lexington, Kentucky
Day 4:
Explore Lexington Area
Ready to
get up early for a special experience?
Have breakfast at the Track Kitchen at Keeneland
Race Track and watch the horses go through their early
morning paces.
Not far from there, Woodford Reserve is the home
of super-premium bourbon made special by the same
limestone that creates the great racers.
Take a bit of the Bluegrass Parkway and the
Pisgah Pike Scenic Byway on the way back to Lexington.
Overnight: Lexington, Kentucky
Day 5:
Lexington to Frankfort, Kentucky
You can
fortify yourself with some Old Kentucky Bourbon
Chocolates before taking the Old Frankfort Pike Scenic
Byway, named one of America’s Most Outstanding Byways,
to Frankfort, the capital of Kentucky.
On the Pike, the Headley-Whitney Museum features
the works of George Headley, jewelry designer to
Hollywood stars.
Quaint Frankfort , which was once larger than
Lexington, has settled into a quiet, flower laden
southern town.
Overnight: Frankfort, Kentucky
Day 6:
Frankfort to Louisville, Kentucky
Kentucky’s capital has a fascinating story that includes
being the only pro-Union state capital occupied by the
Confederate Army during the Civil War.
The old 1910 Capitol Building, now the Kentucky
History Center features documents of Daniel Boone and
Lewis and Clark.
Liberty Hall has been the home of a whole array
of prominent Kentuckians.
The Old Governor’s Mansion is the older executive
residence still in use in the US.
Head for Louisville at the end of the day.
Overnight: Louisville, Kentucky
Day 7:
Explore Louisville Area
Louisville, America’s 16th largest city, is
both sophisticated and southern.
Chartered by Thomas Jefferson when Kentucky was
still Virginia, Louisville is the home of Churchill
Downs, the holy grail of horse racing and witnessed the
launch of professional baseball.
The new Muhammad Ali Center challenges
individuals to greatness. The whacky Frazier
International History Museum, inspired by the British,
has 100,000 square feet of everything from General
Custer’s ivory handled pistols to knights in shining
armor. Try
the night life at Fourth Street Live!
Overnight: Louisville, Kentucky
Day 8
Explore Louisville Area
You’ll
want to tour Churchill Downs begun by a Brit who secured
the land from his uncle Henry Churchill.
His intent was to create a Jockey Club, instead
he created an American icon.
Old Louisville introduces you to the Grand Old
Ladies of Louisville’s Victorian heyday caked with
intricate detail and rich colors.
The Louisville Slugger Museum illustrates the
making of the famous bats.
You may want to try a cruise on the Belle of
Louisville this evening for dinner and city lights.
Overnight: Louisville, Kentucky
Day 9:
Explore Louisville Area
The countryside around Louisville is also rich
with attractions.
Farley-Moreman Landing has incredible views down
river towards Indiana.
The house, which stayed in the family until 1988,
is filled with interesting artifacts.
At Clermont, the trees in the Bernheim Research
Forest will talk to you, describing their own details.
Bernheim’s wealth
came from sprits produced by the I.W. Harper Distillery
as did that of Jim Beam, America’s most famous bourbon.
Tour the Beam outpost before checking out
performances at the Louisville Performing Arts Center.
Overnight: Louisville, Kentucky
Day
10:
Louisville to Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati Area
Heading
for the Southern Side of Cincinnati this morning will
deliver a completely different perspective of Kentucky.
Newport on the Levee replaced what once rivaled
Las Vegas for entertainment to become the most visited
attraction in Cincinnati.
The Newport Aquarium rivals any in the world.
St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption
is magnificent inside.
Try some great German food in the Mainstrasse
District in Covington.
Overnight: Newport, Kentucky
Day 11:
Explore Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati Area
Cincinnati is a little known, world-class attraction
city. The
Cincinnati Museum Center delivers an overview of the
whole region.
The exhibits in the history center let you
interact with living history interpreters.
The Museum of Natural History reveals insights
about the region’s geology.
Across
the river from Covington, the National Underground
Railroad Freedom Center commemorates the journeys of
escaping slaves.
The Great American Ball Park is home to America’s
first professional baseball time, the Cincinnati Reds.
Overnight: Newport, Kentucky
Day 12:
Explore Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati Area
Consider
this your Cincinnati “art” day and prepare for some
great visuals.
The Cincinnati Art Museum has now expanded beyond
its original “Art Palace.”
The Taft is a little known treasure with a
collection of 690 works collected by this famous family.
Krohn Conservatory is a work of art as well as a
showcase for rare plants.
And then, there’s Pyramid Hill, 265 acres of
rolling hills populated with monumental sculptures.
Overnight: Newport, Kentucky
Day 13:
Explore Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati Area
If you
like zoos, Cincinnati’s is one of the top 10 in the
country. 510 animal species and 3,000 plant varieties
populate 75acres.
The organization’s work with endangered species
is world-renowned.
When you’ve seen all the plants and animals you
can handle, grab some Skyline Chili, a five layer yummy
affair.
Overnight: Newport, Kentucky
Day
14
We wish
you a safe and pleasant journey home, taking with you
memories of the best of the Bluegrass region.
