The state of Kentucky has varied cultural facets--from bluegrass music to thoroughbred racing--and a rich history that includes Daniel Boone, Abraham Lincoln and Nobel prize winner Phillip A. Sharp. Kentucky also has a wealth of outdoor splendor--waterfalls, gorges, lakes and mountains. The Kentucky Department of Travel divides the state into regions for the convenience of visitors: the Appalachians; Daniel Boone Country; Southern Lakes & Rivers; Bluegrass; Northern Kentucky River Region; Caves, Lakes and Corvettes; the Derby Region; Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue; Western Waterlands.
Bourbon
Kentucky bourbon is famous, a whiskey-making tradition made new by distilling corn, a New World native food. This new whiskey aged during shipping in oak barrels from Bourbon County, Kentucky, thus becoming known as bourbon. You can visit Kentucky's distilleries by traveling what is called Kentucky's Bourbon Trail, which includes the distilleries Buffalo Trace, Four Roses, Jim Beam, Maker's Mark, Woodford Reserve, Wild Turkey, 1792 Ridgemont Reserve, Tom Moore and Heaven Hill Distilleries.
Horses
The Kentucky Horse Park is a 1,200-acre horse farm in Lexington in the Bluegrass region of the state with 50 breeds of horses and many activities to help you celebrate and get close to the animals, including a horseback riding tour that even first-time riders can take. The International Museum of the Horse is housed at the Kentucky Horse Park, with more than 38,000 square feet dedicated to exploring the role of the horse in human history. In Louisville, you can visit the Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs, where the Kentucky Derby is run every year.
Water
Kentucky boasts more miles of natural running water than any state except Alaska. Consequently, you can white water raft, fish, canoe and swim all over the state. One of the most dramatic water destinations in Kentucky is Cumberland Falls, over six stories tall and 125 feet wide. The falls create moonbows, a rare phenomenon that occurs when the light of the moon creates what would be a rainbow if it happened during the day with the sun's help. The waterfall is in the Southern Lakes & Rivers region of Kentucky.
Caves
In south-central Kentucky's Caves, Lakes & Corvettes region lies Mammoth Cave National Park, the world's longest explored cave system with over 367 miles of mapped cave. Ancient visitors to Mammoth Caves came for minerals. Some left behind evidence of their visits, which is still there, preserved in the conditions of the cave. There are many cave tours available, including a four-mile, four-and-a-half-hour Grand Avenue Tour. There are different camping experiences available at the park, including backcountry camping and camping for horseback riders.
Trails
With such an abundance of outdoor locales to explore, Kentucky has hiking and walking trails throughout the state for a variety of fitness levels. Other trails--the Bourbon Trail, for instance--have been designated for driving. You can follow some of the trails to travel the state, including the Lincoln Heritage Trail, which includes Lincoln's boyhood home; the Central Kentucky Civil War Heritage Trail; the Kentucky Artisan Heritage Trail; and the Kentucky Music Trail, which goes through the eastern part of the state where nine country music stars were born. The Country Music Highway, part of the National Scenic Byways system, also runs through eastern Kentucky, home to many country music stars like the Judds, Loretta Lynn and Dwight Yoakam.
Forests and Parks
The Daniel Boone National Forest is over 707,000 wild acres of abundant wildlife, lakes and mountains. Among its attractions is the Red River Gorge, which has natural stone arches, odd rock formations and sandstone cliffs, with Red River being a National Wild and Scenic River. 37,000 acres are designated as a National Archaeological District. Kentucky has 52 state parks dotting the state: 17 resort parks, which have lodges for overnight stays, 11 historic sites and 24 recreation parks. Blue Licks sits on a Revolutionary War battle site. The Trail of Tears Commemorative Park is a historical park with documented sites from the Trail of Tears. There is an annual PowWow at the park on the first weekend after Labor Day. The Breaks Interstate Park is one of only two interstate parks in the United States--parks that straddle two states. Breaks is 4,500 acres containing a quarter-mile-deep, five-mile-long gorge. The park includes rapids, an amphitheater and a geological trail. Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area is an inland peninsula that sits between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. LBL has a bison herd, is repopulating elk, eagles and falcons in the area, has a nature station and the Golden Pond Planetarium.
Museums
Kentucky is the birthplace of bluegrass music and houses the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky. Quilting is part of the state's cultural heritage, celebrated at Kentucky's Museum of the American Quilter's Society in Paducah, which is the largest quilt museum in the world. The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky welcomes sports car fans from all over the world. The only Corvette plant in the world is in Bowling Green. At the Louisville Slugger Museum you can tour the factory where the official bats of Major League baseball are made.
Tags: Daniel Boone, Heritage Trail, Trail which, bluegrass music, Bourbon Trail
