State 15:
Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!
I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state is the Bluegrass State –
Kentucky
Kentucky became the 15th state on June 1, 1792 and the capital is Frankfort.
When I think of the Bluegrass state I think of horses, bourbon, and Colonel Sanders famous Kentucky Fried Chicken. We never got a chance to visit the original Kentucky Fried Chicken but we did get to experience horses and bourbon and a whole lot more.
Late one fall we set up camp at the Kentucky Horse Park State Park near Lexington. Seeing these magnificent horses was the highlight of our visit to the area.



One very overcast day we left the horse park for a scenic drive by many beautiful horse farms and a tour of the Wild Turkey Distillery located right beside the Kentucky River.


Until we visited the Elk and Bison Prairie in the Land Between the Lakes I never knew that bison once roamed in this area of the United States.

The Land Between the Lakes has been a perfect stop over for us several times in our wandering. It doesn’t get much better than camping near a body of water and Canal Campground in the Land Between the Lakes is one of our favorite Corps of Engineers park.


Located in central Kentucky, Mammoth Cave is the longest cave system known in the world. There are many options for guided tours of the cave. Above ground the scenery is beautiful with hiking, biking, and equestrian trails.
To read previous posts about the states featured in this series just click on the state name: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas
Nice tribute to another beautiful state. Camping near horses? That would be a dream come true for me. 🙂
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Beautiful photos, Beth! Kentucky has always been a place we wanted to spend time in, and we were fortunate to experience a few months there this last autumn.
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Thank you. The fall colors around Lexington were gorgeous.
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This is such a beautiful state. So much to see there. I didn’t realize bison roamed there.
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The bison don’t roam freely any more. The ones that are there now are in a contained area in the Elk and Bison Prairie National Recreation Area. We never did see any Elk.
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Isn’t it something to see these magnificent creatures and know they once roamed these areas. When we first saw them out in Montana and Wyoming we were like little kids. Seeing Elk in the wild is so wonderful especially when they are sporting their new antlers. So know you need to go back there to see those bison and elk, lol. Unless we beat you there.
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Kentucky is really one of the states I would love to see but probably never will so I do appreciate your pictures and your story. I had no idea about the bison just knew about the horses and the amazing countryside. Thanks for sharing.
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I really enjoyed this post Beth. Most of my Kentucky time was work-related and spent in Louisville. One of my favorite restaurants–Mayan Gypsy–was there. It’s called Mayan Cafe now and I have no idea if it’s still good. But, back in the day, it was amazing. Pork pibil and plantains–yum.
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Brenda, thank you. We never made it to Louisville.So much to see in each state and not enough time for everything. I loved Lexington in November. It was cold but seeing the fall colors was worth it.
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Oh how we loved our month long travels through Kentucky last summer! Canal Campground in Land Between the Lakes is now one of our favorites, too. We did run into Lexington one day, but hubby prefers to go where the crowds aren’t! So we skipped the horses and bourbon…but we feasted at the original LFC restaurant. Afte, we went in honor of my step dad, who took my mom to his hometown-one in the same! And since hiking is always a goal, enjoyed a great hike after we ate! In case you missed it or other readers want a “taste” we’re happy to share: https://thetumblelees.me/2016/07/13/london-kentucky-lets-eat-and-hike/
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Thanks Debbie! We don’t enjoy crowds, either. We visited the horse park in November and there was hardly anyone there. It was great having the campground almost all to ourselves. I enjoyed your post about KFC and hiking.
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It’s probably pretty typical of us RVers that we don’t like crowds!!! LOL
Could you smell the chicken as you read about KFC? I’ve always loved the smell….but we now know we are no longer going to be able to indulge….😔
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Yes, and now I want some KFC!
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Lol!
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