Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Kentucky

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.

Kentucky Horse Park
Kentucky Horse Park
Kentucky Horse Park
Kentucky Horse Park
On the Kentucky Bourbon Trail
On the Kentucky Bourbon Trail

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.

Bridge over Kentucky River at the Wild Turkey Distillery
Bridge over Kentucky River at the Wild Turkey Distillery
Wild Turkey Bourbon is aged these barrels
Wild Turkey Bourbon is aged these barrels

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.

Elk and Bison Prairie in the Land Between the Lakes
Elk and Bison Prairie in the Land Between the Lakes

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.

Sunrise over Lake Barkley, Kentucky from Canal COE
Sunrise over Lake Barkley, Kentucky from Canal Corps of Engineers Campground
Rushing Bay on Kentucky Lake
Rushing Bay on Kentucky Lake

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

14 thoughts on “Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Kentucky

      1. 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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  1. 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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  2. 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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    1. 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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  3. 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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    1. 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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      1. 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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