KY

Springfield, Kentucky
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We went to Washington County to visit the Springfield Opera House. Where’s Washington County? Oh, the next town over. Just a horse trot away.

Kentucky has a record number of counties – 120 to be exact. That ranks us third in the nation. Just about every little town is its own county. Why all this local government? Blame it on the Revolutionary War.

Back in the 1770’s bounty warrants were a form of payment for military service. Essentially a land grant, the warrants gave soldiers parcels of land on the far western frontier of the Virginia colonies. You would be entitled to a big chunk of Kentucky land if you were a veteran of the French-Indian War, Revolutionary War, or Lord Dunmore’s War.

This year the Kentucky Derby wasn’t so much a Run for the Roses as a Swim for the Roses. It poured, drizzled and dripped all weekend. Broke the 100 year old record for the wettest Derby. Talk about your sloppy track!

One of the perks of living along the Bourbon Trail are all the festivals and events the distilleries sponsor.

What’s the Bourbon Trail? Well, it’s kind of a self-guided sightseeing tour. There’s two dozen distilleries scattered around central Kentucky and the idea is to visit all of them and sample their spirits. Not all in one day, mind you. Even true bourbon aficionados would be hard pressed to make it through that many tours in a single day!

Bardstown, Kentucky
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Old Bardstown Village is a recreated pioneer settlement located a few blocks below the downtown area. Historically this area was where wagons and horse teams staged before climbing the big cliff into town.

There’s about a dozen log cabins at Old Bardstown Village situated alongside a lively creek. The buildings are quiet and dark inside with a sprinkling of artifacts on display.

Septarian rocks from Morocco

We’re Rock Hounds. There’s no hiding it. One look around our house will confirm that – there’s piles of rocks everywhere.

The front door sports river stones from Vermont and Wyoming. The porch railings are festooned with crinoids and slate found on the farm. Limestone slabs line our flowerbeds. And every table in the house features a rock cluster; Icelandic lava, petrified wood, chunks of crystals, obsidian and amethyst. If I stick a hand in the pocket of any jacket there’ll be a pebble I’ve picked up somewhere.

So the Rock & Gem Show in Lexington was a perfect Sunday diversion for us.

Boone Tavern

Berea, Kentucky

Interested in Arts & Crafts? Then Berea is the place to go. It’s a modern day artist colony, wrapped around the renowned Berea College of Arts. Artisans of every ilk are showcased here, and the shops on North Broadway offer goods from a wide spectrum of hand-crafted items.

Bardstown, Kentucky

The Craft Beer Fest is becoming our Fall tradition. Each October regional brewers come to show off their specialties. It’s an evening of beer sampling from a large menu of choices. Some craft beers are very good, others are weirdly experimental, and a few are downright awful.

Bullitt County Fairgrounds
Shepherdsville, Kentucky

Wanna see a good wreck? Head on over to a Demolition Derby. You’ll scream, you’ll laugh, you’ll have a smashing good time watching old beaters careen into each other for a couple of hours.

Penn’s Store

Gravel Switch, Kentucky

Penn’s Store has been operated by the same family in the same rustic building with the old creaky floors since 1850. It’s listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and hosts “Kentucky’s only internationally recognized outhouse race” – the Great Outhouse Blowout.