Theresa Dowell Blackinton - Moon Kentucky

THERESA DOWELL BLACKINTON

To put Kentucky into words is hard, because Kentucky is more than a collection of places. Its more than thoroughbred horses grazing on rich limestone-fed land in the rolling hills around Lexington. Its more than the blazing colors of Appalachia, lit on fire by autumn days. Its more than the bustling downtown streets of Louisville, where new enterprise lives in historic buildings. Its more than weathered tobacco barns, bourbon distilleries, record-length caves, and bluegrass festivals. Kentucky is a feeling, like sunshine in the winter or rain on a warm spring day.

Kentucky is home to cave miners and environmental activists, farmers and country music stars, doctors and artists. Its home to people who register Democrat and vote Republican, people who think basketball is religion, people who consider the first Saturday in May to be a holiday. Its a place of contradictions that somehow draws people inthose who have lived in the Bluegrass State their entire lives and those who show up as transplants, but become, just like bluegrass itself, practically native. Governor A. B. Happy Chandler once said, Ive never met a Kentuckian who wasnt coming home, and he was right. Even those of us Kentuckians who are displaced still consider Kentucky home. Its the place we all want to end up, the place where people not only know you, but know your momma, your daddy, and your grandparents, too.

Kentucky is a place of warm hospitality, where people treat neighbors like family, and are never too busy to sit on the porch for a glass of sweet tea and some gossip. But to assume that Kentucky is all country roads and simple pleasures would be wrong. The state has big urban areas, with top-ranked hospitals, innovative art galleries, award-winning restaurants, and first-rate universities. The birthplace of bluegrass music and home to the first integrated college in the south, Kentucky is at once traditional and progressive.

Although people say statistics dont lie, the truth about Kentucky is found in the spaces between. Too often stereotyped and misunderstood, Kentucky will blow you away if you only give it a chance. Just be aware that once you arrive, you may not want to leave. But hey, thats okay. Kentucky welcomes you to stay just as long as youd like.

Louisville is Kentuckys biggest city, offering the most museums, historic sites, and other tourist attractions, as well as hosting the biggest restaurant, nightlife, and art scenes in the state. Home of the Kentucky Derby, Louisville packs people in on the first weekend of May, but with unique offerings like the Louisville Slugger Museum and Muhammad Ali Center, and the fantastic downtown hotels and Old Louisville B&Bs, it makes for a wonderful visit any time of year. After a few days in Louisville, its easy to head off to destinations throughout the state.

Kentuckys spirit comes to life in this central section of the state. Travel along the famed Bourbon Trail and youll get to taste more than the nations only native liquor. Thomas Mertons Gethsemani and the Basilica of St. Joseph speak to Kentuckys religious heritage, while Abraham Lincolns Birthplace captures Kentuckys pioneering past. From My Old Kentucky Home in Bardstown to the Capitol in Frankfort, this region attracts those interested in Kentucky tradition and history.

A WEEKEND: Pick either Louisville or Lexington and fill your days with visits to museums, historic sites, and horse-related attractions.

FIVE DAYS: Add the Bourbon Trail. Pick it up at either end and travel from Louisville to Lexington or vice-versa while enjoying sips of bourbon and sites along the way.

A WEEK: Add some outdoor adventure to your itinerary. Visit a cave, go to the lake, take a hike, or just relax at one of the state parks.

TEN DAYS: Get cultured. Explore the art scene in Berea or Paducah, seek out a barbecue or bluegrass festival, or catch the beat on the Country Music Highway.

Quintessentially Kentucky, Lexington and Horse Country almost seem like a stereotype. On gentle fields enclosed by fences, thoroughbreds are bred into champion racehorses. Visit a horse farm to see just how its done. Opening day at Keeneland is a tradition unlike any other, except perhaps UK basketball in Rupp Arena. In the area surrounding this Southern belle of a city, youll find historic sites with critical connections to the states founding.

Bordered by the Ohio River, Northern Kentucky bears the influence of its northern neighbors, but retains a distinct Southern sensibility. Covington and Newport are high entertainment destinations, especially with Cincinnati just across the river. The Newport Aquarium is a must. Farther east,