Kentucky Attractions (Part 2)

If you are in Kentucky, around the Lexington area, then Natural Bridge State Resort Park is well worth a trip.

The park’s main attraction is the Natural Bridge, a natural sandstone arch, which has taken nature millions of years to form. The impressive sandstone arch stands like a sentinel over this mountain hideaway, soaring 65 feet high, 78 feet in length, and 40-feet thick. You can walk across the bridge along its 30-foot-wide level top. It’s an amazing spectacle, especially looking across to it from one of the many vantage points.

What impressed me the most is that you can take a path all the way to the top of Natural Bridge (as can be seen in my photos) via a set of steep stone stairs, and a traverse through a long natural fissure known as "Fat Man's Misery." There is nothing to protect you if you slip. Every year, 40 people fall from the cliffs in this area (1 in every 300,000 visitors!!). If you aren’t afraid of heights and make it to the top then the views are truly inspiring.

There are 10 hiking trails you can take, ranging from 1.5 miles to 7.5 miles. I would suggest the 1.5 mile trail, as they might say it is the easiest, but in the humid cover of the forest, the gradient soon takes it’s toll, and this is coming from someone who has ran marathons in the past! Maybe I just haven’t got the stamina I once had! Trail maps are available at Hemlock Lodge where you'll find the visitor centre, main car park, and entrance.

Once you make it to the top of Natural Bridge, then there are a number of other trails open to you. I would suggest walking straight across the Natural Bridge and follow the trail to your right, as you get an excellent view looking back at the Natural Bridge. This route also takes you to a Sky Lift ($4 one-way, $6 round-trip), where you can relax and take the easy way back down! I am sure this gives you beautiful views of the area, but I much prefer walking. You get to see so much more of the nature flourishing around you. Watch out for the snakes!!

This park is located adjacent to Daniel Boone National Forest and also Red River Gorge Geological Area, so there is plenty to keep you occupied if you fancy even more hiking. The park is located 52 miles southeast of Lexington. Take I-64 to the Mountain Parkway, and then at Slade take KY11 two miles to the park. If you wanted to stay overnight, then the Hemlock Lodge has a very good reputation. There are also 82 campsites, furnished with restrooms and showers within the local vicinity as well. The park is open daily, mid-April until the last weekend in October from 10am to 5pm.

For more information call the park on +1 800 325-1710 or email NaturalBridge@ky.gov.

See also the following websites:
http://parks.ky.gov/natbridg.htm
www.state.ky.us/agencies/natbridg.htm

Upon my time living in Lexington, I had the pleasure of visiting Mammoth Cave National Park. The Mammoth Cave National Park, near Edmonson in south-central Kentucky boasts the longest cave in the world, with 350 miles (563km) of caverns and passages having so far been explored and, according to experts, ‘no end in sight’. Every year further miles are added to its length.

The cave has been promoted as a tourist attraction since 1861, making it America’s oldest attraction, which was encompassed in a national park in 1941 to preserve the cave system and the scenic river valleys of the Green and Nolin Rivers. The park offers camping, cave tours, hiking trails, hotel accommodation, canoeing, and horseback riding and is an impressive 52,830 acres in size. During my trip I only participated in a tour of the caves, so I can’t really comment on the other activities on offer.

There are a variety of cave tours on offer with varying levels of difficulty and sightseeing options. Costs start as little as $4 for an unguided tour or $5 for a guided tour, and increase up to $46. In my opinion the $4 and $5 tours would be a waste of time and money, as they don’t offer enough views and information to make it a worthwhile trip. I chose the Historic Tour, which I would recommend to anyone visiting, as you get to see most of the famous Mammoth Cave sites and at 2 hours in length, it’s about the perfect length for those of you who are like me and don’t class caves as one of their favourite hobbies!

With the historic tour you take in sites such as, the Methodist Church, Giant's Coffin, Sidesaddle Pit, Bottomless Pit, Fat Man's Misery, River Hall and Mammoth Dome, and all the history related to them by the well informed guides. This is more than enough to get a good image of the caves. Some of these passages are also on the narrow side and there are many steps, so if you are struggling with fitness and weight, then another tour might be a better alternative.

Just because you are underground it doesn’t mean that the wildlife is non-existent. Mammoth Cave has the richest cavernicolous wildlife known, with more than 130 species documented in the cave.

One word of advice that I can offer, is to remember that Mammoth Cave is an hour behind Lexington. I forgot this on my trip, arriving 90 minutes before my tour was to start. Luckily I was able to get on to an earlier tour!

The park is open year round, except Christmas Day, with the highest visitation in June, July, and August and the lowest in January. Mammoth Cave can be reached off I65 exits 53 & 48, with more in-depth directions being found on their website (www.nps.gov/maca/home.htm).

You can find more information on their website at www.nps.gov/maca/home.htm, or by phoning +1 (270) 758-2180.

As Lexington is the ‘Horse Capital of the World’, it would be rude not to take in some of the culture that the city's tourism is built upon. While some people may recommend a trip to a horse farm, I would much rather spend a day watching horse racing at Keeneland.

Lexington has been renowned for two centuries for its horse racing, and apart from Churchill Downs, Keeneland is the premier race course in Kentucky. State Law prevents both Churchill Downs and Keeneland from being open at the same time, which always gives races at Keeneland a good atmosphere and good selection of quality horses racing.

Keeneland is an absolutely gorgeous racecourse. Set in the heart of ‘bluegrass’ country, it is surrounded by greenery, rolling hills and hundreds of trees. It’s an amazing sight in autumn, the tranquility only broken by low flying airplanes from the nearby Lexington Airport.

Races are held Wednesday to Sunday in April and October only, so it is important to remember this when planning your trip. Keeneland plays host to a wide variety of horse related events annually including the Blue Grass Stakes and the Phoenix Handicap, the oldest stakes race in the United States. The annual horse sales at Keeneland are also world-renowned and attract numerous celebrities.

Keeneland seems set up for families and those who want to experience horse racing on a tight budget. Entrance is only $3 (you can upgrade to a seat in the grandstand for only $5 extra) and parking is free, and for me the best part of the Keeneland experience is the closeness you can get to the track and the horses. You can get right next to the track with ease. I was able to stand right next to the fence on the finish line, without worrying someone would steal our place when going to put a bet on! If you go to Keeenland, put a set amount aside just for betting. This way if you lose it all, you won’t feel bad about it!

Another plus about Keeneland is between races, as well as putting your bets on, you also have enough time to go and see the horses being walked in the Parade Circle. To see this, watch every race and manage to put bets on is virtually unheard of at other race tracks I have visited.

Keeneland also hosts a nice $5 “Breakfast with the Works” buffet on Saturday mornings that combines hearty food and a chance to see the horses train. It’s not quite the same as watching horse racing for real, but watching the horse thunder past with mist still hanging in the air is quite special to see.

Keeneland is located on the Bluegrass Parkway 6 miles outside of Lexington opposite Lexington Airport. Keeneland and Lexington Airport are well signposted from Lexington, so it’s very easy to find.

More information on race days, events and directions can be found on their website at http://www.keeneland.com/, or by calling +1 859 254 3412.

Cincinnati Zoo is worth a trip for people of all ages and I thoroughly enjoyed my time here as part of my birthday surprise. It’s a vibrant, busy, bright, and noisy place, famed now as much for its conservation work and research as for its entertainment value.

The zoo is world famous and was rated the number one attraction in Cincinnati and one of the top five zoos in the nation by Zagat Survey. It has also been recognized by Child Magazine as one of "The 10 Best Zoos for Kids." Over 1.2 million people visit the 500 animal and 3,000 plant species annually, set in award winning exhibits.

The zoo is the second oldest zoo in the US, having first opened its doors in 1875. It's 70 acres in size and sometimes it’s hard to believe that you are actually in the middle of the city, as the landscaping of the zoo, allows you to forget all that is outside. This is not a huge zoo, and does not demand a great deal of walking, yet there is a great deal to see. The best parts, by far, are the newest. The award-winning jungle trails, on the site of the old car parks, are quite simply superb, featuring jungle trails in among rain forest plants and trees where you'll encounter bonobos, orangutans, and lemurs. The indoor exhibits (Wings of the World, Manatee Springs, Insect World, and the Nocturnal House) are as good as you will find in any zoo anywhere. They have all the big animals to, but for me the biggest attraction was there Sumatran Rhinos. These are so endangered there is a chance they will become extinct in the wild in our generation. Cincinnati Zoo has successfully bred the first ever Sumatran born in captivity, called Andalas. I would suggest seeing this strange creature while there is still the chance.

I had an excellent time here and the way the zoo is designed means that you can get to almost touching distance of the animals. This gives excellent photo opportunities throughout. There were a few problems though that were slightly worrying. Many of the animals seemed to be anxious and stressed and were carrying out the same repetitive routines. Animals showing these symptoms included the Sumatran Rhinos, Polar Bears and Cats. Some of the enclosures also seem much too small, for example the bears.

The zoo’s opening hours are between 9am and 4pm in Winter and 9am to 5pm, in Summer. Admission to the zoo is $12.95 for adults and $7.95 for children. Parking is $6.50, but there is free parking right outside of the zoo, and in the surrounding roads. The zoo is easy to find upon reaching Cincinnati and there are full directions on their website depending on where you are travelling from.

More information can be found on their website at http://www.cincyzoo.org, or by phoning +1 (513) 281- 4700. The zoo can also be reached by email at info@cincinnatizoo.org.

Now normally taking trips to civil war museums isn’t something I have much of an interest in or a desire to do, but I feel like learning a bit of history about the country you are traveling in is very important, and I surprised even myself at how much I enjoyed this museum. I can see why it is rated so highly.

The Civil War in America is an important part in American history and if like me, you know virtually nothing about it, then a trip to Bardstown Civil War Museum is very worthwhile. The museum is devoted to the western theater part of the Civil War, and the displays are excellently set out in geographical and chronological order with a myriad of artifacts from both the Union and the Confederacy. There is enough information to keep anyone happy, from complete novices to Civil War buffs. Each exhibit contains many original artifacts, with a written explanation detailing the importance of everything on show.

Artifacts include the flag of the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry, captured near New Lisbon, Ohio, during Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan's Raid, the presentation sword of Confederate Brigadier General Lloyd Tilghman, killed in the Battle of Champion's Hill, and a silver flask presented to Confederate Brigadier General John C. Breckinridge a few days after he joined the Confederate Army. Artifacts are artfully displayed with photos, uniforms, cannons, flags, battle wagons, medical equipment, weapons, and personal items.

Upon visiting the Civil War Museum ($6 admission), you also have the opportunity of visiting the Pioneer Village ($2.50), Women's Civil War Museum ($2.50), War Memorial of Mid America Museum ($2.50), and the Wildlife/Natural History Museum ($4). You can see them all for $10.

Another advantage of a trip to Bardstown, is the relaxed, slow pace of life. This is a million miles away from what tourists would normally see in New York and California. If you are lucky you even see the friendly Armish standing at the side of the road next to their horse and carts selling their freshly cooked bread. It’s almost like stepping back in time.

The Civil War Museum is located in what used to be the town's water works and icehouse, a 8500 square foot building. It is the fourth-largest Civil War Museum in the United States. Bardstown is located in Central Kentucky between I-65 and I-75, just off the Bluegrass Parkway. From Lexington take Route 60 to the Bluegrass Parkway. Continue on the Bluegrass until you reach exit 25. Take a right at the exit and follow the road into town. From here the museum is signposted.

For me, the trip to the Bardstown Civil War Museum was well worth it and highly enjoyable. The museum is open everyday from 10am to 5pm, except in December, January and February when the museum is only open at weekends.

More information can be found at their official website http://www.civil-war-museum.org/, or by phoning +1 (502) 349-0291. You can also email at jembtwon@com.