Labor Day Weekend Getaway to the Bluegrass State

The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is comprised of seven distilleries found in the scenic bluegrass state. We found Bardstown to be the ideal central point to explore the Bourbon Trail, especially with the Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center providing a historical backdrop to the American art of bourbon making.

At Heaven Hill, guests have the opportunity to walk through a historical overview of bourbon in this reason of the country, along with their own personal brand history. They also have a short (probably 15 minute) video that tells the Evan Williams' brand history and the other products produced here at Heaven Hill Distilleries. After the video, guests are walked across the street to the barrel house to see how the bourbon is aged. Once back at the Heritage Center those 21 and older are invited into the tasting barrel to sample a couple of the bourbons produced here. Tours are offered Monday through Saturday 10:00a-4:00p and Sundays 12:00n-3:00p. (Times denote last tour time.) For more info phone 502-337-1000.

Next on our tour was Maker’s Mark in Loretto, KY which is approximately 30 minutes from Bardstown. If for no other reason that the lovely grounds, you MUST pay a visit to Maker’s Mark. On the Historical Register, Maker’s Mark is a tribute to outstanding American bourbon, made today as it was over 225 years ago over seven generations ago by Robert Samuels. This is by far our favorite distillery tour AND bourbon offered in our home. The distinctive red wax seal is the trademark of this outstanding smooth bourbon which can be found throughout the USA and aboard. On this visit production was down in the mash and distilling house, but fret not. It was a very informative walk through the distilling and bottling process. Since our last visit in May 07, they have built a new gift shop complete with a tasting bar. The tasting allow guests over 21 to not only sample the final product of Maker’s Mark bourbon, but also the "White Dog" which is the distilled product before it is aged in the oak barrels. Tours are offered seven days a week, and similar to those at Heaven Hill.

The last stop during this trip on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail was at Wild Turkey in Lawrenceburg. Unfortunately they are closed for tours on Saturdays, only offering a walking tour of the grounds. We were also informed upon our arrival that their operations are completely shutdown for summer, scheduled to reopen in a couple of weeks. This was of great disappointment, although we did enjoy the brief video provided on the history of Wild Turkey Bourbon.

The other four distilleries that are part of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail are Four Roses (Lawrenceburg), Jim Beam (Clermont), Buffalo Trace (Frankfort) and Woodford Reserve (Versailles). More information on all seven along with hours of tour operations may be found at: www.kybourbontrail.com. If you want to take in all seven, we'd suggest you have at least two full days because of the distance between some of the cities. Not to mention, you do not want to rush through your scenic drives of this beautiful area of our country. If you plan on touring all seven, be sure to pick up your "passport" at tourist information centers around the area. After visiting and obtaining a stamp from each you can submit your passport and receive a free tee shirt.

Federal Hill is the old Georgian southern mansion built in 1818 by John Rowan, Sr. This home served the Rowan family for three generations until it was sold in the 1920's for some $60,000 by the granddaughter of Rowan, Sr. Today the home is owned by the Commonwealth of Kentucky and is part of their state park system.

While entrance into the park is free, there is a charge to take advantage of many of the park's amenities including camping and golf. Guided tours of the mansion are provided by period costumed docents approximately every half hour. Tours are $5.50 for adults and $3.50 for kids ages six to 12. AAA members and seniors can tour for $5.00.

Federal Hill is known as My Old Kentucky Home as it was the inspiration for the Stephen Foster song of the same name. Foster often visited his uncle's family here in Bardstown and wrote the song in 1852 that was to later become the state song.

Inside, the house was of classic antebellum southern architecture. Guides told guests that over 60% of all of the furnishings were original to the home dating back to the 19th century. On the first floor were the parlor, dining room and library. On the second floor were three beautifully decorated and furnished bedrooms and the sitting room of the lady of the home. The third floor is closed to the public after being damaged by lightening several years ago and not currently meeting fire code for visitors.

Antiques to include china faced dolls, china and sterling silver, books and original paintings are found throughout the home. Outside guests can peak into the kitchen, smokehouse and carriage house. It was especially interesting to see the furniture of the period to include gorgeous beds, large dressing tables and chairs including the "chamber pot" potty chair. One piece of particular beauty was the piano with mother of pearl keys . . . one of just five said to have been made back in the 1800's.

It doesn't take long to stroll the grounds and gardens around Federal Hill and is well worth the hour or so stop to take in My Old Kentucky Home. Tours are generally available 9:00am to 4:30pm, but check for holidays and special events.

Having enjoyed our visit to the Boone (IA) Railroad Museum a couple of summers ago, this seemed like an outstanding way to see a little more of the Bluegrass State of Kentucky. To our surprise, we learned that Labor Day weekend was one of two weekends featuring their Civil War Train Robbery, a reenactment of what it was like in Kentucky after the end of the civil war.

A great history lesson, this was fun for children and adults alike. There was a camp set up at the train station with both confederate and union soldiers, which was the case in Kentucky. Surprisingly, two-thirds of those fighting from Kentucky were in support of the union efforts to free slaves while one-third were confederates. Many families had children, cousins and other blood relatives on opposite sides of the war . . . brother against brother was commonplace in Kentucky.

The train ride itself was 11 miles roundtrip and typically lasts about an hour. With period costumed players on board with passengers, we learned much about how the war ended and what men found when they returned home to Kentucky. At one point in our journey, a skirmish broke out, with soldiers jumping the train and robbing passengers. Our train experience lasted about 75 minutes.

At the end of our ride, the players explained the historical context of the reenactment and took questions and posed for photos. In spite of temperatures nearing 100 degrees, we had a great time and would recommend the Civil War Train Robbery which carries with it a $2 special event surcharge on top of the $10 ticket price for adults and kids over the age of 12. Kids two through 12 can ride for just $7. They do offer a $1 discount for seniors.

Reservations are recommended. More information may be found on their website: www.bgrm.org.

The Old Talbott Tavern was built in 1779 and still maintains much of its historic ambience as a restaurant and B&B. The tavern served as a stop in America's move westward, including a visit by a young Abe Lincoln at the age of 13. Today there are still five rooms available for overnight guests, but on this night, we were here for dinner.

Old Talbott Tavern is located in the historic district, right on the town square, across the street from the courthouse (and visitors' center) and next door to the old town jail.

As you enter you can see the original foundation and interior walls inside the dining area. We read that there had been a large fire back in the late 1990's but we couldn't see evidence of it in the dining area where we were seated.

We opted for an early dinner, expecting that the restaurant would fill up quickly as the evening progressed. Additionally, it was our desire to avoid the live entertainment that is advertised for Friday and Saturday evenings.

The menu is best described as old style southern, with much of what one would expect including fried chicken, cornmeal breaded catfish and country ham. Add homemade biscuits, gravy and sweetened iced tea and you don't get more country than this!

David had the Chicken Phillipe which was plump chicken breasts marinated in a burgundy and mushroom sauce served over a medley of wild rice. Mom had the baked Alaskan salmon which was also served over the wild rice. I opted for the country ham, which was large and very salty, served with homemade mashed potatoes. All dinners included your choice of soup or salad, freshly baked biscuits and the veggie of the day . . . green beans.

For dessert, they offered an assortment of fresh fruit cobblers including apple, peach or cherry as well as Tavern Pie, a twist on local favorite Derby Pie. Talbott's Tavern Pie was a thin pie crust with a layer of melted chocolate as the base for a rich pecan pie filling. Served warm, it was outstanding. David thoroughly enjoyed his apple cobbler, also served warm.

Dinner including soft drinks and tip came to $80 for the three of us. We felt that we had an outstanding southern country dining experience.

We did note that the restaurant filled up by 7:00pm with a short waiting list for walk-ins. More information, including their lunch and dinner menus may be found at: www.talbotts.com .

There is very little good that can be written about this motel located in Bardstown, Kentucky. I should have paid more credibility to reviews on Hotels.com and TripAdvisor.com as many of the troubles we experienced had been reported repeatedly over the past year.

Well, I should start with the "good" since there was some good. The two queen bed set up was nice, with comfortable beds. The room generally seemed clean although David found something of a foreign nature on the bathroom wall. I hate to think of what it is, although he had a definite opinion and it wasn't pleasant!

There is free wireless WiFi which is nice when on the road, and they do offer a continental breakfast although it was too starchy and sugary for our tastes so we took a pass.

Now for the downsides, and there are many! The room was in disrepair obviously needing some basic and general maintenance. The curtain rod on the front wall had been torn out once and was remounted, but barely holding on via a single screw into the drywall. In the bathroom, the toilet paper roll holder was broken and sitting on top of the back of the toilet tank . . . and the shower curtain rod was loose on both ends causing the shower curtain to hang deep into the tub, getting it scuzzy with soap scum and whatever else that was in the tub. ICK!

It's bad enough when you run into housekeeping and maintenance issues, but to have the management hassle you is beyond inappropriate. Given that the first two items were our first note of issues, we didn't want the inconvenience of moving rooms. We didn't think it was that big a deal, but also didn't want to have to pay for damages that were already there. When I asked to speak to the manager, I learned he wasn't in but they would have him call me when he arrived.

Well, I heard from him at around 8:45pm at which time I was told we had three options: (1) move rooms (2) sign a paper that everything in the room was OK and to our satisfaction or (3) check out and leave the hotel with a full refund. Damn! All I wanted to do is let them know they had some maintenance issues. At that hour of the night, we were all in jammies and ready for bed. Nobody wanted to move, much less go find another place to stay on a holiday weekend Saturday night.

The manager wouldn't take no for an answer. I hung up on him, only to have him call back. David answered the phone refusing the manager's demands that I get on the phone. He also hung up. Next thing we knew, there was a knock on our door. I'm thinking "You must be kidding me!!" David simply responds in his deepest and loudest outside voice "GO AWAY!!"

Nothing more happened that evening but in the morning at check out, when I tried to share my concern with the owner (an apparent family member, probably father), there was no apology, no acknowledgement of the issues with our room, NOTHING.

I would not suggest this motel if it was the only place in town and free! Even at the $68 (including tax) that we paid, that was too much for this terrible experience.

I should also point out that their DaysInn.com listing is inaccurate and is misrepresentative of their location which is advertised as in the center of the historic district of Bardstown. Additionally, it states that they are located a block from the restaurant we were going to that night (Old Talbott Tavern which was six blocks away) and two blocks from McDonalds (which was easily a mile plus away). I note the McDonald's issue because of the lack of a decent breakfast offering and this town is short on dining choices on a Sunday morning.

NOTE: I do not know if the IgoUgo "auto fill" address is correct on this motel. The actual location of this Days Inn in Bardstown is: 523 N. Third Street. It is the only Days Inn in town.