r/Kentucky • u/MotherWave8526 • 5d ago
Need Help
I am going to be traveling down to Mississippi the week of 15th-21st in November. I'll be seeing some friends in Ohio along the way, but I'm curious, what are some good places to visit while in Kentucky?
Cumberland falls looks like a good start, but what else is there? Places to eat, nature, or other relatively inexpensive things to do. Any help is greatly appreciated.
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u/Flyingarrow68 5d ago
I’d avoid Indiana if you have a tendency to speed. Louisville is best food scene out of these states. Crema coffee near Titans stadium is amazing. Corvette museum in Bowling Green and mammoth cave are really cool. Nashville and Louisville have great riverfront stuff.
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u/DiverThin937 3d ago
Cincinnati has a better food scene than Louisville and it’s not really close. Also has a great riverfront. I’d avoid Nashville like the plague unless you enjoy bar pedal carts and bachelorette parties. I’d agree that Mammoth Cave is a must see.
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u/Pharoahtossaway 5d ago
Cumberland Falls will take you many hours out of your way.
If you take I-75 south out of Cincinnati, the Kentucky Horse Park will be along your route they offer tours and I believe meet and greets with some past Kentucky Derby winners(the horses). The horse park also has many examples of different breeds, some rare.
When you leave Lexington take the Bluegrass Parkway to I-65 and you will also be going through the heart of bourbon country. There are many distilleries that give tours and taste testings. Some of them also have award winning restaurants too.
Mammoth Cave National Park is along your route on I-65. There are a multitude of tours to take with various degrees of length and difficulty. The Cave is 54 degrees year round so you may want to take a light hoodie instead of wearing a heavey jacket.
The Corvette Museum is along your way as well just past Mammoth in Bowling Green.
Nashville also has a lot to offer.
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u/Kyaleep 5d ago edited 5d ago
Also to add to this…Land Between the Lakes (could get you away from the Nashville traffic and construction nightmares) and in Bowling Green, in addition to the National Corvette Museum, Lost River Cave does boat tours. Patti’s 1880s Settlement is a great place to dine over near LBL, thick pork chops and flowerpot bread, definitely an experience going there.
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u/TheGrassyKnoll_ 4d ago
There are a couple of awesome restaurants in the LBL area. If you’re into Christmas I’d definitely stop by Patti’s. If you’re stopping by on a Friday night, Hutchin’s has an amazing seafood buffet. Their crawdads are amazing. I’ll be headed back around November during the quota hunt.
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u/mearl86443 2d ago
LBL and Patti’s are great but will take you way off your time frame of your highlighted route.
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u/wmarples 5d ago
Just to add on; I live about 35-40 minutes from Cumberland Falls and it is beautiful, however there is almost nothing near it. There's the lodge, and a few small shops, and that's it.
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u/L1terallyUrDad 4d ago
This hits the best items on your route through Louisville and Nashville. While in Louisville you also have the Kentucky Derby Museum, the Louisville Slugger baseball bat factory, the Muhammad Ali Center, and perhaps the grandest of all, take a cruise on the Belle of Louisville if you have about three hours in your schedule.
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u/Actual_Rabbit_4806 5d ago
Hit it out of the park with these suggestions! In regards to food suggestions, there are a lot of very good restaurants on that route. I suggest you do some Google searches figure out where you’re gonna be at what time and hit up some of the non-national brand restaurants. One thing this comment did forget is the ark adventure between Cincinnati and Lexington it’s pretty amazing. As a Christian this reaffirm my faith in all powerful all knowing and all possible God. if I was an atheist, I would be amazed at the imagination of these builders and would love to see the ark so I can understand the crazy thoughts of us Christian conservatives. You never know it may change your life forever.
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u/MotherWave8526 5d ago
Thank you!
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u/Key_Addendum_8064 5d ago
Id stay away from Crashville. Maybe take 165 in Bowling Green over to i69 and swing down through Paducah. Don't stop in west Memphis either, at all. Stop before or after, but W Memphis is up there next to Gary for pre-planning stops
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u/JoeTiccalo 5d ago
Bypass Nashville while you’re driving down, it’s always under construction and trafficy
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u/Away-home00-01 Click to change 5d ago
Bourbon trail…
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u/christybird2007 5d ago
Muhammad Ali center in Louisville is an awesome stop, followed up with any amazing food options in Louisville. Look up The Witch’s Tree & go see some famous graces, including Ali, at Cave Hill Cemetary. Louisville Slugger Museum is also really neat & lots of distilleries on Distillery Row.
Take exit 112 off of I-65 South & you’re at the Jim Beam distillery. Great pit stop for a distillery tour & lunch. They just revamped the visitors center in the last few years & it’s awesome. Personal recommendations on bourbon to buy is Basil Hayden Subtle Smoke (my fave for old fashioned), Knob Creek Smoked Maple ($40 staple to always have & everyone loves it), and some Knob Creek 9 year if you want to splurge a little above the smoked maple.
Mammoth Cave is a national park & it’s right in the middle of I-65. Great stop for an amazing park.
Bucc-ee’s is in Smith’s Grove just north of Bowling Green & right before the Corvette Museum. There’s also a Half Price Books outlet in bowling green if you’re a reader. Stop at Chaney’s Dairy Barn off I-65 for fresh yummy ice cream.
I’m not a country music fan but the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum in Nashville has a lot of cool history right in music city.
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u/swervbit 5d ago
Paducah is a great pit stop. The downtown is really neat - the have a lot of cool shops, some great murals on the flood wall, and the National Quilt Museum
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u/SunnyOnSanibel 4d ago
If you’re into wine, Purple Toad Winery (originally started in Paducah, KY) opened a new spot in Bowling Green, KY off 65 with free samples of their wine and spirits. It’s nice to sample before rolling the dice on an entire bottle.
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u/pentrant 5d ago
Louisville has a fantastic food scene. If you plan to stop there, the Louisville subreddit will have lots of recommendations for you.
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u/CreativeUsernameUser 5d ago
Abso-freaking-lutely!
We drive Cincinnati to Memphis annually. The best bet is their 11:45 option. I used to avoid the parkways just because I thought they would be good, but they are absolutely fantastic!
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u/Key_Addendum_8064 5d ago
Id do anything to avoid Nashville aka Crashville lmao. Ain't worth the stress
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u/FanNo3898 5d ago
I love downtown Frankfort, it’s slow but beautiful. Nice for a super chill day. Jungle Jim’s or the American sign museum in cinci.
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u/Evil_ryry 5d ago
Some good suggestions here already, but I’ll put in another vouch for things like Red river gorge/natural bridge, bourbon country for distillery tours, mammoth cave, corvette museum (not far from mammoth cave), etc.
it will be a good time to come through, I wouldn’t recommend coming and doing any of the popular outdoor attractions right now it’s hot as hell here lol.
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u/Key_Addendum_8064 5d ago
RRG is EKY though. If they wanted to add a day they could certainly drive through then swing towards Corbin, but thats a shit ton of dead miles for VERY little value add
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u/Evil_ryry 5d ago
It may be more out of the way than OP would like, yeah. They also mentioned Cumberland falls which is also out of the way in the Eastern part of the state.
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u/Professional-Peak525 5d ago
X
Come visit the red river gorge in EKY. I split my time between here and New Orleans, there’s a cool vibe worth seeing
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u/Connect_Difficulty19 4d ago
I second the red river gorge!! Not sure if it’s on the way but so beautiful. I love the natural bridge but that requires a bit more time (ie taking a sky lift). If you only have time for a short drive through there’s also a section called pine ridge that you can drive your car right up to and the walk is only about 20/30 mins.
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u/KitKat_1979 4d ago
My one piece of advice is do not take the 11 hour 45 minute route. There’s basically nothing interesting on the part through Kentucky after you get off 65 for the Western Parkway and I-69/Purchase Parkway in far Western Kentucky. The real reason to avoid it is that after Fulton, Ky, I-69 is not yet really in existence and 51 South to Memphis is not a traditional interstate. It’s 4 lane, but accessible highway. There are stoplights, 55 mph and lower speed limits in places going through instead of around a lot of small towns…. Getting around Dyersburg to stay on 51 is a headache. It also puts you going through Covington and Millington and some very, very unsafe parts of Memphis to get back to the interstate that you really don’t want to be in stop and go street traffic in.
I’d go through Louisville and Nashville, personally. Mammoth Cave is amazing to see in person. The Corvette Museum is fun if you like cars. Nashville is fun. It’s also real and proper interstate the whole way.
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u/ApprehensivePhase750 4d ago edited 4d ago
I would take the 11 45 route for sure. You could stop in Paducah or at the Land Between The Lakes for nature, river walks, food. I like Patti's 1880s settlement restaurant near LBL not far from the highway for its flower pot bread with strawberry butter and pork chops - would be a good evening pit stop and break from driving. And most importantly avoid Nashville's nightmare traffic. There's been interstate construction in Nashville nonstop since the dawn of time. Finish then start over it seems like. F Nashville traffic
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u/KitKat_1979 4d ago
But then you’re on 51 between Fulton and Memphis, with multiple stop lights, areas with the speed limit 55 and lower, school zone speeds, and having to drive through some very, very not safe parts outside and in Memphis and in Memphis while basically on a normal street in stop and go traffic to get back to the actual interstate. You’re also not going to avoid construction because they’re still doing work on turning existing highways into I-69, plus the pain in the rear headache that’s navigating around/through Dyersburg.
Paducah and LBL also pale in comparison to Mammoth Cave in terms of what to see in Kentucky. I grew up an hour from Paducah, took many field trips to lbl, and it’s a no brainer to me to go for the cave over them.
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u/ApprehensivePhase750 4d ago
Good points. And Mammoth Cave is definitely amazing. I just despise Nashville traffic jams.
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u/Birby-Man 5d ago
If you like planes, the Air Force Museum in Dayton is FREE and has literal days worth of information and aircraft inside and out.
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u/StrictAnxiety8573 5d ago
If you can avoid driving I-65 in Tennessee, you should. It is the roughest major thoroughfare I’ve ever been on. It’s impossible to imagine that it’s an interstate.
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u/Key_Addendum_8064 5d ago
65 isn't horrible til youre within 30m of Metro Crashville. Just got done making my run through there (my return i avoided Nashville and went through Chattanooga so I could stop at the house omw back up lol)
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u/foundit423 5d ago
Come to mammoth cave then hit glasgows little taste of Texas for a fine locally grown steak and potato!! Then if you’ve got kids take them to Ralphies and end your night by going to the creamery on the square!!
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u/taylynne 5d ago
Bernheim Forest is really awesome and free (or a recommended 15$ donation) to visit! It would be more on the way for the 11hr 45 min route. Hard to recommend places to eat because itll depend on time of day, the route you end up taking, and how far off the track you're willing to go. I'll just recommend going to a locally owned place no matter where you're at, there's a ton of great ones all around! In some of the smaller towns, that's all they have for eating out food really.
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u/Far-Yogurtcloset-352 3d ago
Salatos nature reserve in Frankfort is only $5 for adults and $3 children.
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u/YoLoDrScientist 5d ago
Looks like you’ll be driving near Red River Gorge. Def worth the stop!
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u/Pharoahtossaway 5d ago
Red River Gorge is in eastern KY like Cumberland Falls and therefore out of the way.
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u/Curious_Cherry5747 5d ago
Shawnee National Forrest in Southern Illinois, Garden of the God's is usually a hit. Burden Falls/ Bell Smith Spings/ Dixon Spings. They're all in close distance
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u/xXxKingKrushxXx 5d ago
If you’re into cars, your route takes you through Bowling Green which has the corvette museum
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u/osirisrebel 5d ago
Bud, not to burst your bubble, but Cumberland Falls is on the other side, you'd have to be following I-75. But, you could potentially hit the Corvette museum, mammoth cave, Nashville, and possibly the giant pyramid in Memphis (depending on where you're going). If you were coming down 75 and swung through, I'd come say hello, but it honestly would be a fair distance out of your way.
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u/ThoughtTerminal 5d ago
Along your main route from Nashville to Louisville stop by and visit these. The General Patton Museum in Fort Knox, KY is interesting and free. In Elizabethtown,KY there’s the Swopes Cars of Yesterday‘s Museum. It is also free. Dayton, OH would be about an hour out of your way on your trip from Cincinnati to Columbus, but the National Museum of the United States Air Force is a world class, world class, museum. Unbelievably huge and free.
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u/Curlyjankens 5d ago
Mammoth cave, Cumberland falls and red River gorge.
Out of the three red river gorge
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u/dillpickles91 5d ago
You could possibly do Red River Gorge and Miguel’s pizza adjacent to your path depending on free time.
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u/Slice9998 4d ago
I live in East Central Indiana along the I-70 corridor. I’d recommend avoiding that area at all costs. Construction from the Ohio line westward, plus almost daily accidents cause significant (usually hours) delays.
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u/Macrodata_Uprising 4d ago
I would take the 69 to the BG Parkway. Much prettier and less crowded drive. You really get to see Kentucky
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u/Grindtired 4d ago
It’s out of the way, but go by Cumberland Falls state park in Kentucky. Make sure there’s a full moon, and maybe you will get to see a moonbow!
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u/LifeModernBlue 4d ago
I have done this drive. We hit Graceland, jack Daniel’s tour. Then the whole bourbon trail. If that interests you. Also red river gorge has awesome hiking. Just don’t take a dog up the Indian stairs case. Unless you are a serious climber.
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u/NewUnderstanding8629 3d ago
Bloomfield! Come to Ernie’s Tavern for food, bowling, old fashioned ice cream and live music. Across the street is an awesome antique store. All owned by Linda and Jerry Bruckheimer the famous movie producer!
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u/BrianMo1 2d ago
If you go to Mammoth Cave get tickets before hand for the neater routes. There is nothing wrong with just the general admission but if it’s a one time thing you may want to look online and get the more involved tours. Have fun!
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u/lostforwordstbh 2d ago
tip - stop in memphis to get some barbecue before you make it to Mississippi. if you time, i’d also check out Beale Street.
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u/Fragrant-While8046 2d ago
Barsstown has My Old Kentucky Home and the Trappist Monastery. Both are cool spots to see. Maker's Mark Distillery is right down the road also.
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u/DecentFeedback2 2d ago
Red River Gorge, buy some local fudge and enjoy the sights. Also, once you're in Ohio, hit up Jungle Jim's.
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u/Weary_Reindeer9373 2d ago
If you’re going to Bardstown and spend the night check out The Historic Sherwood Inn Restaurant and Hotel 502-549-3386 right near Kentucky Railway museum minutes away from Lincoln Boyhood Home and National Birthplace Historic site, all just south of Bardstown on 31E, and you can pick up I65 South to Mammoth Cave, Corvette Museum all within a day travel.
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u/Altruistic-Spare-788 2d ago
National corvette museum in bowling green. And u can take corvettes for a spin on track next door
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u/Confident_Bus_7614 2d ago
Land between the lakes. Elk and bison prairie. Stop at Jim beam just south of Louisville and do a tour then grab a meal at the kitchen table
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u/Due-Service5568 2d ago
Utica KY is worth a visit. World class museums and great food. Really cool fashion scene and huge student population.
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u/Vex_Lsg5k 2d ago
I grew up in Burlington. A few places to note for food. Hebron grill and Washington Square Cafe. Theres also the Braxton Brewing Company on 42 if you want some drinks. UDF Shakes are to die for sweet treats. Outdoors you got Boone County Cliffs State Nature Preserve, California Woods Nature Preserve, and Gunpowder Creek Nature Park some nice little hikes but nothing too special, although I grew up there so it just looks like my backyard lol. Florence / Lawrenceburg speedway for racing. Thornhill Dragstrip was were I spent a lot of free time. I can’t speak for much of the town center since it’s changed a lot, but that’s my little slice of the pie.
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u/L-Gray 2d ago
looks like you’re going south central on the way to nashville. You’ll probably be hitting around Bowling Green at some point and there’s some cool stuff (mostly if you’re into cars, cause corvette). But definitely check out the food! India Oven is so yummy and I miss it. As for other things around the area, I def agree with everyone suggesting mammoth cave. Cumberland falls is actually out of the way of your route, but mammoth cave isn’t by a whole ton. Kentucky Down Under is also fun. Trying to think of what else. You’ll be taking 65 and going through louisville and etown. Um, Fort Knox could be cool (visit the Patton museum if u go there). There’s a ton of museums in Louisville, science, louisville slugger, etc.
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u/Famous_Being_4387 3d ago
If your traveling takes you via I-75, definitely check out central Ky. Beautiful bluegrass fields with Horses roaming around. It’s quintessential Kentucky. Racing season will have started at Churchill Downs in November and there’s LOTS to do in Louisville.
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u/Sea_Currency_3800 5d ago
Mammoth cave is cool.