Two Days in Kentucky: A Weekend Road Trip

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This past weekend, Dennis needed to go to Cincinnati on business and had to be there on both Friday and the following Monday. Because we live in the opposite corner of Ohio, over 300 miles away, we decided to drive down and take the weekend to explore Kentucky. Despite closures due to the current virus situation, we were able to make the most of our two days in Kentucky.

Two Days in Kentucky: Our Itinerary

When we first started thinking about visiting Kentucky, I had several places in mind that we could go to, including the National Corvette Museum, the Louisville Slugger Museum and  Factory, Mammoth Cave, Cumberland Gap National Park, the Kentucky Derby Museum, the Ark Encounter, and Churchill Downs, to name a few. I was also excited to possibly visit some of the stops on the Bourbon Trail and the American Whiskey Trail.

At first we thought we’d just go to Louisville for the weekend. It’s only 100 miles from Cincinnati, so it wouldn’t involve much driving. I happened to mention the weekend to our oldest daughter, and she told us Louisville was out due to the rioting and unrest following Breonna Taylor’s untimely horrific death. After Meghan said that, we decided to stay away from the major cities as much as possible.

So, what did we do during our two days in Kentucky?

Friday

We left Cincinnati on Friday afternoon and drove to Elizabethtown. Along the way, we stopped at Hog Crazy Pig Wild Bar-BQ in Sparta for some great brisket sandwiches.  The restaurant is located next to the Love’s Truck Stop on I-71, exit 55.  We each got the meal that came with two sides–I had coleslaw and cornbread, and Dennis had coleslaw and potato salad. The cornbread was delicious (we did share), and the coleslaw was unique. They make their coleslaw with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. I like raspberry vinaigrette and thought it was good, but it might not be to everyone’s tastes. 

The service at Hog Crazy Pig Wild was excellent; however, the decor was very politically charged. I would have opted to sit outside, but people were already sitting at all the tables with umbrellas. The only other change I would have made was to ask for my sandwich without a bun. The buns really weren’t sturdy enough for the brisket, so they got soggy quickly. However, the food was good, and we’d stop there again.

We spent the night at the Best Western Plus in Elizabethtown, a brand new hotel that just was built in October 2019. The hotel was immaculate. There were very few cars in the parking lot though, and we felt completely safe.

Saturday

On Saturday morning, we headed into Hodgensville to visit the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site before heading to Cumberland Falls State Park for the afternoon.  While the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace was pretty much deserted, there were tons of people at Cumberland Falls.  The 120 mile drive between the two parks took about 2 1/2 hours.  We chose to take Kentucky Route 61  to Columbia where it met up with the Cumberland Parkway. We followed the parkway to route 27 to 90, entering the Daniel Boone National Forest. Part of our trip were on the Cumberland Cultural Heritage Highway. This scenic byway passed through bucolic landscapes full of peaceful farms and sleepy small towns. We also traveled along Cumberland Lake.

After visiting the two parks, we made our way into Corbin and spent the night at the Best Western next to I-75. We tried to visit Harland Sanders Cafe and Museum, but it was closed for remodeling. You may recall that Colonel Sanders was the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). We ended up having dinner instead at the Santa Fe Mexican restaurant, not far from the hotel.

 

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Park

We arrived at Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace just as it was opening. After viewing the visitor center exhibits, we climbed the hill to the spot where neo-classical memorial building sits. Unfortunately, it was closed, so we couldn’t see the symbolic log cabin inside. Since there is doubt that it’s truly the cabin Lincoln was born in,  I wasn’t that disappointed. You could tell how small the cabin was by the outside of the building. We also visited Sinking Spring and walked on the park trails.

 

Cumberland Falls State Park

Cumberland Falls was beautiful and well worth the drive, but it was packed. We were there on a Saturday in June, and the parking lot was completely full. The visitor center was closed, but the gift shop and snack stand were open.  There are three overlooks that are relatively easy to access and a wheelchair accessible path leading to the farthest one. I suggest visiting all three of overlooks–they each give you a different perspective of the falls.

Sunday

We were up early on Sunday morning, headed north to Lexington.  We stopped at the Kentucky Horse Park and learned a lot about the animals that they keep there, including Funny Cide, the winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 2003. There were very few people in the park, so it was very easy to follow social distancing guidelines. The drive took about an hour and a half, and was approximately 100 miles. The park sold snacks in the gift shop, but we chose to have a picnic lunch instead. We ate at the truck–I didn’t see any picnic tables outside the park.

After our stop at the Kentucky Horse Park, we headed back to Cincinnati.  We were looking for a hotel to stay at that could accommodate a moving truck easily, so we drove around a little more than the average person, checking out the various hotel parking lots. We ended up at the Hampton Inn Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, and had dinner at an Olive Garden nearby.  Dennis was up early Monday morning, ready to work, while I lolled about waiting for him to return so that we could travel back to Northeast Ohio.

Final Thoughts on our Kentucky Itinerary

Despite the closures and restrictions due to the virus, we had an awesome time on our weekend getaway. I felt that we did our best to stay safe–you can read my tips for safe travel during the epidemic here.  We were able to visit three attractions and see a lot of the beautiful countryside as we traveled the backroads between Elizabethtown and Corbin. I do wish that we had more time however.  I feel that Kentucky deserves at least a week, possibly two. The commonwealth really has a lot to offer. Don’t worry, Kentucky, we’ll definitely be back!

Learn more about our visit to the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site here.

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