Search results for 'kentucky'

Food is central to every holiday celebration, and Japan is no exception. The fresh, seasonal ingredients, precise preparation and the complete visual aesthetic—color, balance and design—of traditional Japanese cuisine represent thousands of years of traditions, stories and symbolism.  But it’s not just traditional Japanese foods that make this country a stand out in the world of gastronomy.  The Japanese are particularly adept at taking foods and traditions from other countries and turning them into something better. 

Traveling to Irish Acres Gallery of Antiques from any direction takes you through the heart of the Kentucky horse country. The beautiful drive takes you past horse barn after horse barn that would be the envy of any human being. The stonewalls that line the narrow winding road remind you of a time gone by. We were meeting our extended family for lunch at “The Glitz” located in the gallery. We were off the beaten path in the small town of Nonesuch, Kentucky, 10 miles outside of Versailles. 

Shippingport, Kentucky is a long lost river city that was located between Louisville and Portland in the early 1800’s. When you go there today, you discover how the Ohio River has influenced everyone in the region since Lewis and Clark’s started their journey west at the Falls of the Ohio in 1804. You will find the McAlpine Locks and Dam and a Louisville Gas and Electric Hydroelectric plant, great fishing and one of the best river views of Louisville. 

Susie couldn’t go for long without shouting out about a great pet-friendly restaurant in our home town of Louisville, Kentucky. Recently the whole family, Susie, Beau, Mama and Daddy all went for lunch to Selena’s on a beautiful sunny and cool late spring day. 

Did you ever get your kicks on Route 66? If you’re a Baby Boomer, you are bound to have traveled this iconic road at some point in your life. Taking summer vacations with your family in the car somewhere between Chicago and Los Angeles – this road, which first opened in 1926, started what we soon began to know as the summer road trip. Route 66 was one of the original highways in our U.S. system.

This is a special year for anything Beatle. Hundreds of events all over the world are heralding the 50^th Anniversary of their arrival in the U.S. and their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. If you need to celebrate your inner Beatle, Abbey Road on the River in Louisville, Kentucky is a must do for any fan. The 250 concerts from over 50 bands on 7 stages over 5 days will remind you and inspire you to remember all you need is love. 

Anthony Woodson’s fields and woods were the scene of a pivotal battle that played a role in who controlled Kentucky during the Civil War. His Kentucky farmstead overlooked the 1862 Battle of Munfordville. From the front porch of  his house you could see the railroad bridge crossing the Green River. There was also a L. & N. Railroad station in the town. It is a historic site that provides a scenic place to have a meal and reflect on how we have healed from a conflict that killed so many. 

The only words to describe Beau are “too cute!” Of course Susie calls him the “little dickens.” This may turn into a Lucy/Linus relationship because Susie says that she is the boss, but only time will tell. Needless to say we are all excited at the Boomer Travel Patrol to have a new member of the team, especially one so cute and full of mischief.

Of course I am slightly prejudiced, but I have never had a sweeter canine or feline companion as Susie Sweet Dog.  The moment we first met on a large horse farm in northern Georgia she came out to meet me and put her head in my lap and looked at me with those big brown eyes. It was over – she had finally found her permanent home at the age of 4 ½. 

As always one thing leads to another, and in this case watching a barbeque cooking show, the BBQ Crawl, on the Cooking Channel during the summer led us to a day trip to Whitesville, KY on September 22, 2013.  In the show Danielle Dimovski, aka Diva Q, travels around the country to showcase BBQ restaurants and competitions by the best BBQ cooks in the United States. In this instance one of the places she visited was the BBQ at the annual church picnic at St. Mary of the Woods Catholic Church in Whitesville, KY.

Danville Kentucky is an amazing small town in the middle of rural Kentucky.  From the outside it reminds me of Mayberry North Carolina.  It’s a place where town folks still run the small shops, and everyone seems to have a warm hello.

Combine a 30-mile trip on My Old Kentucky Dinner Train through the heart of Kentucky Bourbon Country during October, with good friends and a great lunch; you have a bucket list afternoon. Bardstown, Kentucky is the home of this great destination experience. 

Get immersed in the beauty, joy and magic of a small-town Christmas at Christmas Round Bardstown in Kentucky. This seven-week-long celebration packs 25 unique events into the holiday calendar, including Light Up Bardstown on Nov. 25 when the town comes together on picturesque Court Square for the official lighting of the Christmas tree and lamppost wreaths.

Families looking for ways to create holiday memories or start a Christmas tradition with children and grandchildren will find Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill a picture-postcard setting. The 3,000-acre landmark destination in Harrodsburg, KY, gives itself over to the simpler gifts of the season this year with holiday programming that includes Illuminated Evenings, Children’s Tea Time with Mrs. Claus, holiday workshops and more.

Bourbon and boots. Bourbon and cigars. Bourbon and jazz. Fine Kentucky bourbon pairs well with most anything – and there’s no better time to enjoy such pairings than during the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. Marking its 25th anniversary in 2016, the festival takes place over seven days in September in – where else? – the Bourbon Capital of the World, Bardstown, KY.

In the middle of a neighborhood in Louisville Kentucky is a Historic Home… Locust Grove.  The home was built in the 1790’s, and is on a beautiful piece of property.  General George Rodgers Clark came to this home, which was his sister’s, when his health was failing him.  He had a bedroom on the first floor of the house.  It is said that General Clark spent many hours sitting on the back porch looking at the Ohio River.

Ballotin Chocolate Whiskey was founded in 2015 in Louisville, Ky., with a single focus: To produce elegant and delicious sipping whiskeys designed for flavor-craving consumers. Its four expression line—Original Chocolate, Bourbon Ball, Chocolate Mint and Caramel Turtle—combines the backbone, body and base flavor of aged American whiskey with all-natural essences of classic and contemporary chocolate favorites.

A trip on assignment to Maysville, Kentucky finally gave me the opportunity to venture on my return to the Cincinnati area to the Pappadeaux’s restaurant in Springdale, Ohio at the northern edge of the metropolitan area. As I hoped it was a good choice to have an excellent supper on my way back home.

A journey to Maysville Kentucky to the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center.

This is our summer for short regional trips. And we’ve found some delightful places quite close to home that are worthy of a visit.

I recently flew from Louisville Kentucky (my home) to New York City.  As an advocate for special needs individuals I looked carefully at the 2 very different airports I was traveling through.

Louisville, Kentucky has repurposed a 118-year-old railroad bridge over the Ohio River into the longest pedestrian bridge in the United States. It connects Louisville with Jeffersonville, Indiana by foot, bicycle, and mindset. Spectacular sunrises and sunsets can be viewed on a regular basis. You can marvel at the power of the river as it rolls beneath you toward New Orleans. You can see how the river widens at The Falls of the Ohio to almost a mile.

Imagine you are the star of your own “American Pickers” or finding treasures for “Antiques Roadshow” or selling a Flea Market find to the guys on “Pawn Stars”? All of these shows are helped by Baby Boomers buying and selling the artifacts of our childhood. We love going on Patrol for rare and valuable items. We love to find a treasure a new home. Our road trips have shifted to slowing down and getting out of the car every hour or two. This change has gotten us off the interstates and into Antique Malls, Flea Markets, Antique Stores, Goodwill’s, and yard sales. Heading South on I-65 through Kentucky, here are five of our favorite spots. 

One of my favorite road trips is to shadow Route 66 along its way west and back again.  Our road trip started in Louisville, Kentucky and picked up Route 66 in St. Louis and ended in southwest New Mexico. Originally, Route 66 ran from Chicago, Illinois through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona before ending in Los Angeles, California. Route 66 served as a major path for those who migrated west specifically during the dustbowl in the 1930’s. They were looking for agriculture jobs in California.  Businesses along the route thrived until the interstate highways came along. Route 66 became the first highway to be completely paved in 1938. When the highway was decommissioned, sections of the road were deposed of in various ways. Route 66 in New Mexico has been made into the National Scenic Byway, being replaced by I-40.