Great American Cities- Lexington, Kentucky

Great American City- Lexington, Kentucky
March 25-28, 2010

As a huge fan of the Kentucky Derby I had originally intended to travel to Louisville, KY but when I found out that the Derby Museum was closed for repairs, I had to rethink my original plan. I knew that Lexington offered a lot of what I was hoping for in a Kentucky trip- great hiking, beautiful countryside and close to the bourbon trail so I shifted my plans a little to the east and decided to explore that area. What a fabulous experience it turned out to be!

Megan, my sister/usual travel partner, and I decided to make this trip as economical as possible. We chose a hotel that served breakfast, packed our lunches and snacks, brought our own wine and ate out at local places for dinner. Many of the activities we did were free. We prefer to spend our mornings doing active things like hiking and spend our afternoons visiting local attractions, seeing the sights or shopping.

Megan and I left after work/school on Thursday evening. We headed out around 5:30pm and followed Interstate 76 West to I-71 S to I-75 S into Lexington, Kentucky. Because of snow and rain, visibility was terrible and we were happy when we pulled into out hotel around 10:30pm. We settled into our cozy but comfortable room.

The next morning Megan and I got ready for our first activity- hiking in Raven Run Nature Sanctuary. The drive to Raven Run is beautiful- into horse country, past vast farms with thoroughbreds out for morning exercise. The weather was beautiful as well- although it was supposed to rain and started out on the chilly side, by midmorning the sky was blue and it was starting to warm up. Raven Run is a 734-acre nature preserve that features babbling streams, artifacts of 19th century settlers, scenic overlooks of the Kentucky River and many other beautiful sights. When we arrived we found an empty parking lot and didn’t encounter anyone else the entire time we were there. We did, however, encounter abundant wildlife including a group of wild turkeys, beautiful song birds and two friendly dogs. Megan and I did the 4-mile main Red Trail as well as a few of the side trails which included a walk past an old grist mill, through a ‘flower bowl’ and to an old lime kiln, which frankly looks like something Blair witch related. The trail followed a moss-covered stone wall built almost two centuries ago, along a deep ravine with a gushing brook and to a cliff overlook with beautiful views. We found fossils imbedded in the rock, viewed woodland flowers and small waterfalls. We continually commented on the beauty of the area. We explored for a few hours and then headed back to the hotel.

After enjoying a lunch consisting of homemade sandwiches, salad and snacks, we got ready to visit a distillery on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. We decided on Woodford Reserve and made it just in time for the last tour of the day ($5/per person including tour and sample). We were so thankful to have chosen this location- Woodford Reserve it the most prestigious of bourbons. Woodford Reserve is the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby, is manufactured in a building on the National Register of Historic Places and produces only small batches of top-quality spirits. Some distilleries produce thousands of barrels a day- Woodford barely makes a thousand barrels a year- the spirits age an average six to nine years to become a complex and smooth bourbon. By the end of the tour we knew a little about how to make bourbon, the history behind it and even a few Kentucky political accounts involving bourbon ‘lubricating the wheels of policy’. After the tour we were each given samples- while whiskey is typically not my drink of choice, I enjoyed my taste of the deep and complex bourbon.

We went into downtown Lexington in the late afternoon- through the cute little area that holds Transylvania University, past Triangle Park and the beautiful fountains in downtown Lexington. Our dinner destination, Joe Bologna’s Restaurant & Pizzeria (120 West Maxwell Street, Lexington, KY), is located in an old Jewish temple and maintains many of the original architectural features like the stained glass windows. Joe Bologna’s was recommended by many and it lived up to its reputation. We ordered the pan pizza, half cheese/half pepperoni, and a breadstick and were so surprised to be served one huge breadstick in a dish of garlic butter for dipping (about $20 for 2). Everything was delicious- we enjoyed the food as well as the atmosphere of hanging out in a local Lexington hot spot.

Our hotel was located in a commercial area with other hotels, restaurants and shopping and a Hustler Hollywood store was nearby. Megan and I decided to visit and browse a little. Hustler Hollywood is not a seedy establishment with creepy clientele- it is like a department store for adult goods. We looked at clothing, lingerie and accessories without even venturing into the back that held magazines and videos. After shopping for a bit, we headed back to the room to relax. We spent the evening drinking wine, playing card games, bananagrams and watching TV movies.

The next morning we took I-64E to the Mountain Parkway and toward the Red River Gorge Geological area, ‘the Land of the Arches’. We were excited to do some strenuous hiking and take in some of the best views of natural arches in this part of the United States in the Natural Bridge State Park. The experience blew us away. We started out on the Original Trail but soon branched off onto the Battleship Rock Trail, a much steeper, more difficult trail that included rugged terrain, the Needles Eye Staircase which consists of hundreds of steps and even a couple areas where we had to pull ourselves over ledges by grabbing onto roots and small tree trunks! We continued climbing- about 500 feet or 40 stories- and were soon looking out over the vast valley from Lover’s Leap. We followed the Laurel Ridge Trail to an Overlook and got our first view of the Natural Bridge. The sight was breath taking. Millions of years of wind and water chipped away at 900 tons of rock and formed a huge arch suspended between two ridges. We moved up the trail which curved around to the Natural Bridge. From the top of the path, you’d never know you were standing on a huge arch. From the Natural Bridge we took the Balanced Rock Trail down.

With more than 450 steps to the bottom, we were happy to be heading downhill but sometimes got our heart pumping by turning around and marching up again. The Balanced Rock trail was just as scenic as the other trails in the park with rock formations, caves and ledges. Although each individual trail was only half a mile to a mile long, they each displayed rough and rocky terrain, steep inclines and some obstacles so the approximately 3.5 miles we completed were some of the most challenging hiking we’ve ever done.After hiking in the Natural Bridge State Resort Park, we decided to take in a little more of the area by driving some of the Red River Gorge Scenic Byway. We followed it to the 900-foot Nada Tunnel, a one-lane, hand-carved tunnel through solid rock. I’m not a big fan of tunnels, caves or any other deep, enclosed spot but the Nada Tunnel was quite an experience. From there we followed the Byway along the Red River, past Raven Rock, the Gladie Historic Site and to a beautiful view of the Sky Bridge, the largest arch in the system. Along the way we past campgrounds and primitive camp sites, a rock-climbing event, several backpackers and countless other hikers- it is an amazing place to visit for the outdoor enthusiast.

After lunch, we headed down I-75S to Berea, Kentucky, an artisan village which features shops, galleries and boutiques pedaling local wares. Our first stop was Powdermill Pottery in Old Town. We browsed the selection of absolutely eye-catching pottery made by the shop’s owner Jeff Gieringer. The prices were equally amazing. As soon as I set eyes on a handmade brie baker, I knew I had found my first purchase. Megan chose a soy candle made by Lesa Gieringer that turned out to be half-off so we were both pleased with our purchases. Next we headed to the Chocolate Factory- we couldn’t resist- a small candy shop with an assortment of sweets, homemade chocolates and European truffles. We immediately recognized some of the Easter candy forms- the shop owner told us that his molds are made in Hartville, Ohio from the same place my mom got her molds so long ago- small world! Megan and I picked up a dark chocolate Amish buggy form for our sister Jo, an assortment of traditional German ganache truffles for my husband J, some homemade peanut butter cups, choco-covered graham crackers and, my favorite, chocolate-covered blue berries. The flavor and juice of the berries exploded in our mouths when we bit through the chocolate coating. In I Love My Stuff, I found a great gift for my mother-in-law, something handmade by a local artist. From Old Town we headed to the shops on Chestnut Street- the goods at PeaceCraft, a not-for-profit fair trade organization with items from all around the world, were interesting and unique. I passed on an amazing stone necklace made in South Africa but chose some great green wooden earrings made in India for Jo. Next we headed up to College Square were we browsed a number of stores, purchased bourbon-smoked peppercorns for J at the Appalachian Fireside Gallery and a magnet and ladybug miniature at Appalachian Arts & Crafts and Quilt Shop. We walked around the corner and into the Promenade Gallery- I was instantly in stirred by the local art that was displayed. Amazing watercolors, intricate wood carvings, colorful and quirky prints were exhibited and everything we looked at, from large paintings to lawn ornaments, we loved. Megan found a miniature nativity scene with animals other than the usual camels, sheep and donkeys in normal nativities- this had rabbits, cats and birds. I found several linoleum prints by Jan Heather- I spent quite a while narrowing down my choices and walked out with a beautiful piece called ‘Trees Along the Road- Spring’.

When looking into local Kentucky dishes I heard that the Hot Brown, an open faced turkey and ham sandwich with bacon, gravy and melted cheese was the local favorite. Ramsey’s Diner was recommended and that’s where we went. Ramsey’s (3090 Helmsdale Place, Lexington) was near our hotel, just one exit up off of Man O’ War Blvd. When we walked in I was immediately attracted the casual atmosphere. We were quickly seated and served- we shared a Hot Brown, Megan got a side of fries and I tried the side of mac & cheese (dinner for two, around $20). This was comfort food at its best.

At the end of the day Megan and I swam in the pool, chatted with people from around the US in the hot tub and hung around the hotel. We started to pack our bags, played games and reminisced about the experiences of the past two days. The next morning we got an early start and were on our way by 8:am. We had planned to stop at the Jeffersonville Outlet Shops just north of Cincinnati on our way home but decided against it because Megan had plans later that evening. We were home by 1:pm on Sunday afternoon.

When reflecting on the trip, one thing that really struck me was everything we did not get to do- we wanted to stop at a winery or two, take in at least one more distillery, maybe see the Botanical Garden and visit the Shops at Lexington Center. Lexington has a wide-range of activities for any type of visitor whether it is a sports lover looking for a March Madness game, an outdoor enthusiast that’s looking for an amazing nature experience or a couple of girlfriends looking for great shopping. Lexington, KY went from a city I hadn’t considered visiting to a city I can’t wait to visit again!