Kentucky General Information Nickname: Bluegrass State State bird: Cardinal State flower: Goldenrod Capital: Frankfort Date of admission to the Union: 1st June 1792 Population: 4,041,769 (2000) Population density: 38.6/sq km 2000 total overseas arrivals/US ranking: 78,000/33 Time: Eastern (GMT - 5) in the eastern part of the State; Central (GMT - 6) in the west. Daylight Saving Time is observed. The State: Kentucky is best known for horses, bourbon, fried chicken and bluegrass music. Lexington is the horse-breeding centre and many of its surrounding farms welcome visitors on free tours. Louisville boasts the famous Kentucky Derby, along with historic buildings, top arts venues and steamboat trips. Other attractions include the Patton Museum at Fort Knox; the pioneer settlement, Homeplace 1850s, at Kentucky Lake, one of the largest man-made lakes in the USA; the Daniel Boone National Forest; and Bardstown, the ‘bourbon capital of the world’. Berea is the ‘crafts capital’ of the state. Travel - International AIR: International airports: Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) (website: www.cvgairport.com) is located in Northern Kentucky, 20km (12 miles) from Cincinnati, Ohio. Buses and taxis are available to Cincinnati. Louisville International Airport (SDF) (website: www.louintlairport.com) is situated 15 minutes south of the city. Buses, taxis, shuttles and limousines provide transportation to the city centre. Domestic airports: Blue Grass Field Airport (LEX) in Lexington serves regional and some national carriers, with connecting flights via commuter carriers to smaller cities in the State. RAIL: There is a daily Amtrak (tel: (800) 872 7245 (toll free); website: www.amtrak.com) service between Chicago and Louisville. Towns along Kentucky’s north border are served by the Chicago–Washington, DC line, while trains from Chicago to New Orleans stop in Fulton in the State’s southwest corner. ROAD: Approximate bus travel times: From Louisville to Lexington is 2 hours, to Indianapolis is 2 hours, to Cincinnati is 2 hours, to Nashville is 3 hours, and to Chicago is 6 hours. From Lexington to Cincinnati is 1 hour, and to Knoxville is 3 hours. The main service provider is Greyhound (tel: (800) 229 9424 (toll free); website: www.greyhound.com). URBAN: In Louisville there is an extensive system of buses serving most of the metropolitan area and a trolley service on Fourth Avenue from River Road to Broadway. Introduction LEXINGTON: The capital of Kentucky’s horse country, Lexington has more than 250 horse farms in the area. The Kentucky Horse Park, the only park in the world dedicated to the horse, provides an educational look at the State’s equestrian history. Visitors can watch films about horseracing and breeding, and demonstrations of horseshoeing and harness making. The International Museum of the Horse and the American Saddle Horse Museum are also located here. Keeneland Racecourse is the setting for exciting thoroughbred races in April and October. Standard breeds compete at the nation’s oldest active trotting track, the Red Mile Harness Track, throughout the year. Other attractions in Lexington include the Mary Todd Lincoln House, the home of Abraham Lincoln’s wife. During visits to the Todd home, Lincoln loved to spend time reading in his father-in-law’s extensive library. The Lexington Children’s Museum has seven galleries and 90 exhibits that can be touched and explored by children. LOUISVILLE: Located at the Falls of the Ohio River, Louisville was founded by General George Rogers Clark in 1778 as a base from which to harass British troops during the American Revolution. Today, restored historic sites sit side-by-side with modern structures, and visitors can wander through the quaint streets in Old Louisville. The nation’s oldest steamboat, the Belle of Louisville, still sails along the Ohio River. Other highlights in the city are Glassworks, a unique facility that includes glass studios, galleries and a cafe; the Portland Museum, which includes a sound and light show; the Falls of the Ohio, where visitors can walk onto the world’s largest exposed Devonian fossil bed; Louisville Science Center; and the Speed Art Museum. The two weeks of Derby celebrations lead up to the most important date on Louisville’s calendar – the first Saturday in May, when the famous Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs provides an exciting climax to the festivities. ELSEWHERE IN BLUEGRASS COUNTRY: The region gets its name from the variety of grass that produces a small blue flower in early spring. Bluegrass country is famous for horses, tobacco and bourbon. Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill lies about 30 minutes southwest of Lexington. Members of the 19th-century Shaker religious sect lived a simple life, and now visitors can tour their 5000-acre farm. Nearby Harrodsburg is the oldest permanent English settlement west of the Alleghenies. Old Fort Harrod State Park contains a part of the replica 1774 fort. Actors dressed in 18th-century costume demonstrate skills such as blacksmithing and quilting. Hodgenville, south of Louisville, is the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln family lived at the Sinking Spring Farm for more than two years before moving to Knob Creek. Lincoln’s Boyhood Home is a reproduction cabin located on the original site where he lived until he was eight. The Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site has 56 steps, one for each year of his life. The 116-acre park traces the history of the President’s humble roots. In Newport, in the north of the State across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio is the Newport Aquarium, open daily, with 66 exhibits of fresh and saltwater fish from around the world. EASTERN HIGHLANDS: The vast Daniel Boone National Forest, with its magnificent Red River Gorge, runs through the entire region. Two of Kentucky’s most beautiful lakes, Cave Run Lake and Laurel River Lake, lie at each end of the forest. The area’s newest national park is Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, a wilderness straddling the Kentucky–Tennessee border. One of the most popular areas is Cumberland Gap National Park, with its breathtaking views of the Appalachian Mountains. The Cumberland Falls are known as the ‘Niagara of the South’ and this is one of the few places in the world where one can see a ‘moonbow’ on a regular basis. Canoeing and rafting trips are very popular in this area. MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARK: Mammoth Cave is the largest known cave system in the world, with more than 560km (350 miles) of explored passageways. Many species of animals and different types of cave formation can be found within the national park. Park rangers lead tours of varying length from 90 minutes to six hours. Above ground, the park offers miles of hiking trails, including a wheelchair access route. Social Profile Food & Drink: Kentucky is home to the famous ‘Kentucky Fried Chicken’ which consists of chicken fried in a secret original recipe involving a blend of 11 herbs. The KFC fast food restaurants can be found throughout the USA and worldwide. In the Bluegrass Region, many menus feature Country Ham, which is usually cured for a few years to strengthen its flavour. It is traditionally served with crunchy Beaten Biscuits. Spoonbread is a corn-based bread so moist it has to be spooned out of the dish and Kentucky Burgoo is a tasty local stew. Bourbon is the number one drink in Kentucky. Visitors can take a distillery tour at Maker’s Mark Distillery, near Loretto, Labrot & Graham in Versailles, Buffalo Trace in Frankfort, Austin Nichols and Four Roses in Lawenceburg, Jim Beam’s American Outpost, in Clermont, and Heaven Hill in Bardstown. Alcohol can be bought in 30 of Kentucky’s 120 counties and in 15 cities in the remaining 90 counties. Theatres & Concerts: The Kentucky Center for the Arts in Louisville offers a diverse mix of entertainment virtually every night of the year. The Actors Theater features a Tony Award-winning company who take part in the successful Humana Festival of New American Plays in the spring. Nightlife: Country music is very popular in many of the bars and clubs in Kentucky, which is not surprising for a State that has produced stars such as Billy Ray Cyrus, Crystal Gayle, Loretta Lynn and Dwight Yoakam. Shopping: Berea is Kentucky’s arts and craft capital. Local shops sell pottery, woodwork, jewellery, quilts and weaving. The Churchill Weavers produce a quality collection of ladies accessories, blankets and neckties. Louisville is great for antique shopping. Popular antique shops include Den of Steven and Joe Ley Antiques. In Western and Northern Kentucky there is a variety of outlet malls in which to shop for bargains. Sport: Kentucky is called the ‘horse capital of the world’ and riding options range from pony trekking to overnight horse camping. Louisville hosts the annual Equitana USA, the world’s fair of equestrian sports. Kentucky is a great place for hiking and backpacking. Two major trails, the Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail and the Jenny Wiley National Recreation Trail, provide routes through the scenic forested highlands of Eastern Kentucky. Cumberland Gap National Park has 1790km (1112 miles) of trails including the popular 34km (21-mile) Ridge Trail. The 14 major river systems in Kentucky offer a wide choice of canoeing, kayaking and rafting opportunities. Rockcastle is one of the most popular whitewater canoe runs in the USA. The Daniel Boone National Forest offers excellent climbing. The State’s quiet, winding roads are ideal for cycling and almost 1000km (620 miles) of the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail are in Kentucky. For golf enthusiasts, Louisville’s challenging Valhalla Golf Course hosted the 1996 and 2000 PGA Championship. The Kentucky Speedway, a new motor racing circuit located 18km (30 miles) south of the airport, opened in June 2000. Special Events: The following is a selection of events occurring in 2003: Apr 10-12 Hillbilly Days, Pikeville. Apr 12-May 3 Kentucky Derby Festival, Louisville. Apr 24-27 Rolex Three Day Event, Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington. May 3 128th Kentucky Derby, Louisville; May 9-10 International Bar-B-Q Festival, Owensboro. Jun 5-7 Festival of the Bluegrass, Lexington. Jun 7-Aug 23 Stephen Foster – the musical (outdoor theatre), Bardstown. Jun 14-15 Great American Brass Band Festival, Danville. July 4 Owensboro Summer Festival, Owensboro; July Berea Craft Festival, Berea. Aug 30-Sep 1 Daniel Boone Pioneer Festival, Winchester. Sep World Chicken Festival, London. Sep 17-21 Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Bardstown. Oct 10-12 Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen Fall Fair, Berea. Climate Kentucky has a temperate climate. Annual rainfall is 122cm (48 inches) including an average snowfall of 34.8cm (13.7 inches). The wettest seasons are spring and summer, and the driest is the fall. Required clothing: Spring and fall usually require light wraps, especially during the evenings. Summer can be very warm but cool evenings are not unusual. Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.