The Explore All 50 States Project
Let's Go!
Sometimes you're starving and you pick out a place and hope for the best. Every once it a while (you breathe a sigh of relief as) you are happily blown away when it exceeds your expectations and everyone leaves happy and satisfied. Looking for a place to eat along the Sterling Highway, the kids and I stumbled across Gwin's lodge and decided to give it a try and man are we glad we did. Looking at the menu we … [Read more...]
Fly fishing for salmon on the Kenai river was one of the highlights of our entire trip. The only way I can describe being out on the river, at one with nature, is complete nirvana! It was not only a fun experience, but I felt as if my spiritual batteries had been recharged. It was an extremely special activity that my kids and I will never forget and one that I can't recommend highly enough if you get the chance to … [Read more...]
After an afternoon fly fishing on the Kenai river we asked our guide TJ where was the best place to eat in town. He rattled off a few names that he said were really good, but when he mentioned the Kingfisher Roadhouse his eyes lit up and waxed poetic about a burger that sounded off the charts fantastic. Well, as soon and we loaded up, we made a bee line straightaway. At night this place apparently gets absolutely … [Read more...]
When I think of Kentucky I think of horses, banjo music and bourbon and we found all those things and more on our visit to "the Bluegrass state". As we crossed the border from Indiana, Kentucky seemed just like I envisioned it, lush and green with acres of rolling pastureland spread majestically as far as the eye could see and those signature white horse fences. There is no doubt about it, Kentucky is horse … [Read more...]
Sadly, the Kentucky History Center was certainly not one of the better history museums we’ve seen. It appeared that the folks who put the museum together did try to create an engaging experience but t seemed as if this museum was wrestling with its past, not knowing exactly how to show things like slavery and the Civil War. The exhibits seemed almost cartoonish, just scratching the surface over the most painful … [Read more...]
The grounds of The Kentucky State Capitol Building are just lovely, and when we were there they were covered with acorns. As we walked up, we could tell there was something going on, and as we got closer we discovered it was a celebration of the anniversary of women getting the right to vote. There were lots of ladies dressed in white with purple sashes surrounding a podium festooned with balloons next to banners of … [Read more...]
Until I'd been to the Rebecca Ruth Candy Factory, I don't think I've ever tasted anything quite as addictive as one of their Kentucky Colonels, also known as a Bourbon Ball. We took the opportunity to tour the little factory that turns out these magical confections that marry Kentucky bourbon and chocolate into an absolute taste sensation. The factory will remind you of that candy-wrapping scene in "I Love … [Read more...]
The seven of us were pretty familiar with regular horse racing, but none of us had ever seen harness racing and I figured it would be fun to learn about the racing experience by watching some Harness Racing at The Red Mile. I wasn't sure how it would go over, bringing a bunch of kids to the track. In my mind, I rationalized that this was Kentucky horse country, not New Jersey with shady characters smoking cigars … [Read more...]
As you have already figured out by now, Kentucky is horse country and one of the best places to learn all about horses is the Kentucky Horse Park. There was so much to see and learn here about these magnificent animals. First stop was the museum to learn about the history of horses in cultures around the world, from Europe to Asia and the Middle East and the US we learned how horses were used and cared for. The … [Read more...]
You simply cannot visit Louisville without visiting Churchill Downs, home to the most famous horse race in the country—the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Derby Museum. I don't know why, but this is just one of those storied places where I had to pinch myself to make sure I was really here. Out front the kids posed with a gorgeous sculpture of Barbaro the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner who later shattered his leg 2 … [Read more...]
