When you leave Lexington for fun.... (Louisville, Newport: estate, landscaping, trip)

[cynthia007]

Hi! I'm curious about where Lexington residents go when they leave Lexington for fun. I've never lived in that part of the country before, and am looking forward to doing some adventuring once we get there in three months. What towns or cities to you like to road trip to? What do you do when you get there? (dining, events, museums, shopping, etc.) Do you ever take two or three day road trips? Please share your stories...funny, odd, interesting or otherwise. Thanks!

[lexingtongal]

We often take short (2-3 day trips) to surrounding areas. We have a 10 year old son so we look for family friendly adventures. Cincinnati is a great place for a few day trip. They have Union Terminal which houses the Children's Museum, Natural History Museum and an Imax. The Cincinnati Art Museum has scavenger hunt cards to keep kids engaged while their parents enjoy the exhibits. Next to the Art Museum is Krohn Conservatory. In the spring they generally have a great butterfly show. Last spring the theme was African butterflies.
Indianapolis is another great city for a get a way. There is a Holiday Inn that has an indoor water park. (It's expensive so I would opt to stay there one night and then move). Their children's museum is the top rated children's museum in the country. It is 4 stories and takes around 6 hours to do it any justice. Not too far from there is the Indianapolis Zoo.
Gatlinburg is around 3 1/2 hours away. It has something for everyone. Cheesy things like Ripley's Believe it or Not and Guiness Book of World Records to great hiking trails right outside of town. Ober Gatlinburg is a lot of fun too.
The Mammoth Cave area is another favorite get-a-way. They offer cave tours for any experience level. There are several small amusement parks in the area as well.

[cartomanlex2]

Some peoples ideas of adventuring mean "never leaving the paved road" and others are "never seeing the paved road". Which one are you?

We have many places where you can camp, both RV style and primitive, and backpacking in the Daniel Boone National Forest.

[cynthia007]

Originally Posted by lexingtongal

We often take short (2-3 day trips) to surrounding areas. We have a 10 year old son so we look for family friendly adventures. Cincinnati is a great place for a few day trip. They have Union Terminal which houses the Children's Museum, Natural History Museum and an Imax. The Cincinnati Art Museum has scavenger hunt cards to keep kids engaged while their parents enjoy the exhibits. Next to the Art Museum is Krohn Conservatory. In the spring they generally have a great butterfly show. Last spring the theme was African butterflies.
Indianapolis is another great city for a get a way. There is a Holiday Inn that has an indoor water park. (It's expensive so I would opt to stay there one night and then move). Their children's museum is the top rated children's museum in the country. It is 4 stories and takes around 6 hours to do it any justice. Not too far from there is the Indianapolis Zoo.
Gatlinburg is around 3 1/2 hours away. It has something for everyone. Cheesy things like Ripley's Believe it or Not and Guiness Book of World Records to great hiking trails right outside of town. Ober Gatlinburg is a lot of fun too.
The Mammoth Cave area is another favorite get-a-way. They offer cave tours for any experience level. There are several small amusement parks in the area as well.

Wow! Thanks. All good info!

[cynthia007]

Originally Posted by cartomanlex2

Some peoples ideas of adventuring mean "never leaving the paved road" and others are "never seeing the paved road". Which one are you?

We have many places where you can camp, both RV style and primitive, and backpacking in the Daniel Boone National Forest.

We love to leave the paved road! We want to buy an off road type camper and go adventuring. We have lived on the Big Island of Hawaii for seventeen years, so we have done a lot of that here. However, as an island is only so big, we are looking forward to being able to go in several different directions and perhaps, for more than a few hours!

[nlschr0]

For nearby outdoorsy stuff, I second the D.Boone Natl Forest and the red river gorge. Lots of rugged landscaping and isolated hiking spots with waterfalls, rock formations, etc.

West Virginia has some white water rafting and park areas that are a pretty easy drive. The Smoky Mtn area has some nice scenery and Gatlinburg is very popular with local families, although it does tend to get very crowded and full of some kitschy attractions. Asheville NC is a little further but has a great artistic vibe in the city and is surrounded by beautiful mountains, and the famous Biltmore Estate is there.

As far as cities go, Nashville, Indianapolis, and even Columbus, Cleveland, and Chicago are do-able for a short trip. Louisville and Cincinnati are both easy single day trips - Cincinnati also has a great aquarium (actually in Newport, KY), and King's Island, an amusement park. Louisville has another amusement park, museums like the Louisville Slugger, and a nice zoo and waterfront park area, complete with an historic paddle wheel riverboat.

[cynthia007]

Originally Posted by nlschr0

For nearby outdoorsy stuff, I second the D.Boone Natl Forest and the red river gorge. Lots of rugged landscaping and isolated hiking spots with waterfalls, rock formations, etc.

West Virginia has some white water rafting and park areas that are a pretty easy drive. The Smoky Mtn area has some nice scenery and Gatlinburg is very popular with local families, although it does tend to get very crowded and full of some kitschy attractions. Asheville NC is a little further but has a great artistic vibe in the city and is surrounded by beautiful mountains, and the famous Biltmore Estate is there.

As far as cities go, Nashville, Indianapolis, and even Columbus, Cleveland, and Chicago are do-able for a short trip. Louisville and Cincinnati are both easy single day trips - Cincinnati also has a great aquarium (actually in Newport, KY), and King's Island, an amusement park. Louisville has another amusement park, museums like the Louisville Slugger, and a nice zoo and waterfront park area, complete with an historic paddle wheel riverboat.

Nice! Sounds like fun!

[timelesschild]

Mammoth Cave
Cave Run Lake
Red River Gorge, including Natural Bridge
Cumberland Falls - check out the moonbow!

Those are some of the really nice natural attractions. Then there is Cincinnati for the museums, Cincinnati Zoo, and Newport Aquarium. The former Union Station has been converted into a nice museum. Cincinnati's art museum is VERY good, believe it or not.

Louisville for the museums and zoo

If you are into horse racing, Louisville has Churchill Downs, Lexington has Keeneland, and Cincinnati has River Downs. Keeneland is the prettiest.

The Kentucky Horse Park is nice and getting nicer.

Lots of people go to Gatlinburg for 4-day weekends, or for entire weeks. There is plenty to do in that area.

St. Louis is only 6 hours away. So are Chicago and Atlanta. You have plenty of options for road trips!

[cynthia007]

Originally Posted by timelesschild

Mammoth Cave
Cave Run Lake
Red River Gorge, including Natural Bridge
Cumberland Falls - check out the moonbow!

Those are some of the really nice natural attractions. Then there is Cincinnati for the museums, Cincinnati Zoo, and Newport Aquarium. The former Union Station has been converted into a nice museum. Cincinnati's art museum is VERY good, believe it or not.

Louisville for the museums and zoo

If you are into horse racing, Louisville has Churchill Downs, Lexington has Keeneland, and Cincinnati has River Downs. Keeneland is the prettiest.

The Kentucky Horse Park is nice and getting nicer.

Lots of people go to Gatlinburg for 4-day weekends, or for entire weeks. There is plenty to do in that area.

St. Louis is only 6 hours away. So are Chicago and Atlanta. You have plenty of options for road trips!

Love it! Thank you