Monticello/Lake Cumberland (Covington, Somerset, Irvine: van rental, fit in, sales)

[Kingsnkali]

I visited the area last summer to do some fishing and check it out for a possible retirement area. I liked Lake Cumberland and the folks at the resorts and docks. I was not impressed with the town of Monticello. Maybe it was just me and I hit it wrong. People just seemed cold and unfriendly there. I can't put my finger on it. I had Tennessee plates on my rental car (I'm from California) and I thought maybe THAT was it... The hotel people in town weren't friendly. The restaurant people weren't friendly. I even had a police officer in town pull up behind me as I was trying to back out of a parking spot after eating at a restaurant. The whole parking lot was empty and he just sat there blocking my exit. Good thing I looked in my rearview mirror and didn't hit him. He just sat there checking me out and looking mean and then slowly drove off. Weird. The funny thing was, I was the only customer at that restaurant. And I was one of very few people staying at large hotel in town with 95% of the rooms not occupied.

Does Monticello have a problem with tourists??? To be honest, I was glad to get out of there. The place gave me the creeps. I did NOTHING to any of those people but spend money in their town. I was treated much better on the other side of the lake in Jamestown Kentucky and also at the Dale Hollow State Marina to the south. I was also treated very well on the Tennessee side of Dale Hollow Lake and at Cordell Hull Lake. Very friendly folks. Even invited me out on their boats for fishing and the staff at Cedar Hill Resort gave me a fishing pole and tackle to use.

I will be back to the Cumberland/Dale Hollow region this spring for more fishing and maybe some real estate checking. I want to get a pulse on the area and more importantly, vibes on the people that live there. I'm not a city slicker and can certainly fit in and adapt to country living. I will be exploring Burkesville and other areas to get a feel for the land. I just hope Monticello was the exception rather than the rule.

[Kichenwich]

Good morning! I am sorry you had such a bad experience in Monticello! We have a cabin outside of Somerset, and enjoy the area. Check out Nancy, Science Hill, Tatesville, and those areas. These are close to the lake (especially Tatesville). This is a good area to live/visit. Everyone is really friendly, and there's tons of stuff to do. I believe Monticello WAS the exception. Hope this helps!

[gary1958]

Maybe it was the Tn. license plate. There are a lot of Tn. people going out of state to make food purchases etc., to avoid paying Tn. sales tax of 9-10%.I have friends from Tn. that do this and they say they don't like it. I'm from Ohio and have been to Monticello numerous times and never had a problem.

[Kingsnkali]

Hi, thanks for the replies.

It was also incredibly hot and humid while I was in Monticello. Temperatures were in the mid 90s with mid-upper 70s dew points. Like a steam bath. Even the locals were complaining about how hot is was. They might have just been cranky. I spend alot of time below the dams on Cumberland and Dale Hollow. Excellent air-conditioning once that cold water starts going through the generators and that fog bank forms on the water.

Some of the prettiest country I've ever seen. So green along those winding two lane roads. Seems like folks really enjoy those front yard sales. They were everywhere I went. Kentucky must hold the national crown for yard sales.

[nalabama]

You must have hit the annual Highway 127 Corridor Yard Sale--Covington KY to Gadsden Al, about two weeks every August. The world's longest yard sale. And you must have been in a car just like some of the flim-flam artists that travel that route each year--maybe that explains why the police were so interested in you.

[Kingsnkali]

Well that just might explain it....

I was on highway 127 many times (in early August). I got stuck with a GOOFY looking soccer-mom type minivan rental at BNA airport. I told them I hated it and that I had booked a small sedan. They pretty much told me to take it or leave it. It was all they had left.

Hmmm...

By the way, I never did stop at those yard sales. Just thought it was something people in southern Kentucky do during the summer. Seemed like there was one of them around every corner in the road.

Thanks for the info! Sure might explain some of the weird stuff. So, what kind of flim-flam stuff goes on with these yard sales? I'm clueless.

[nalabama]

Oh, the normal stuff: grab & run, shoplifting, counterfeit bills, teamwork/distraction to separate you from your cahbox, the "change a twenty for me?" shuffle, and on & on. Just people being people--bad people! Thank goodness most people we run into every day are good folks.

[Kichenwich]

Hi Nalabama,
Must say it sounds like you have met up with some bad characters at the yard sale! My hubby and I enjoy the sale every year, except for last year due to the change of when it is held. We have found that, for the most part, the people are pretty honest as long as you don't count "dickering" on prices dishonest! I always offer a little less for something. Just a habit, I guess. However, this has been a great way for us to get out and see the countryside, and pick up knick knacks to decorate our home with. The only complaint I have is the traffic, which can be pretty annoying. But, since this does not pass thru my area (Waco), I can just go home to get away from it.

[San]

Hi, Kingsnkali,

I just joined up and saw your posting. I know it might sound like I have an ax to grind and I just posted some of this elsewhere. We live near the town of Burkesville. We just moved down here from Northern Illinois three years ago. The people here are very friendly and helpful. They like tourists and outside people because they bring business to the town. We have felt very welcomed since we've been here. As I said in another post, we are going to sell our property, but not because we want to or are unhappy with the area. Infact we've held off because we don't want to move. We have had a job change and are going to have to sell. This is a beautiful area in which to live. The scenery is just lovely and the folks are friendly. We have a three bedroom/2 bathroom ranch on a 16 acre bluff over looking the Cumberland valley. We are close to a golf course and the Dale Hollow park where the bass fishing is spectacular. We are also only around two miles from a boat ramp on the Cumberland river. I think that there are places in any state that are more hospitable than others. There are nice people and nasty ones all over. We've been very fortunate in finding a town with a lot of nice friendly people in it.

[nalabama]

Kichenwich, I have relatives in Kentucky who live on US 127 and I have heard many tales. My spouse and I conducted estate sales for several years and met many of these same characters in the course of that business.

So how is lovely downtown Waco these days? I was through there about 10 years ago and was so disheartened by its condition. It appeared that the rerouting of the Irvine Highway had not been a good thing for Waco. In the day, it was a lovely little farming community ("Pop. 431" on the sign all the years that we lived near there) with a seemly general store and a sturdy feed & seed establishment standing out most prominently in my memory. Waco Elementary/Jr. High was a lovely gem of a school with such wonderful teachers. I hope it still is.