USA- FLORIDA AND THE SOUTH'S BEST TRIPS

Spanish era. Then quickly 21 Gulf CoastDistrict and UptownThe Drive » Take Avery Island
seek some cleansing night mansions. Out in Mid
music. Preservation Hall Pascagoula RiverCity, by scenic Bayou St road (LA-329) to New Iberia
(www.preservationhall.com; John, you can peruse the town, then hop on LA-83 and
take that south. After about
726 St Peter St; Cover $15; h8- New Orleans Museum of 15 miles you’ll take a right in
LA-319; from here it’s about 5.5
11pm) is the place to hear Art & Besthoff Sculpture miles to Cypremont Point.
authentic New Orleans Gardens (%504-658-4100;
jazz played by local www.noma.org; 1 Collins Dibol 2 Cypremont
masters. When night Circle; adult/senior/child Point State Park
falls, head to Frenchman $8/7/3, out-of-state admission
Street in the Fauborg $16/15/10; h10am-5pm Thu- You can’t get more end of
Marigny District – a Sun, noon-8pm Wed, closed the road than Cypremont
haven for terrific live jazz Mon & Tue; c) or just stroll Point (%888-867-4510,
with a more evolutionary beneath the old, mossy 337-867-4510; 306 Beach
bent. The St Charles oaks in City Park (www Lane, Cypremort Point; adults/
Avenue Streetcar (per .neworleanscitypark.com). senior & child under 3yr $1/
ride $1.25; c) will take Explore the city further free; h7am-9pm, to 10pm
you up and down this with our walking tour, Fri & Sat; pc#), a lonely,
famous avenue, through p262. windswept promontory
the CBD, to the Garden of land buffeted by foam
5 4 p253 spray off the Gulf of
Mexico. There’s a little
\#Wiggins Lucedale \# 90 miles to ‚ ÓVU65 man-made beach and
MISSISSIPPI some picnic tables, but
KmGF3 we mainly like coming

NDaetSioontoal #Mobile ]#8 LINK
Forest YOUR
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Biloxi Bay

#6

Gulf Islands Why turn away from the
National Seashore beach when you can keep
going? On this trip you will
Chandeleur Chandeleur traverse Mobile Bay into
Sound Islands Pensacola and follow the
coastline as it arcs and
bends southward.

Breton h Southern Gothic
Sound Literary Tour

GULF OF MEXICO Explore the south’s literary
landscape as you investigate
the roots and admire the
legacy of some of America’s
finest scribes.

East GardeBnayIsland 249
Bay

JOHN ELK III / GETTY IMAGES ©here for the long, slightlyWatch for turtles and
surreal drive over miles peacocks crossing the
21 Gulf Coastand miles of breeze-bent road and an enormous,
marshland and still piney centuries-old Buddha
woods. meditating serenely The Drive » From I-90, take
over the wetlands, a
The Drive » From I-90 or gift acquired by EA exits for LA-56/Little Caillou Rd,
McIlhenny himself. which will run through the not
LA-83, take the exit for LA-329 particularly impressive heart of
towards Avery Island. The exit 4 p253 Houma. From Houma it’s about
is essentially attached to the The Drive » From I-90, take a 35-mile drive south to Lumcon
cute town of New Iberia, which (look for Chauvin, LA, if you have
boasts a handsome historical LA-1 southbound; at Larose, a GPS) over a patchwork quilt
center and Shadows-on-the- get off of 1 and onto LA-3235. of water, marsh and partially
Teche, a plantation home that From here it’s about a 46-mile flooded plains.
is as beautiful as it sounds. drive down to Grand Isle (you’ll
re-merge with LA-1 after about 5 Louisiana
TRIP HIGHLIGHT 16 miles), past miles of marshy Universities Marine
lowlands and the ever-present Consortium (Lumcon)
3 Avery Island hump of the levee.
Lumcon? Sounds like
Tabasco, the most 4 Grand Isle something out of a
famous hot sauce in the science fiction novel,
world, is produced here The end of the road right? Well, there is
on Avery Island (%337- down bayou way is science here, but it’s all
365-8173; www.tabasco.com/ 70 miles southeast of fact, and still fascinating.
avery-island; Jungle Gardens Houma, in Grand Isle. Lumcon (%985-851-2800;
adult/child $8/5; h9am-5pm; The windswept barrier-
pc), known for its red island town seems to
chili peppers and natural consistently take a
salt deposits. A dollar beating from hurricanes
gets you onto the island and disasters like the
and into the Tabasco BP Gulf oil spill, yet this
factory for a (very) brief beach village retains
tour, which includes charm and character.
a creepily optimistic In addition to seafood
promotional video hosted shacks and fishing
by (seemingly) a Tabasco- camps, boat charters are
swag wearing Laura the big business here.
Bush. More interesting Watching the waves
are the gardens: in 1890, lap ashore at Grand Isle
EA McIlhenny, son of State Park (www.crt
the founder of Tabasco, .state.la.us; Admiral Craik Dr;
started a bird sanctuary admission $1; h7am-10pm),
now known as Jungle it’s easy to imagine the
Gardens. Here you can power of mother nature.
drive or walk through Rent canoes ($20 per
250 acres of subtropical day) to explore the inland
flora and view an canals or just watch as
amazing array of water the brown ­pelicans, the
birds (especially snowy state bird, dive for fish
egrets, which nest here offshore.
in astounding numbers),
turtles and alligators.

250

Avery Island Tabasco factory

www.lumcon.edu; 8124 Hwy The Drive » Work your way need to charter a boat
56; h8am-4pm; c) is one to get there. During the
of the premier research back to the I-90 to New Orleans, osprey nesting season
facilities dedicated to and hop the I-10 to the Gulfport some parts of the island
the Gulf of Mexico; if you exit. will be off limits to
want to dig deeper into nurture the nesting
the region’s ecosystems, TRIP HIGHLIGHT flocks. West Ship Island
you shouldn’t pass this is the most accessible
place up. There are 6 Gulf Islands island in the archipelago.
nature trails running National Seashore There’s a twice daily
through hairy tufts ferry (%228-864-1014; www
of grassy marsh, nine A maze of wetlands, .msshipisland.com/; 1022
small aquariums and beaches and five off-shore
an observation tower barrier islands, it’s not 23rd Ave, Gulfport Ferry Pier,
that gives visitors an tremendously accessible,
unbeatable view (short but if you plan ahead, Gulfport; round trip adult/child
of climbing into a you will experience the $27/17) to and from the
helicopter) of the great migrating birds, scrubby island all summer, and
swathes of flat, fuzzy dunes and empty white- ferries run Wednesday
wetlands that makes sand beaches. The three to Sunday in the spring
up the south Louisiana wilderness islands, Horn, and fall. In addition
coast. Petit Bois and East Ship to snorkeling, body
Island, are open boarding, swimming and
to camping, but you’ll beachcombing, you can

251

21 Gulf Coast visit Fort Massachusetts, that fueled his life’s friendly place. The stroll
a brick fort built in 1868, work. After he died, the down Dauphin St from
right on the beach. beachside shack where the waterfront to its
he lived on Horn Island inner heart is pocked
The Drive » Hug the coastline was discovered to be with green squares and
painted in mind-blowing fountains, and more than
on Beach Blvd through Biloxi murals, which you’ll see a few pubs, bars, cafes
and take the Bienville Blvd here. You can also access and restaurants bustling
Bridge into Ocean Springs. the Davis Bayou, part with young people,
of Gulf Islands National thanks to Mobile’s three
7 Ocean Springs Seashore (www.nps.gov/ universities. The biggest
guis; camping $16-20). attraction is the striking
Ocean Springs remains and modern Gulf Coast
charming with a 5 p253 Exploreum (www.exploreum
romantic line-up of The Drive » Stay off the .com; 65 Government St;
shrimp boats in the
harbor alongside interstate a while, and stay on admission $10; h9am-5pm
recreational sailing the US 90, a causeway with Tue-Sat, noon-5pm Sun), a
yachts, a historical alternating gulf and wetland science center with 150
downtown core, and a views, through the port of interactive exhibits and
powdery fringe of white Pascagoula, skirt the Grand Bay displays in three galleries,
sand on the gulf. The Wildlife Refuge, then hop on I-10 an IMAX theater and
highlight is the Walter and buzz into Alabama. live demonstrations in
Anderson Museum (www its chemistry and biology
.walterandersonmuseum.org; TRIP HIGHLIGHT labs. War geeks will want
510 Washington St; adult/child to tour the USS Alabama
$10/5; h9:30am-4:30pm 8 Mobile (www.ussalabama.com; 2703
Mon-Sat, 12:30-4:30pm
Sun). A consummate The city that spawned Battleship Pkwy; adult/child
artist and lover of Gulf Hammerin’ Hank Aaron,
Coast nature, Anderson with its impressive $15/6; h8am-6pm Apr-Sep,
suffered from mental industrial port, the 8am-5pm Oct-Mar), a 690ft
illness, which spurred nation’s 13th biggest, behemoth famous for
his solitary, almost and homey, historical escaping nine major
monastic, existence downtown, Mobile is WWII battles unscathed.
a surprisingly fun and Baseball historians
should stop by Hank
DISASTER ENDURANCE Aaron Stadium (%251-479-
2327; www.hankaaronstadium
In the backyard of New Orleans, the Mississippi Gulf
Coast’s economy, traditionally based on the seafood .com; 755 Bolling Brothers Blvd;
industry, got a shot of adrenaline in the 1990s when
big Vegas-style casinos muscled in alongside the adult/child $3/2; h9am-
sleepy fishing villages. And then a double whammy of
disasters descended. Just when the casinos in Biloxi 5pm Mon-Fri, 10am on game
had been rebuilt following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, weekends), home of the
the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf in 2010 Mobile Bay Bears, where
dealt the coast another blow. However, Mississippi’s there is a museum, set
barrier islands helped divert much of the oil problems in his old childhood
toward New Orleans and Alabama, and Mississippi’s home (moved to this
coastline is surprisingly serene in places – especially location). It documents
on those hard-to-access barrier islands. his incredible life from
obscure Alabama poverty
to home-run king.

5 4 p253

252

Eating & Sleeping

New Orleans 1 Ocean Springs 7

5 Dante’s Kitchen Louisianan $$$ 5 Government Street Grocery Pub $ 21 Gulf Coast

(%504-861-3121; www.danteskitchen.com; (www.facebook.com/pages/The-Government-
736 Dante St; mains $19-26, brunch $9-12.50; Street-Grocery/288438943516; 1210
h5:30-10pm Wed-Mon, 10:30am-2pm Sat & Government St; mains $7-10; h4pm-1am Mon,
Sun) Dante’s specializes in melding French, from 11am Tue-Thu, 11am-2:30am Fri & Sat) It
American and Louisiana traditions: pork does an array of burgers, fried shrimp baskets
shoulder with red boudin (Cajun sausage) dirty and po’boys, gyro and falafel. It gets a nice bar
rice and maple-glazed chicken with potato- crowd at night, especially Thursdays through
bacon hash cake are good examples, but it’s Saturdays, thanks to its live-music calendar.
the Sunday brunch we enjoy most. Debris and
poached eggs on a caramelized onion biscuit, 5 Leo’s Pizza $$
topped with a demi-glacé hollandaise sauce, is a
pretty unbeatable way to start your day, unless (www.facebook.com/pages/Leos-Wood-Fired-
you opt for the bread pudding French toast.
Pizza/207257882651589; 1107 Government St;
4 Bywater Bed & Breakfast B&B $
mains $9-13; h11am-9pm Sun-Thu, to 1am Fri
(%504-944-8438; www.bywaterbnb.com; 1026
Clouet St; r without bathroom $100) An artsy & Sat) A wood-fired pizzeria with an upmarket
B&B, Bywater is particularly popular with
lesbians, and is about as homey and laid-back sensibility. Its trendy dining room spills onto
as it gets. It’s a restored double-­ shotgun, very
colorful, with a kitchen and parlors in which the shady patio with ample bar space. It pours
guests can cook or loiter. The walls double as
gallery space, showcasing a collection of vibrant two dozen beers from the tap, and makes its
outsider and folk art. The four guest rooms are
simple and comfortable with more cheery paint pizzas, wraps, salads and sandwiches in an
and art. The owners enjoy steering guests in
the right direction, whether you’re looking for a open kitchen, which closes at 10pm on Fridays
great po’boy, live music or gay bars. Two-night
minimum usually required. and Saturdays.

Mobile 8

5 Wintzell’s Seafood $$

(%251-432-4605; www.wintzellsoysterhouse.

com; 605 Dauphin St; mains $11-23; h11am-

10pm Sun-Thu, 11am-11pm Fri & Sat) A Mobile

classic since 1938, and the first of an Alabama

chain. It specializes in oysters raw, char-grilled

Avery Island 3 or fried but it also does an excellent broiled fish

of the day, and serves succulent shrimp and

4 Estorage-Norton House B&B $ scallops too, in brew-house, blue-jean environs.

(%337-365-7603; www.estorge-nortonhouse. 4 Battle House Hotel $$

com; 446 E Main St; r incl breakfast $85-110) (%251-338-2000; www.marriott.com/hotels/

Located in a historical district, this is a travel/mobbr-the-battle-house-renaissance-

comfortable 100-plus-year-old bungalow home mobile-hotel-and-spa/; 26 N Royal St; r from

with four comfortable bedrooms decked out in $159; paiWsc) By far the best

frilly, if cozy, accoutrement. Two of the rooms address in Mobile, you want to stay in the

can sleep three or more. Pain perdu (‘lost original historical wing with its ornate domed

bread,’ or French toast) topped with marmalade marble lobby, though the striking new tower

is a breakfast special. is on the waterfront. Rooms are spacious,

luxurious, four-star chic.

253

Buffalo River Kayak and hike
through sublime landscapes

TOM TILL / ALAMY ©

Backroads

22Arkansas

From the Capitol steps, head north and veer off the interstate
into layered mountains laced with streams and rivers, studded
with quirky towns and blessed with magnificent vistas.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS 4 DAYS
507 MILES / 816KM
230 miles 87 miles
Eureka Springs Mountain View GREAT FOR...
Home of the stunning Spelunking, zip lines
glass Thorncrown and a hootenany B
Chapel
BEST TIME TO GO
#6
March to May when
##4 # #2# the Buffalo River
##5 Jasper swells to rapids.

Km lL #Little Rock I ESSENTIAL
# PHOTO

Mount Whitaker Point for
Magazine black granite bluffs
State Park that jut out over a
beautiful river valley.
Ponca & Whitaker Point
the Buffalo River Hike to the most K BEST FOR
Time to paddle the photographed spot in OUTDOORS
Buffalo River the Ozarks
184 miles The entire route: steep
172 miles bluffs, wooded walks,
pristine rivers and
quirky mountain towns.

255

Eureka Springs
22 Backroads #Beaver
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Arkansas offers dry counties and left-wing history, \# Lake
folk music and hot springs. Her two-lane country Rogers
backroads roll by tucked-away cattle ranches, magically
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affirming Buffalo River. Frequently tree shaded and
generally spectacular, you will see a snapshot of Huntsville
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It would be easy to presidential campaign
dismiss this leafy, includes a video clip Ù[71 Mount Magazine
attractive state capital from the famous debate State Park
on the Arkansas River when Clinton defended
as quiet, maybe a little his wife’s good name. WiCldDreerreynkess
dull, and certainly Next, walk past the
conservative. But you’d perfectly rusted Rock that’s perfect for families.
be wrong. Little Rock is Island Railroad Bridge, But the most riveting
young, up-and-coming, through the 30-acre attraction is Little Rock
gay- and immigrant-
friendly, and just friendly Clinton Presidential Central High School
in general. Start at Park, which connects to (www.nps.gov/chsc; 2125 Daisy
the William J Clinton the Riverfront Park, and Bates Dr; h9:30am-4:30pm,
Presidential Center (%501- thriving River Market tours 9am & 1:15pm Mon-Fri
748-0419; www.clintonlibrary. District (the Market Hall mid-Aug–early Jun), the site
gov; 1200 President Clinton has a range of tasty ethnic of the 1957 desegregation
Ave; adult/reduced/child eateries). Nearby, the new crisis and eventual victory
$7/5/3, with audio $10/8/6; that changed the country
h9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 1-5pm Museum of Discovery forever.
Sun), where you’ll learn (www.museumofdiscovery
that, at 32, Bill became .org; 500 President Clinton Ave;
the youngest governor in adult/child $10/8; h9am-
US history. The display 5pm Tue-Sat, 1-5pm Sun) is
a proper science and
natural history museum

256

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5 4 p261 LINK TRIP HIGHLIGHT
The Drive » Take I-40 west YOUR
TRIP j The Blues
to US 65 north and roll through Highway
a series of blah farming towns r Memphis to
before linking up with AR-9, and Nashville From Memphis follow
climbing into the Ozarks. Views the Blues Highway into
come and go because the hills Once you’ve had enough the Mississippi (and
are draped in velvety trees. After mountain quirk, jet Arkansas!) Delta, and get
threading a mountain pass you into some nightlife on a whole different kind of
will descend into a wide valley. this trip linking two of country flavor.
America’s best night
music towns.

257

22 Backroads Arkansas TRIP HIGHLIGHT of genuine spelunking. TRIP HIGHLIGHT
Shimmy through a crawl
2 Mountain View space, and emerge into an 4 Ponca &
underground cathedral. the Buffalo River
Promoted as the ‘Folk You’ll return filthy,
Music Capital of the exhausted and smiling. Ponca is an early-
World,’ impromptu 20th-century mining
hill music, gospel and 5 4 p261 camp–turned–ranch
bluegrass jams are The Drive » AR-66 winds town whose current
held in and around the perch makes it the best
attractive sandstone west through gorgeous pasture launch point for a day’s
buildings of Courtsquare land, rolling green hills, and paddle on the Buffalo.
by the Stone County some stunning pastoral villages. Rent canoes or kayaks
Courthouse (especially In quaint Leslie turn onto US from Lost Valley Canoe
on Saturday night). The 65 and head north. Cross the (%870-861-5522; www
Buffalo River and take AR-123 .lostvalleycanoe.com; Hwy
Ozark Folk Center State south past gorgeous views of 43, Ponca; kayaks per day
Park (%800-264-3655; www granite bluffs to the AR-74 west $40, shuttle service $27) or
.ozarkfolkcenter.com; 1032 into Jasper.
Park Ave; auditorium adult/ Buffalo Outdoor Center
child $12/7; h10am-5pm 3 Jasper (BOC; %800-221-5514; www
Tue-Sat Apr-Nov), just .buffaloriver.com; cnr Hwys 43
north of town, hosts Here’s a simple rustic & 74, Ponca; kayak/canoe per
ongoing old-timey craft town that leans heavily day $58/60, car shuttle from
demonstrations, as on Buffalo River tourism. $18, zip line tour $89; h8am-
well as frequent live There are a couple of 5pm; c#) in Ponca. Both
performances (folk, good eateries, affordable will shuttle your car to
bluegrass, Shakespeare) lodgings and a fabulous your landing spot. From
that lure an avid, older little adventure boutique Ponca the river snakes
crowd. The park’s newest selling pocket knives, between multicolored
concession, LocoRopes hammocks, quick-dry granite bluffs. Those at
(%870-269-6566; www T-shirts, water bottles, Big Bluff are a mind-
.locoropes.com; 1025 Park camp stoves and kayaks, boggling 525ft, the
Ave; per zip line $7.50; of course. The Floating highest rock faces in
h10am-5pm Mar 1-Nov 30) Buffalo (www.thefloating mid-America. Once you
offers a ropes course, buffalo.com; Church St; pass them, the river
slack lining, a free fall, a hnoon-6pm Mon-Fri, from makes a 90-degree bend
climbing wall and three 10am Sat & Sun) is set in to the right, where you’ll
zip lines. From here take an old saddlery-turned- find a thumb. Pull into it,
Hwy 87 north 14 miles service station; it’ll have and find the Goat Trail
to Mountain View’s best everything you may need on the left bank. It leads
sight, Blanchard Springs for the river or campsite. to a sublime lookout
Caverns (%870-757-2211; 350ft above the river. A
www.blanchardsprings.org; 5 p261 few miles downstream,
NF 54, Forest Rd, off Hwy 14; The Drive » Take AR-74 west three bluffs after the
adult/child Drip Stone Tour well-marked Jim’s Bluff,
$10.50/5.50, Wild Cave Tour from Jasper, wrap around the the river makes a hard
$75; h10:30am-4:30pm; c), horseshoe canyon where you right. Stay left, and stop
where you can opt for the can see more river bluffs, and on the gravel bar in the
rather staid, one-hour drop into Low Gap. From here, center of that curve.
Drip Stone Tour, or sign take the hairpin before the Steel Follow the unmarked
up for three to four hours Creek put-in, where there are
still more bluff views, meet the
AR-43 and buzz into Ponca.

258

CLASSICSTOCK / ALAMY ©

Buffalo River region Whitaker Point

spur trail to Hemmed- past Cave Mountain Church, river valley. Pristine,
in-Hollow, the Ozarks’ you’ll find a trailhead. verdant ridges roll to the
tallest waterfall. Paddle horizon in all directions.
on to Kyle’s Landing, a TRIP HIGHLIGHT It’s simply spectacular.
campground 10 miles No wonder it’s the most
downstream from Ponca, 5 Whitaker Point photographed location in
and pull out. the Ozarks.
You can’t leave the
4 p261 Buffalo River area until The Drive » Double back to
The Drive » Take AR-43 past you’ve hiked this easy 1.5-
mile trail (one way) to a AR-21 and head north past still
the AR-21 turn-off, and go over granite table-top jutting more stunning countryside
two small bridges. Just before out from streaked bluffs, until you get to the forgettable
the third, make a right onto a draining rainwater commercial sprawl of Berryville.
graded dirt road. In 6 miles, just 500ft above the lush From here follow US 62 west to
Eureka Springs.

259

22 Backroads Arkansas THE LITTLE ROCK 9 www.chelseascornercafe.
com; 10 Mountain St; mains
Despite the landmark 1954 Brown v Board of $1020; hnoon-10pm Sun-Thu,
Education ruling by the US Supreme Court, which to midnight Fri & Sat) has
unanimously determined segregation in public consistent food, but is
schools to be unconstitutional, by 1957 blacks were better known for its
still being barred from Little Rock’s public schools. frequent jams, held in its
A handful of educators and members of the local cavernous downstairs bar
school board, some of whom were well-meaning on any given night. It’s
white Southerners, were determined to change this. always worth a peek.
They identified nine pioneering African American
students to enroll that fall, but they were not 5 4 p261
prepared for the vitriolic backlash when over 1000
white people – including several local students, as The Drive » Take the AR-
well as agitators from across the state – descended
on the school to deny their entry. Police escorted the 23 south to Harrison, where
nine students inside, but as violence spread, they blue mountains rise and the
were secretly shuttled home. The next day, President road snakes along fingerling
Eisenhower federalized the Arkansas National Guard valleys, shallow aquamarine
and ordered the 101st Airborne Battalion to escort rivers, elegantly disintegrating
the students into school. For the remainder of the barns and weather-beaten log
year, the students were shadowed by soldiers who cabins. Cross under the I-40 to
watched their back (and flirted with local girls). the AR-309 south through the
impoverished mid-century town
TRIP HIGHLIGHT sanctuary made of of Paris, before climbing Mount
glass, with its 48ft-tall Magazine.
6 Eureka Springs wooden skeleton holding
425 windows (crafted 7 Mount
Artsy, quirky and with 6000 sq ft of Magazine State Park
gorgeous, Eureka glass), there’s not much
Springs, near Arkansas’ between your prayers The magnificent vistas
northwestern corner, and God’s green earth begin immediately
perches in a steep valley majesty here. It’s in the after entering Mount
and is one of the coolest woods on the lip above Magazine State Park
towns in the South. town. Our favorite shop (%479-963-8502; www
Restored Victorian is Meteorites & More .mountmagazinestatepark
buildings line crooked, (www.arnoldmeteorites.com; .com; 16878 Hwy 309 S). The
hilly streets and a lodge and visitor center
crunchy local population 28 1/2 Spring St; h10am- is across the street from
welcomes tourists with an excellent lookout
an abundance of kitschy 5pm) owned by Steve over the Arkansas River
shops and galleries. Arnold, the Science Valley. The 2753ft Signal
Channel’s Meteorite Hill, Arkansas’ highest
Thorncrown Chapel Man. He sells space point, looms just behind.
(%479-253-7401; www rocks, including glassy The visitor center is
.thorncrown.com; 12968 Hwy stone pieces sourced useful for maps, as there
62 West; donation suggested; from the American are 14 miles of hiking
h9am-5pm Apr-Nov, 11am- desert, the Sahara and trails to explore. The
4pm Mar & Dec) is the top (relatively recently) park is also popular
attraction. A magnificent Russia. Chelsea’s with rock climbers and
Pizzeria (%479-253-8231; paragliders, who ride and
glide the thermals. From
here it’s an easy two-hour
drive back to Little Rock.

260

Eating & Sleeping

Little Rock 1 Jasper 3

5 House Pub $ 5 Arkansas House Cafe $$$

(www.facebook.com/TheHouseInHillcrest; 722 (%870-446-5900; www.thearkhouse.com; 215

N Palm St; mains $8-11; h11am-2pm & 5pm-late E Court St; mains $8-35; h11am-7pm Sun-Tue

Mon-Sat; W) Arkansas’ first gastropub, run by & Thu, to 9pm Fri & Sat, closed Wed; c) It 22 Backroads Arkansas

Hillcrest hipsters, is really all about its excellent specializes in artisinal meats, like organic beef,

burgers. Get yours with a turkey or veggie patty wild caught razorback (pork), elk, buffalo and

if you must. local trout too. Its elk chili is popular, as is its

4 Capital Hotel Boutique Hotel $$ crawfish etouffee.

(%888-293-4121, 501-374-7474; www.

capitalhotel.com; 111 W Markham St; r from $160; Ponca & the Buffalo River 4

paiW) Renovated into the stately Capital 4 River Wind Lodge & Cabins Cabins $$

Hotel, this 1872 former bank building with a (%800-221-5514; www.buffaloriver.com;
cnr Hwys 43 & 74, Ponca; cabins $129-299;
cast-iron facade – a near-extinct architectural c#) Choose from among 18 immaculate,
well-appointed log cabins, built from local
feature – is top digs in Little Rock. There is a hardwoods, that sleep up to eight people
comfortably (depending upon the cabin), and
wonderful outdoor mezzanine for cocktails, and have outrageous mountain and valley views.

massive elevators, the largest hydraulic lifts in

Arkansas.

Mountain View 2

5 Tommy’s Famous Pizza, BBQ $ Eureka Springs 6

Pizza and BBQ 5 Mud Street Café Cafe $$

(cnr Carpenter & W Main Sts; pizza $7-26, mains

$7-13; hfrom 3pm) Run by the friendliest (www.mudstreetcafe.com; 22 G S Main St;

bunch of backwoods hippies you could ask for. mains $9-13; h8am-3pm Thu-Tue) Here

The BBQ pizza marries Tommy’s specialties are simple, tasty options like gourmet

indulgently. The affable owner, a former rocker sandwiches, wraps and entree salads. The

from Memphis, plays great music, has a fun coffee drinks and breakfasts cultivate a

vibe, and just two conditions: no attitude and devoted local following.

no loud kids. 4 Treehouse Cottages Cottages $$

4 Wildflower Inn Inn $ (%479-253-8667; www.treehousecottages.com;
165 W Van Buren St; cottage from $149-169;
(%870-269-4383; www.wildflowerbb.com; 100 paW) Sprinkled amid 33 acres of pine
forest, these cute, kitschy and spacious stilted
Washington; r incl breakfast from $89; paW) wooden cottages in the trees are worth finding.
There’s lovely accent tile in the baths, a jacuzzi
Set right on the Courtsquare with a rocking tub for two overlooking the trees, a private
balcony with a grill at the ready, a flat screen
chair–equipped wraparound porch and cool folk and a fireplace.

art on the walls. If you can, get the front room

upstairs. It’s flooded with afternoon light, has

a queen bed and a joint sitting room with TV.

Booking online is best.

261

STRETCH . New Orleans
YOUR LEGS African American Museum
NEW
ORLEANS We’ll start in the Treme (pronounced
truh-may), one of the country’s oldest
Start/Finish: New Orleans African American neighborhoods, at
African American Museum the New Orleans African American
Distance: 2.6 miles Museum (www.thenoaam.org; 1418 Governor
Duration: Three hours Nicholls St; adult/student/child $7/5/3; h11am-
4pm Wed-Sat), a window into the African
Few destinations have as many American experience in Louisiana,
sensational ways to kill time as the which stands out from the rest of the
Crescent City. Its history runs deep, country due to the French-colonial
the colonial architecture is exquisite, connection.
and there’s mouthwatering Cajun
and Creole food, historical dive The Walk » Go southeast along Governor
bars, a gorgeous countryside, and
lashings of great free live music. Nicholls St and turn right onto Henriette Delille St.

Take this walk on Trips Backstreet Cultural Museum

hs New Orleans is often described as both
the least American city in America and
262 the northernmost city in the Caribbean.
This is due to a unique colonial history
that preserved the bonds between black
New Orleanians and Africa and the
greater black diaspora. Learn about
this deep culture at the Backstreet
Cultural Museum (www.backstreetmuseum
.org; 1116 St Claude Ave; admission $8; h10am-
5pm Tue-Sat), a small but fascinating
peek into the street-level music, ritual
and communities that underlie the
singular New Orleans experience.

The Walk » Return to Governor Nicholls St and

continue southeast. Once you cross busy Rampart
St, you’ve entered the French Quarter. Turn right
onto Royal St, a pretty lane with cute art galleries,
antique shops and wonderful architecture.

Historic
New Orleans Collection

The Historic New Orleans Collection
(www.hnoc.org; 533 Royal St; admission free,
tours $5; h9:30am-4:30pm Tue-Sat, 10:30am-
4:30pm Sun) is an interesting museum,
spread over several exquisitely restored
buildings and packed with well-curated
exhibits. Rotating exhibitions are
inevitably fascinating. Separate home,
architecture/courtyard and history
tours run at 10am, 11am, 2pm and 3pm,
the home being the most interesting.

J% Barracks St Decatur St
N Peters St
New Orleans # Governor Nicholls St
African American
# Backstreet
Museum Cultural Ursulines Ave
Museum
THE TREMÉ
St Philip St
Decatur StUrsuline
Chartres St# Convent

N Claiborne Ave Royal St
Bourbon St
Dauphine St
Burgundy St

N Rampart St

Henriette
Delille St
Tremé St
Marias St

N Villere St
Louis Dumaine St Madison St Mississippi River
Armstrong JSacqkusaorne#
FRENCH QUARTER
Park St Ann St

Orleans Ave
St Peter St

VÓU10 Toulouse St Decatur St Woldenberg
Chartres St Park
Historic #
New Orleans

Collection

Royal St Conti St

Bienville St # Café N Peters St
Beignet

e# 0 400 m
0 0.2 miles

The Walk » Continue in a southerly direction on president of the USA. But the real star
is the magnificent, French-style St
Royal St; at the 400 block, you’ll pass the marbled Louis Cathedral, flanked by the Cabildo
magnificence of the Louisiana State Supreme and Presbytere. The former houses a
Court. It’s only about 500ft to the next stop. Louisiana state history museum; the
latter an exhibition on Mardi Gras.
Café Beignet
The Walk » Continue north on Dectaur St for
You’ve likely heard about the beignets
(fired, sugar-covered doughnuts) at three blocks, then turn left onto Ursulines Ave.
Café du Monde. They’re good, but the After one block, turn right onto Chartres St.
place is horribly crowded. Instead,
head to Café Beignet (%504 524 5530; Ursuline Convent
334B Royal St; meals $6-8; h7am-5pm) on
Royal St. Watch pedestrians stroll by, In 1727, 12 Ursuline nuns arrived in
drink your espresso in peace and try a New Orleans to care for the French
beignet; they’re delicious. garrison’s ‘miserable little hospital’
and educate the colony’s young girls.
The Walk » Turn around and turn right on Between 1745 and 1752 the French army
built the Ursuline Convent (1112 Chartres
Conti St, follow it for two blocks, then turn left St; adult/child $5/3; htours 10am-4pm Mon-
on Decatur St. To your right, over the levee, is the Sat), now the only remaining French
Mississippi River. Walk north four blocks to get to building in the Quarter. A self-guided
Jackson Sq. tour takes in various rotating exhibits
and the beautiful St Mary’s chapel.
Jackson Square
The Walk » Walk up Chartres St and turn left
Stroll over to Jackson Sq, the city green
of New Orleans. Lovers’ lanes and on Govenor Nicholls St. From here it’s a half-mile
trimmed hedges surround a monument back to the African American Museum and your
to Andrew Jackson, the hero of the starting point.
Battle of New Orleans and the seventh

263

264

Tennessee
& Kentucky

BOURBON AND BLUES, BLUEGRASS 265
AND HONKY-TONKS, and some of the finest
cities in America: welcome to an undercover
wonderland. Tennessee has three distinct
regions, represented by the three stars on the
state flag. In the east you’ll hike through the
heather-colored Great Smokies. In the middle
you’ll check out the glittering honky-tonks
of Nashville, and in the Delta lowlands of the
west, you’ll dig barbecue and blues.

Kentucky is stitched together with bluegrass
pastures and jutting seams of limestone.
Lonely two-lane roads link distilleries on
the Bourbon Trail, and skirt the breeding
grounds of million-dollar thoroughbreds in
the countryside surrounding Lexington and
Louisville.

Beale Street Neon guitars (Trips 23 and 27)

TETRA IMAGES / GETTY IMAGES ©

Hoosier
National
Forest
ÓVU64 INDIANA Shelbyville
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]# Tupelo

n Elvis Presley Memorial Highway q Tailgate Tour 6 days
3 days A wild ramble linking iconic sports
venues and the parties they inspire.
Rejoice in the king, from humble Tupelo to
glittering Graceland. r Memphis to Nashville 3 days
From Soulsville juke joints to
o Kentucky Bluegrass & Horse beer soaked honky-tonks, music reigns
Country 4 days supreme.

Watch throroughbreds gallop at sunrise s Big Muddy 5 days
on this picturesque journey through Follow the mighty Mississippi River
Kentucky bluegrass. from Memphis to the river mouth.

p The Bourbon Trail 3 days
Taste and tour your way through
America’s finest whiskey distilleries.

266

VÓU75 Huntington ^# DON'T
MISS
Frankfort Paris ]# Charleston
Graceland
^#]Û421 \# ÓVU64
If you only make one
\# Morehead stop in Memphis, make
it the sublimely kitschy,
\# #] Lexington \# Paintsville WEST gloriously bizarre
VIRGINIA home of the king of
GF24 rock’n’roll. Visit it on
Versailles ß`9000
\# Richmond Trips nr

\# \# Berea Churchill Downs

Danville On the first Saturday
in May, the upper-crust
ÓVU75 Daniel Boone VIRGINIA don pinstripe suits and
National flamboyant hats for the
Somerset Forest Jefferson ÓVU81 Ke#\ntucky Derby. Join
\# National Forest
\# them on Trips oq
Lake
Cumberland London Woodford Reserve
\# Corbin
A gorgeous setting
Williamsburg \# Middlesboro Kingsport #] #] Bristol R and some damn fine
Big South Fork \# RMotdgers bourbon await at this
National River and historical site along a
Recreation Area Morristown Versailles creek. Take a

Jam#\estown VÓU75 #]Johnson City taste on Trips op

Oak Jefferson #\ #\ NORTH Stax Museum
Ridge CAROLINA of American
Crossville City #\ Newport Erwin Soul Music
#]
#] ÓVU40 \# Pisgah The legendary Stax
studio is now a museum
\# Knoxville National documenting the rise
Great Smoky of ’60s soul music.
Explore it on Trips
FGMountains
VÓU40 Forest 26 jr

National Asheville \#
Park \# Black
Dayton ÓVU75 Mountain
Cherokee
\# \# National

Athens Forest Nantahala

National
#] Cleveland Ù[74 Forest
Spartanburg
#]

CNhaatitotnahaloochee Greenville #] SOUTH
Forest CAROLINANSautmiotnearl

Forest

GEORGIA SLLiadannkieeeyr e# 0 100 km
0 50 miles

GETTY IMAGES ©

Churchill Downs Running of the Kentucky Derby (Trips 24 and 26) Sun Studio

Guided tours explain
how Johnny Cash,
Roy Orbison andElvis
became stars. See it on

Trips jnrs

267

Beale Street Blues history
writ large

y STEPHEN SAKS / GETTY IMAGES © Elvis Presley
e 23Memorial

Highway

Trace the journey of a king from his humble Tupelo origins to
his nouveau-riche castle in the Memphis suburbs. Along the
way drive the 109-mile Elvis Presley Memorial Hwy.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS 3 DAYS
130 MILES / 209KM
101 miles Km
Sun Studio GREAT FOR...
Become your inner # Memphis
Elvis in his recording B
studio #3
#6 BEST TIME TO GO
117 miles #7
Memphis Rock 'n' April to June, for mild,
Soul Museum lL##1 hospitable climes.
The king’s legacy
placed in cultural Tupelo IESSENTIAL
context Walk the grounds PHOTO
where it all began
118 miles 0 miles Graceland, from the
Graceland shag-carpeted Jungle
Enough said living room to Elvis’
hall of gold records.

K BEST
FOR MUSIC

We’re talking about
Elvis, baby!

269

Elvis Presley TRIP HIGHLIGHT

23 Memorial 1 Tupelo
Highway
Two hours southeast
When Elvis wriggled his hips, women fainted, of Memphis in Tupelo,
preachers raged about damnation and hell-fire, MS, is Elvis Presley’s
and the National Guard stormed in to keep the Birthplace (%662-841-1245;
peace. But before all that, he was just another www.elvispresleybirthplace
working-class kid from Tupelo. When his family .com; 306 Elvis Presley Blvd;
moved to Memphis, the seed of a dream blew adult/senior/child $15/12/6;
into the fertile soil of a musical mind. And a king h9am-5:30pm Mon-Sat,
bloomed. 1-5pm Sun). His 18-year-
old father, Vernon, built
the two-room shotgun
shack in a feverish rush
just before his son was
born. Elvis was actually a
twin, but his brother was
stillborn just a half-hour

4
4Km4#2 Beale Street Bolivar \#
#3 Sun Studio
#4 Lansky Bros TENNESSEE 4

#Memphis #] 5 Overton Park
I# ## GFp330
6 Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum \# \# Middleton
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7 Graceland Grand #\
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äb72

4 Hernando \# [Ù78 äb7

Arkabutle ÓVU55 \# Independence Holly Springs \# Ripley

Reservoir \#
Senatobia\#
Holly Springs
National
Forest

Waterford \#

Hickor\y# äb15
Flat
MISSISSIPPI äb7

LSaarkdeis \# Abbeville [Ù78 New Baldwyn \#

\# Etta \# Albany [Ù45

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Batesville
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\#
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#\ Tupelo
Enid Lake
\# Water Valley e#

0 40 km
0 20 miles

before Elvis arrived on up of the hardware store WC Handy’s home (p330) 23 Elvis Presley Memorial Highway
January 8. The family where he got his first is a museum. Beale St
was soon on government guitar. is also the start of our
assistance and money walking tour (p330).
was scarce. When Elvis The Drive » US 78, aka the
was just three, his father 5 4 p275
was jailed for eight Elvis Presley Memorial Hwy,
months and the family bisects the Holly Springs The Drive » Once you’ve
lost their home. Elvis and National Forest and Wall Doxey
his mother, Gladys – just State Park as it rambles into been bitten by the Beale St bug
22 when she gave birth Memphis in just under two (theoretically), make like Elvis
to her son – attended the hours. and walk for a mile down Beale
Assembly of God church to Myrtle. Make a left and you’ll
in Tupelo, and Elvis often 2 Beale Street find Sun Studio.
hopped off mama’s lap
and ran to the pulpit With a gospel base TRIP HIGHLIGHT
when the choir was rooted in the fertile
rocking, letting the music ground of his mind, 3 Sun Studio
flow through him. You Elvis Aaron Presley and
can visit his childhood his family moved to Welcome to ground
church on a tour of his Memphis, this sultry, zero for rock’n’roll.
Birthplace site, which gritty city on the banks An 18-year-old Elvis
includes a dated section of the Mississippi River, reportedly walked into
of downtown Tupelo when he was 13 years old, SunStudio(%800-441-6249;
known as the Walk of and a whole new world www.sunstudio.com; 706
Life. It includes a mock- opened. The hallelujahs Union Ave; adult/child $12/
of Pentecostal Holiness free; h10:30am-5:30pm)
LINK choirs blended with the and, when asked what
YOUR rhythms of the blues famous musician he most
TRIP singers in the Beale St sounded like, replied (cue
clubs, sounds that would the warbling accent) ‘I
r Memphis later inform his genre- don’t sound like nobody.’
to Nashville bending rock’n’roll. The best part of the
fact-filled tour is the old
Now that you’re steeped Beale St began to form studio itself, where you
in Elvis lore, and in touch into the walking street can pose for pictures on
with the bluesy, soulful filled with nightclubs and an ‘X’ marking the spot
roots that made him good times in the 1890s. where Elvis stood while
the king, head east to WC Handy penned ‘Beale recording his breakout
Tennessee’s other music Street Blues’ in 1916, single, ‘That’s All Right.’
mecca, and feel that and from the 1920s to
country twang. the 1940s greats such as Starting in the early
Muddy Waters, Memphis 1950s, Sun’s Sam Phillips
j The Blues Minnie and BB King all also recorded blues
Highway cut their teeth and honed artists such as Howlin’
their craft here. Elvis did Wolf, BB King and Ike
Now that you’ve indulged the same. These days, it’s Turner, followed by the
in the king of rock, trace less hip and more kitsch, rockabilly dynasty of
his musical roots back but BB King’s (p228), Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny
into the funky soil of the the guitar great’s first Cash and Roy Orbison.
Mississippi Delta. ever blues club, remains Forty-minute tours
a Beale St staple. Rum through the tiny studio
Boogie (p228) is also good offer a chance to hear
for live music nightly, and original tapes of historic
recording sessions.

271

ELVIS PRESLEY ENTERPRISES, INC ©

23 Elvis Presley Memorial Highway

Guides are witty and full 4 Lansky Brothers began to rock them in
of anecdotes; many are his senior year in high
musicians themselves. The posh Lansky school, before he could
Don’t leave without Brothers (%901-529-9070; afford them. By then
grabbing a CD of the www.lanskybros.com; 149 he had already grown
‘Million Dollar Quartet,’ out his sideburns and
Sun’s 1956 jam session Union Ave; h9am-6pm coated and combed his
between Elvis, Johnny hair in Vaseline. These
Cash, Carl Perkins and Sun-Wed, to 9pm Thu-Sat) days, you can buy your
Jerry Lee Lewis. department store once own pink-and-black-
supplied Elvis with his striped ‘speedway’ shirt,
The Drive » It’s less than hi-boy collar shirts and sequined button-up,
gold lamé suits. After or Humes High School
a mile down Union from Sun years of admiring their (Elvis’ alma mater) tee.
Studio to Memphis’ long- threads from afar, Elvis
running fashion depot.

272

Graceland Elvis’ gold and platinum records

The Drive » From here, jog the month he booked In recent years the band
his first stage show at shell decayed and was
over to Poplar Ave, and take it narrowly saved from
for 3 miles through Midtown and Overton Park (Poplar demolition. It reopened
into Memphis’ signature green Ave) in leafy Midtown. as Levitt Shell (www
space. It is said that the .levittshell.org) in 2008,
large crowd made him with a full concert
5 Overton Park so nervous that his schedule.
normal rhythmic stage
After recording with movements became even 5 p275
Sam Phillips, Elvis and more exaggerated. His The Drive » Double back to
his trio performed live legs and hips quaked
for the first time at the and the women in Beale St down Poplar Ave, to
Bon Air Club on July the audience began a museum which places Elvis’
17, 1954. At the end of shrieking with delight. career in cultural context.

273

23 Elvis Presley Memorial Highway THE KING IS DEAD, about $100,000 in 1957,
LONG LIVE THE KING the year after his self-
titled debut record was
Elvis died at home, face-down in the bathroom, on released by RCA.
August 16, 1977, felled by heart failure likely brought
on by chronic prescription drug abuse. He was 42. Press play on the free
He’s buried behind the house, with his parents and audio tour and enter a
grandmother in the Meditation Gardens, next to the shrine to both Elvis and
kidney-bean-shaped pool. his ostentatious 1970s
style. Highlights include
His passing and his life are celebrated across a wood-panelled kitchen
Memphis during Elvis Week (www.elvisweek.com) in where housekeepers
mid-August, when tens of thousands of shiny-eyed once fixed vats of banana
pilgrims descend for seven days of festivities. pudding; a stairwell
This is Weird America. Attend a Viva Las Vegas or covered entirely – ceiling
Aloha From Hawaii screening and dance party, an included – in pea-green
International Elvis Tribute Artist competition, or run shag carpet; the tiki-
an Elvis 5K – sideburns not included. The signature styled Jungle Room, with
event, held on August 16, is a spooky, solemn its faux waterfall and
candlelight march to his grave. leopard-print furniture,
and an epic hall of gold
TRIP HIGHLIGHT rock’n’roll on the song- (and platinum) records.
packed audio tour. Despite never learning to
6 Memphis Rock read music, Elvis made
‘n’ Soul Museum The Drive » If you opt not to 149 top-100 records, and
had 90 albums in the
Elvis didn’t just drive hop the free shuttle between top 100. He sold over a
the ladies wild, he also this museum, Sun Studio and billion records overall,
helped invent youth Graceland, make your way to and produced each one
culture as we know it. I-69 south and exit on Elvis himself.
That’s certainly the Presley Blvd. You’re going
position of the Memphis to Graceland, Graceland in Out back, you’ll find
Memphis, Tennessee! the movie-memorabilia-
Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum filled Trophy Room, the
(%901-205-2533; www TRIP HIGHLIGHT racquetball court, and
.memphisrocknsoul.org; cnr Elvis’ old office. The
Lt George W Lee Ave & 3rd St; 7 Graceland Platinum admission
adult/child $11/8; h10am- includes tours of Elvis’
7pm), part of downtown’s The white-columned private planes, the Elvis
massive FedEx Forum Colonial-style mansion jumpsuit collection
(%box office 901-205-2640; that is Graceland (%901- and the Graceland
www.fedexforum.com; 191 332-3322; www.elvis.com;
Beale Street). It also further Elvis Presley Blvd/US 51; house Automobile Museum
explains how gospel and tour adult/child $33/30, full (%901-332-3322; www.elvis
the blues fed rock’n’roll tour $37/33; h9am-5pm .com; 3765 Elvis Presley Blvd;
and soul music. You’ll Mon-Sat, to 4pm Sun, shorter Graceland admission plus
hear the low, lonely howls hours & closed Tue winter) is museum adult/child $29/15;
of sweet Delta bluesmen, smaller than one might h9am-5pm summer, 10am-
and the skit-skat of early have imagined and 4pm winter; c).
sees 600,000 visitors
a year. A then-22-year- 4 p275
old Elvis bought it for

274

Eating & Sleeping

Beale Street 2 tapas here, and the food is cheap and flavorful.
Per the menu’s suggestions, ‘begin’ with sugar
5 Arcade Diner $ cane shrimp, ‘continue’ with an island jerk fish
club sandwich and ‘keep going’ with jerk chicken
See Trip j (p236). or lamb chops or a guava glazed pork chop.
The space is groovy too, with a eclectic decor,
5 Cozy Corner Barbecue $$ chalkboard wine list, wood floors and friendly
bartenders.
(www.cozycornerbbq.com; 745 N Pkwy; mains 23 Elvis Presley Memorial Highway

$7-12; h11am-9pm Tue-Sat) Slouch in a torn 5 Beauty Shop Fusion $$$

vinyl booth and devour an entire barbecued (%901-272-7111; www.thebeautyshoprestaurant

Cornish game hen, the house specialty at .com; 966 S Cooper St; mains $15-24) All the

this pug-ugly cult favorite. Ribs and wings are many strands that make a contemporary

spectacular too, and the fluffy, silken sweet- restaurant appealing are here. There’s a sleek

potato pie is an A-plus specimen of the classic design, excellent lighting and soundtrack, and

Southern dessert. a creative menu. We love the Thai steak or

4 Lauderdale Courts Inn $$$ the grilled pear salad to start. Mains include

(%901-523-8662; www.lauderdalecourts a mustard crusted brisket, and crispy Peking

.com; 252 North Lauderdale St; Elvis Suite $250) duck served with muddled blackberries and

Sleep in the Elvis Suite, part of a Depression- butternut squash.

era public housing complex where the Presley

family lived at number 328 from 1949 through Graceland 7

1953.

4 Westin Memphis 4 Heartbreak Hotel Hotel $$

Beale Street Hotel Hotel $$$ See Trip j (p236).

(%901-334-5900; www.westinmemphis 4 Memphis Graceland

bealestreet.com; 170 Lt George W Lee Ave; r from RV Park & Campground Campground $

$189) Directly across from the FedEx Forum and (%901-396-7125; www.elvis.com; 3691 Elvis
Presley Blvd; tent sites/cabins from $27/51;
the gateway to Beale St, this is Memphis’ newest pWs) Next to Graceland and owned by Elvis
Presley Enterprises. Keep Lisa Marie in business
and flashiest hotel. Spacious rooms have all the when you camp out or sleep in one of no-frills
log cabins (with shared bathrooms).
four-star trimmings and excellent service.

Overton Park 5

5 Bar DKDC Gastropub $

(www.facebook.com/bardkdc; 964 S Cooper

St; dishes $3-8; h5pm-3am Wed-Sun) It’s all

275

Rural byways Visit thoroughbred estates,
climbing hot spots and historical towns

ADAM JONES / GETTY IMAGES © Kentucky
Bluegrass &

24Horse Country

Drive the scenic byways from Louisville to Lexington and
beyond, stopping to tour storybook country estates, horseride
through the poplar forests and sip the region’s famous bourbon.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS 4 DAYS
264 MILES / 425KM
242 miles 172 miles
Louisville Versailles GREAT FOR...
A touch of progressive Classic Kentucky
hipster panache horse country H

Km Frankfort Keeneland BEST TIME TO GO
Association
##9 # April to June for
running horses; July
lL# Lexington Winchester to September for lush
#6 # # bluegrass pastures.
#
I ESSENTIAL
# #3# #4 PHOTO

Shaker Village at Natural Bridge State Churchill Downs, home
Pleasant Hill Resort Park of the Kentucky Derby.
A blast from the Rock climbing Red
stagecoach past River Gorge K BEST FOR
OUTDOOR
30 miles 110 miles ACTIVITIES

The entire route for rural
roads, backcountry
trails and horses
pounding the turf.

277

Kentucky 1 Lexington

24 Bluegrass & Lexington was once
Horse Country known as the ‘Athens
of the West’ for its
This trip leads from the cradle, or stud ranches, architecture and culture,
surrounding Lexington, to the ultimate winners’ and remains a mecca for
circle at Churchill Downs in Louisville. The secret thoroughbred racing fans.
to the state’s unparalleled success in breeding The 1200-acre Kentucky
and training champions is found underground, in Horse Park (www.ky
Kentucky’s rich limestone deposits. The limestone horsepark.com; 4089 Iron
not only filters water, but its natural fertilizers Works Pkwy; admission adult/
also feed the lush meadows that, in turn, nourish child $16/8, horseback riding
grazing thoroughbreds. $25; h9am-5pm daily mid-
Mar–Oct, Wed-Sun Nov–mid-
Mar; c), on its outskirts,
has a daily Parade of
Breeds; its Museum of
the Horse has life-sized
displays on horses

Ohio River Kentucky River

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through history, and you Fans have been cheering 24 Kentucky Bluegrass & Horse Country5 4 p284
can saddle up on a guided from the stands at this The Drive » It’s a straight 18
trail ride here, too. red dirt track since 1875. Licki
Live races are only held miles from Lexington on US 27,
To tour a working August to October, but past the suburban corporate
stable and training simulcasts and off-track bloom, south to the farming
facility, visit the betting are offered year- town of Nicholasville.
round.
Thoroughbred Center p The
(www.thethoroughbredcenter LINK Bourbon Trail
.com; 3380 Paris Pike; adult/ YOUR
child $15/8; htours 9am TRIP Interspersed between
Mon-Sat Apr-Oct, Mon-Fri Nov- pasturelands and race
Mar), where you can see q Tailgate Tour tracks are Kentucky’s
a day in the life of Derby Continue your fine distilleries, where
hopefuls, from morning pilgrimage into the soul America’s tastiest hooch
workouts to cool-downs. of US sport, and take is crafted and savored.
At night, put your money in some of America’s
on a harness race at the most mythic speedways,
famed Red Mile (www football fields and
.theredmile.com; 1200 Red Mile basketball gyms.
Rd; hraces held Aug-Oct).

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BLAINE HARRINGTON III / ALAMY ©2 Nicholasville TRIP HIGHLIGHT

24 Kentucky Bluegrass & Horse Country Strictly speaking, 3 Shaker Village
the area surrounding at Pleasant Hill
Lexington is what’s The Drive » The longest drive
known as the Inner As you close in on
Bluegrass (or Horse the Shaker Village at of the journey takes you back to
Country), and it has Pleasant Hill (www Lexington on US 68 to I-64 east.
been a center of horse .shakervillageky.org; 3501 At Winchester veer onto KY-
breeding for three Lexington Rd; adult/child 9000 east into the limestone-
centuries. Set on a dead- $15/5, riverboat rides studded Natural Bridge State
end road among wooden $10/5; h10am-5pm) the Resort Park.
houses, broken-down countryside fencing
barns and stunning begins to morph from TRIP HIGHLIGHT
pastures stitched with corral to the stone pile
corral fencing, Sunburst flagstone variety, a 4 Natural Bridge
centuries-old technique State Resort Park
Horsemanship Center that hints at the age of
(%859-224-8480; www this bucolic settlement, Eastern Kentucky’s Red
.sunbursthorsemanshipschool part of an old stagecoach River Gorge is abundant
.com; 1129 Durham Lane; intro mail route since 1839. with jutting limestone
lesson $60; c) isn’t a stud bluffs, or palisades, with
farm, but rather a horse- The village itself craggy faces renowned
riding school that offers offers tours but you can for offering some of
clinics to beginners and take a self-guided tour America’s best rock
experienced riders alike, among the dwellings. climbing. Natural Bridge
from basic horse safety In the early 1800s these State Resort Park (%606-
to advanced jumping softly rolling hills were 663-2214; www.parks
techniques. It also offers home to a communal .ky.gov; 2135 Natural Bridge
fun introductory rides to society of 500 peace-
visiting tourists, which loving men and women.
include instruction on Though the Shakers
how to brush and saddle worshipped God through
a horse, as well as how uninhibited ecstatic
to walk and trot, canter dancing, they practiced
and lope. strict celibacy (probably
why there aren’t any left).
The Drive » To take KY- See their remarkable
craftsmanship in dozens
1268 to the US 68 west into of restored buildings and
Harrodsburg is to enjoy the learn about their history
finest scenery in the state. This at the Shaker Life Exhibit.
narrow two-lane road bisects The Shaker Village Inn
vast pastures, skirts sycamore operates a lovely 3-mile
trees and wraps around hairpin paddle boat ride aboard
bends that overlook cascading the Dixie Belle (adult/
streams. At times the land child $10/5) on the
cleaves and the green Kentucky Kentucky River, which
River snakes along great offers incredible views of
limestone bluffs known as The those stunning palisades.
Palisades.
4 p284

280

Versailles Stud ranch country

Rd; r $70-150, cottages most up-to-date online 5 Keeneland
resource for trail and Association
$100-170) is the most route information. There
accessible of the are also 12 hiking and Second only to Churchill
climbing hot spots in biking trails in the park, Downs in terms of race
this region, thanks to though the majority competition, Keeneland
its abundance of camp- are rather short. The Association (%859-254-
sites and legendary second-longest option, 3412; www.keeneland.com; 4201
climbing shop–pizza the Hoods Branch Trail,
joint. In fact, your first runs for 3.75 miles along Versailles Rd; admission $5)
stop should be Miguel’s the base of the limestone hosts two racing seasons.
Pizza (p284), where cliffs. At 7.5 miles, the The first, in April, is a
you’ll pick up climbing Sand Gap Trail is the prelude to the Kentucky
tips and find out which longest, and runs along Derby, and there’s another
routes may be closed. In an old logging road. It season in October, as well
all, the Natural Bridge takes four to six hours to as at least two mega horse
region offers 20 different complete. auctions that attract
climbing routes ranging big-money buyers from
in difficulty from 5.9 5 4 p284 around the world. The
to 5.13b. Red River The Drive » Double back to thick bluegrass turf on
Climbing (www the infield and gorgeous
.redriverclimbing.com) is Lexington, then head west on stone grandstand steep
the area’s best and Versailles Rd to Keeneland.

281

24 Kentucky Bluegrass & Horse Country the place in history. parts) is simply stunning numerous champions.
Show up early on race horse country. Think Free 30-minute tours of
day and you may see the rolling pastures, stone the Stallion Complex are
horses work out from pile and corral fencing, available and require a
6am to 10am for free. and gorgeous stallions reservation at least one
Every Saturday during and steeds basking day in advance. And if
race season, Keeneland in pre-eminent stud- you took a beating at
offers a Sunrise Trackside ranch country. One zip Keeneland or Red Mile,
tour that begins with a through the area may drown your sorrows
full breakfast at 7am and be enough to make you with a taste of Woodford
includes a two-hour tour jealous of said horses Reserve (p292). Its
of the facility. put out to stud, if not magnificent distillery can
their stable mates (and be found among these
The Drive » From Keeneland there are plenty of them). pastures and streams,
Among the thoroughbred and is worth seeing.
take US 60/Versailles Rd then ranches you’ll find here,
KY-1967 through the rolling WinStar Farm (%859- The Drive » The countryside
pastureland and past corrals full 873-1717; www.winstarfarm
of horses. stays verdant and luscious as
.com; 2605 Paynes Mill Rd; you roll west on the two lane KY-
TRIP HIGHLIGHT 1681 to US 62 west to Midway.
htours 1pm Mon, Wed &
6 Versailles Fri) is arguably the most 7 Midway
accomplished. Family-
The landscape around owned since the 1700s, Diminutive Midway is the
the quaint town of this 1864-acre ranch has state’s first railroad town
Versailles (pronounced born, broken and trained and home to Kentucky’s
Vur-sails, in these here only all-female college,
Midway College. It’s
DECADENT AND DEPRAVED darling and historical,
with railroad tracks
Muhammad Ali may be Louisville’s favorite son, running down the middle
and for good reason, but Hunter S Thompson – of a restored Main St (just
while certainly an acquired taste – is no slouch. one long block), freckled
After bouncing around newspapers in the ’60s, the mostly with antique
Good Doctor discovered his way-out voice with an galleries. Age-old wood,
essay for the obscure literary journal Scanlan’s brick and stone homes dot
Monthly in June, 1970, entitled ‘The Kentucky Derby the undulating streets on
is Decadent & Depraved.’ Widely considered his both sides of a town that
first gonzo journalism piece, the possibly insane, makes a worthy diversion,
certainly drunken (or worse) writer became central and with its surprisingly
to the tale. The essay follows his misadventures tempting and cheerful
in and around his native Louisville during Derby kitchens, it is a terrific
weekend, and in the throes of what he later place for lunch or dinner.
confessed to be the darkest days of his life. In fact,
he thought his career was over, though it would soon 5 p284
launch. British illustrator (and would-be long-time The Drive » Take the US
collaborator) Ralph Steadman was along for a ride
that included the hijacking of press passes, the 62 east to Leestown Rd, hang
spraying of mace, the hoodwinking of rubes and a right on KY-1685 and a left
the discovery of a darkness lurking deep inside. It’s on US 460, all of which are
hilarious, of course, and a must-read. thin, two-lane strips through
rolling countryside that lead to
Frankfort.

282

8 Frankfort GRASS IS GENERALLY GREENER 24 Kentucky Bluegrass & Horse Country

About an hour east of Kentucky’s Bluegrass Region covers the north-
Louisville is Kentucky’s central part of the state, including the cities of
tiny capital, Frankfort. Lexington, Frankfort and Louisville, and is home to
The Thomas D Clark half the state’s population. Yet, despite the name, the
grass is not actually blue. Poa pratensis, or Kentucky
Center for Kentucky Bluegrass, gets its name from the bluish-purple buds
History (Kentucky Historical it sprouts in early summer, which, from a distance,
Society; www.history.ky.gov; can give the fields a slightly sapphire cast.
100 W Broadway St; adult/
child $4/2; h10am-4pm TRIP HIGHLIGHT the Kentucky Derby is
Wed, to 8pm Thu, to 5pm Fri known, is the longest-
& Sat) is a museum with 9 Louisville running sporting event
over 3000 artifacts on in America, and has
display, tracing the state’s Louisville is Kentucky’s been held at Churchill
story from prehistoric most engaging and Downs (www.churchilldowns
settlements to the progressive town. The .com; 700 Central Ave) on
emergence of Muhammad number of incredible the first Saturday in
Ali. Architecture buffs kitchens multiplies May for the past 138
will want to tour the every year, especially years. Though most seats
Old State Capitol (www in the engaging NuLu are reserved years in
.history.ky.gov; 300 W area, where there are advance, if you’re around
Broadway; adult/child $4/2; numerous galleries and on Derby Day you can
htours 3pm Wed & Fri, 3pm boutiques to explore. pay $50 to get into the
& 4:30pm Thu, 10:30am, noon, Check them out on the overflowing Paddock
1:30pm & 3pm Sat ), which area. Nobody gets turned
looks positively quaint, First Friday Trolley Hop away! Though don’t
though it was the seat (www.ldmd.org/First-Friday- expect to see much of the
of power from 1830 to Trolley-Hop.html; Main & race. You will see plenty
1910. Learn more about Market St; h5-11pm, 1st Fri of big hats, seersucker
how America’s many of the month). Downtown suits and perhaps the
wars affected Kentucky parallels the Ohio River, wildest party in America.
at the Kentucky Military and is a wonderful Churchill Downs is
History Museum (www stroll for fans of sports worth a visit at any time
.history.ky.gov; 125 E Main St; and culture alike. The of year, whether you’re
adult/child $4/2; h10am-4pm interested in its history –
Wed, to 8pm Thu, to 5pm Fri & Muhammad Ali Center on display at the
Sat), housed in the former (www.alicenter.org; 144 N 6th
State Arsenal, built in St; adult/senior & students/ Kentucky Derby Museum
1850. And you can visit child $9/8/5; h9:30am-5pm (www.derbymuseum.org; Gate
Daniel Boone’s grave in Tue-Sat, noon-5pm Sun) is a 1, Central Ave; adult/child
the Frankfort Cemetery revelation; ‘Confidence’ is $14/6; h8am-5pm Mon-Sat,
(E Main St). an incisive exhibit about 11am-5pm Sun) – or you
how Ali’s swaggering wish to glimpse training
The Drive » Take the slow bravado signified a true rides, warm-up races
self-love. and simulcasts, available
road, US 60, through the from April to November.
Arcadian countryside and the Louisville is also, of
town of Shelbyville where you’ll course, the crown jewel 5 4 p284
pick up KY-1848 for your last of horse racing. The
gasp of agrarian vistas. Head Run for the Roses, as
south on I-264 to the I-64 west
into Louisville.

283

Eating & Sleeping

Lexington 1 Natural Bridge
State Resort Park 4
5 Table Three Ten New American $$$
5 Miguel’s Pizza Pizza $$
(%859-309-3901; www.table-three-ten.com;
310 West Short St; dishes $8-32; h4:30- (%606-663-1975; www.miguelspizza.com;
11pm Mon-Fri, 11am-3pm Sat, 11am-9pm Sun)
24 Kentucky Bluegrass & Horse Country Prohibition-era cocktails? Check. Farm- 1890 Natural Bridge Rd, Slade; mains $10-15;
to-table cuisine? Check. Hipster waitstaff?
Indeed. Every day farmers pull up in old h7am-9:45pm Mar-Nov) The legendary Red
pick-ups hauling baskets of rabbits, hens, pork
shoulder and veggies – the raw material from River Gorge pizza joint/climbing shop/climbers
which Lexington’s best chefs work. Mains are
listed on the blackboard, and all the dishes are hang. Come for decent pies and expert tips on
imaginative and flavorful. To start, they have
a full charcuterie menu, fine cheeses, grilled area trails and climbing routes. It’s closed from
Spanish sardines and offer a popular lobster
mac and cheese. December through February.

4 Hemlock Lodge Lodge $

(%606-663-2214, 800-255-7275; www.parks

.ky.gov; Hemlock Lodge Rd, Slade; r $70-150,

cottages $100-170) The choice sleep in the

Red River Gorge area. Here are 35 simple yet

5 Village Idiot Gastropub $$ comfortable rooms in a mountain lodge with

(%859-252-0099; www.lexingtonvillageidiot. private balconies overlooking the pool and

com; 307 West Short St; dishes $7-17; h5pm- surrounding beauty. Cottages are nestled in the

midnight Sun-Wed, to 1am Thu-Sat) Hip young forest and have full kitchens. Rooms offer daily

foodies descend for dishes comfy and familiar, maid service. Not so for cottages.

but with a twist. Think duck confit and waffles,

or scallop and foie gras Benedict. The baked Midway 7

brie, wrapped in phyllo dough and drizzled in 5 Holly Hill Inn New Southern $$$

fig vinegar, is transcendent. It has a decent (%859-846-4732; www.hollyhillinn.com; 426
N Winter St; 3-course brunch & lunch/dinner
bourbon selection, too. menu $18/35; h5:30-10pm Thu-Sat, 11am-2pm
Sun year-round, plus 11am-2pm Fri & Sat spring
4 Gratz Park Inn Hotel $$ & summer) This winsome 1845 Greek Revival
estate, nestled beneath the oaks, houses
(%800-752-4166; www.gratzparkinn.com; 120 one of the best restaurants in Kentucky. The
married chef-owners serve a simple but elegant
W 2nd St; r from $179; paW) On a quiet multicourse brunch or dinner of wholesome
soups, handmade pastas, locally raised meats
downtown street, this 41-room hotel feels like a and farmstead cheeses.

genteel hunt club, with mahogany furnishings

and old-world oil paintings in heavy frames, and

a baby grand in the lobby. It’s the only boutique

choice downtown.

Shaker Village Louisville 9
at Pleasant Hill 3

4 Shaker Village Inn Inn $$ 5 Garage Bar Gastropub $$

(%859-734-5611; www.shakervillageky.org; (www.garageonmarket.com; 700 E Market St;

3501 Lexington Rd; r from $100; pW) Set in dishes $7-16) The best thing to do on a warm

the village’s old trustee office, with its elaborate afternoon in Louisville is to make your way to

double-helix stairwell, rooms are large, lovely this uber-hip converted NuLu service station

and full of light, with high ceilings, wood (accented by two kissing camaros) and order

furnishings and two rockers to read/snooze in. a round of basil gimlets and the ham platter: a

284

tasting of four regionally cured hams, served in a different dimension. Video screens
with fresh bread and preserves. Then move on project your distorted image along with falling
to the menu that ranges from the best brick- language on the wall as you wait for the elevator.
oven pizza in town to pork meatballs and turkey Chandeliers made from scissors dangle weirdly
wings, and rolled oysters that are divine. in the hallways. Sexually suggestive sculptures
in the lobby make even normally unflappable
5 Hillbilly Tea Appalachian $$ guidebook authors blush. Urban-loftlike rooms
have iPod docks and mint julep kits in the mini-
(%502-587-7350; 120 S First St; dishes $10-17; fridge. The hotel restaurant, Proof on Main, is
one of the city’s hippest New Southern bistros.
h10am-9pm Tue-Sat, to 4pm Sun) An excellent- Parking is $18.

value little diner off Main St, it specializes in

Appalachian food with a modern twist, which

means you may find smoked catfish served over 4 Brown Hotel Hotel $$$ 24 Kentucky Bluegrass & Horse Country

smashed potatoes, cornish hen over brussels See Trip p (p294).

and parsnips, and its grilled moonshine pork

loin looks fantastic. There’s a muscular tea

menu too, with over 20 varieties, but you’ll be

forgiven if you order the craftsman hooch and a

beer chaser.

4 21c Museum Hotel Hotel $$$

(%502-217-6300; www.21chotel.com;

700 W Main St; r from $269; paW) This

contemporary art museum–hotel would be edgy

anywhere; in laid-back Louisville, it’s practically

Woodford Reserve Venerable
distillers in historical surrounds

RICHARD CUMMINS / GETTY IMAGES © The Bourbon

25Trail

They say there’s a bourbon for everyone: fiery, stern or with
honey droplets of heart-opening heat. Visit the distilleries and
taverns of Bluegrass Country, and discover yours.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS 126 miles 3 DAYS
Woodford Reserve 178 MILES / 286KM
0 miles Drop-dead beautiful
Louisville and damn smooth GREAT FOR...
Rejoice in ‘the greatest
of all time!’ H

Ll##1 mK#7# BEST TIME TO GO
Lexington
##2 ## Spring and summer,
##3 Versailles though bourbon
works any time of
Jim Beam Bardstown day/month/year.
Enjoy a digital pour of Willett is a lovely
high-proof elixir family-run, small-batch I ESSENTIAL
26 miles craftsman distillery PHOTO
45 miles
Woodford Reserve,
the most beautiful
distillery in the state.

K BEST FOR
SOUTHERN
CUISINE

Sipping something
dark, smooth and
complex after (or
before) dinner.

287

25 The Bourbon TRIP HIGHLIGHT
Trail
1 Louisville
A golden inch of bourbon, silky and mellow with
notes of wood and vanilla, is Southern living in a Best known as the home
glass. Bourbon was first distilled by a Lexington of the Kentucky Derby
preacher in 1789, and over 80% of the world’s (p283), Louisville (or
supply is still produced in the state. While all Louahvul, as the locals
bourbons are whiskey, not all whiskeys are say) is an up-and-
bourbon. Bourbon must be made with at least 51% coming, progressive city
corn, and aged for at least two years. (Kentucky’s largest) with
good eating kitchens,
period architecture, fine
museums, leafy streets
and some fabulous bars
where you may want
to sip a little bourbon.
After giving downtown
museums, like the
fabulous Muhammad

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Ali Center (p283) and pour craftsman stuff namesake hooch won’t 25 The Bourbon Trail
Frazier International that’s hard to find, and wow whiskey snobs,
History Museum (www you can taste it before you’ll soon learn that
.fraziermuseum.org; 829 W you buy it, for $5 a hit. If the Beam family has a
Main St; adult/student/child you’d like a deeper pour history of small batch
$10.50/7.50/6; h9am- and a longer linger, head bourbons. Jim Beam
5pm Mon-Sat, noon-5pm back downtown to 21c ages all its bourbon for
Sun), a look, head to Museum Hotel (p285), at least four years, twice
NuLu, Louisville’s where you can peruse the legal minimum.
nearby arts district. edgy modern art and Longer aging produces
You can taste the good head into upscale Proof a deeper, smoother
stuff at, well, Taste (p294) to sample superb character. Absorb the
(%502-409-4646; www cocktails and sip from a whole operation on the
.tastefinewinesandbourbons fine bourbon list, which 80-minute tour, or do a
.com; 634 E Market Street; may include special self-guided walk along
tastings $4-8; h11am-8pm editions of Van Winkle. the grounds then head
Tue-Wed, noon-late Thu & Fri, to its fabulous, digitized,
10:30am-late Sat), a high- 5 4 p294 automated tasting room.
end wine and bourbon You’ll get a half-shot of
shop on Market St. They The Drive » From Louisville two bourbons. Beam
makes Knob Creek
ÓVU75 head south on I-65 for 24 miles, (good), Knob Creek
head left on KY-245S and make Single Barrel (better),
FG\#Midway 26 another left on Happy Hollow Rd. Basil Hayden’s (velvety)
and the fabulous
mKÓVU64 TRIP HIGHLIGHT Booker’s (high-proof
enlightenment), which is
#Ù[60 8#] Lexington 2 Jim Beam best described as damn
smooth with rocket
The world’s largest and boosters.
best-known bourbon
distiller is Jim Beam The Drive » Double back to
(www.jimbeam.com; 149
Happy Hollow Rd; tours per KY-245 and head south for 15
person $8; h9am-5:30pm miles, and head right on Hwy
Mon-Sat, noon-4:30pm 31E into Bardstown.
Sun). And though their

GF24 LINK
YOUR
[Ù68 TRIP

[Ù27 o Kentucky q Tailgate Tour
Bluegrass & Now that you have
Horse Country your bottle of bourbon,
follow the nearest sports
Bourbon and horses go fan to the basketball arena,
together like mint juleps and horse track or football
the Kentucky Derby. Take stadium, and do sip before
some time to visit legendary the action begins.
race tracks and watch the
horses fly. So to speak.

289

LUC NOVOVITCH / ALAMY ©TRIP HIGHLIGHTbarrel. Elsewhere on
campus, 7th-generation
25 The Bourbon Trail3 Bardstown master distiller Craig
Beam holds the keys
There are seven major to 16% of the world’s topped – their aroma
distilleries within a 50- bourbon supply, and you dizzying and tempting.
mile radius of Bardstown, can certainly smell it in
while the town itself, the air. 5 4 p294
with its weathered The Drive » The ride from
red-brick Georgian Willet (%502-348-0899;
churches and fairytale www.kentuckybourbonwhiskey Bardstown south on KY-49 offers
stone cottages, belongs the most beautiful countryside
to a different era. For .com; Loretto Rd; tours $7; at this end of the bourbon trail.
an overview of bourbon Narrow roads wind through
history, head to the htours 10am, 11:30am, 1pm, classic wooded rolling horse
Oscar Getz Museum of country braided with corral
Whiskey History (www 3pm & 4pm Mon-Fri, 10am, fencing. Follow it south for 8
.whiskeymuseum.com; 114 N miles, then head east on KY-52
5th St; donations appreciated; 11:30am, 1pm, 2pm & 3pm Sat; for nearly five more.
h10am-4pm Tue-Sat, noon-
4pm Sun), housed in a 12:30pm, 1:45pm and 3pm
former Civil War hospital. Sun), launched in 1936 and
still family-owned, acted
Heaven Hill (www as a subcontractor for
.bourbonheritagecenter.com; larger labels for decades,
1311 Gilkey Run Rd; tours $3-5), bottling its family recipe
one of Kentucky’s largest for another brand’s pay
distilleries, is best known check. Then, in January
for its Evan Williams 2012, the grandson of the
label. But its higher- label’s founder and the
end (and higher-proof) new 31-year-old master
offering, Elijah Craig, distiller quit law school
is what gets whiskey and began bottling
converts salivating. Willett under the family
Heaven Hill caters to name once more. You’ll
visitors with its Bourbon enjoy the hour-long tour
Heritage Center displays through the 120-acre
on bourbon history, an property, which includes
educational film and a a prolonged look into the
tasting bar inside a huge newly refurbished chalet-
like distillery, where big
WHISKEY TEA stainless-steel corn-
mash cookers, and seven
10,000-gallon stainless
steel fermenters, are open-

Whiskey tea is a staple of church picnics and family 4 Maker’s Mark
reunions in the Bluegrass State. Ask one of the
distilleries if you may buy a freshly dumped oak South of the Bardstown
aging barrel. Take it home and fill it with 10 to 15 distilleries, Maker’s
gallons of hot tea, then allow it to sit in the sun. At Mark (www.makersmark
least a quart of whiskey will leach out of the wood, .com; 3350 Burks Spring Rd;
giving the tea flavor and kick.
tours $7; h10am-4:30pm
Mon-Sat, 1-4:30pm Sun) has

290

Maker’s Mark Classic Kentucky bourbon

been operating at the mill, the 1840s master drive it is, with dogwoods
same site, near the town distiller’s house and the sprouting in the springtime and
of Loretto, since 1805. old-fashioned wooden outrageous fall color when the
This makes perfect sense, firehouse with an weather turns cold.
since the distillery sits antique fire truck. Watch
on a 10-acre limestone- oatmeal-esque sour 5 Four Roses
filtered, spring-fed mash ferment in huge
lake, providing the cypress vats, see whiskey In Lawrenceburg, Four
pure water used in the being double-distilled in Roses (%502-839-2655;
distilling process. In copper pots and peek at www.fourrosesbourbon.com;
fact, Kentucky’s natural bourbon barrels aging in 1224 Bonds Mills Rd; h9am-
limestone filtration – you old wooden warehouses. 4pm Mon-Sat, noon-4pm Sun,
will see karsts jutting At the gift shop you can closed summer) sits on the
here and there in the even stamp your own banks of the Salt River.
countryside – is precisely bottle with the iconic Check out the unique
why distillers can craft red-wax seal. architecture – red-roofed
such a fine product here. Spanish Mission–style
Touring Maker’s Mark The Drive » From Maker’s buildings like these are
is like visiting a small, rarely seen in this neck
historical theme park, Mark, head northeast on KY-429 of the woods. For years,
but in the best way. to KY-152 to KY-555, and finally Four Roses was only sold
You’ll see the old grist KY-9002 towards the town of overseas and some labels,
Lawrenceburg. It’s about an
hour’s drive, and what a pleasant

291

25 The Bourbon Trail like its Platinum, are still sits on Wild Turkey Hill TRIP HIGHLIGHT
only available in Japan. overlooking the Kentucky
But the company made a River. More industrial 7 Woodford
triumphant US comeback and less self-consciously Reserve
in 2002, when for the old-fashioned than some
first time since the 1960s of the distilleries, Wild Set just outside the town
you could actually have Turkey offers a frills-free of Versailles (pronounced
a Four Roses Manhattan tour of the facilities. If locally as ‘vur-sails’
in Manhattan. Take you’re lucky, you’ll get despite the spelling and
a walking tour of the to meet master distiller the area’s Louisiana
distillery and have some Jimmy Russell, who’s Purchase history),
free sips afterwards in worked here since 1954. Woodford Reserve (www
the tasting room. Note Wild Turkey is made .woodfordreserve.com; 7855
that the distillery shuts slightly differently from McCracken Pike; tour per
down in summer, but most bourbons, aged in person $7; h10am-5pm) is
the gift shop and visitors a heavily charred barrel one of the most beautiful
center remain open. You for extra-deep amber distilleries in the state.
can also call to arrange color, with very little You are smack in the
a free private tour of the water added at the end of middle of thoroughbred
aging warehouse, about the process. stud country, on a 700-
an hour away in Cox’s acre ranch originally
Creek. The Drive » Backtrack on settled in 1812. That’s
when the owners, who
The Drive » No need to leave US 127 then get ready for were cattle ranchers,
more deep beauty, because started distilling for
Lawrenceburg for your next Versailles – a thoroughbred themselves and made
tipple. Just follow US 127 north epicenter – is laced with their first 10 barrels.
for 9 miles. streams and swathed in Two decades later
Kentucky bluegrass, which there were nearly 2000
6 Wild Turkey you’ll glimpse, point and shoot distilleries operating
as you roll east on US 62, which in the Kentucky hills,
The Wild Turkey (www intersects with the stunning with a still for every 200
.wildturkey.com; Hwy 62 KY-1659 in historical Versailles. citizens. The Woodford
E; h9am-3pm Mon-Sat, Head north on KY-1659 to Reserve label was
noon-3pm Sun) distillery Woodford Reserve. launched much more
recently, in 1996. It’s
THE KENTUCKY known for its 72% corn
BOURBON FESTIVAL mash concentration,
and triple copper pot
This annual Bardstown shindig draws whiskey distilling method, which
aficionados from all over the world. The weeklong it claims removes three
festival (www.kybourbonfestival.com; Bardstown), held times as many sulphates
each September, includes taste tests from local as single distilled
distilleries, bourbon barrel relay races, liquor- products. Critics might
infused cooking demos, and bourbon and cigar counter that it hurts its
dinners. Kids will dig the historical train rides flavor. We enjoy it. And
and night-time ghost tours of old Bardstown. its new Double Oaked
And everyone can get into a competitive round label, which hit shelves
of Kentucky’s state game – cornhole (a sort of in 2011, is aged an extra
beanbag toss). six to 12 months for a

292

IT GETS BETTER WITH AGE 25 The Bourbon Trail

The years that go by matter. Time adds accent and detail. We get older, sure, and
with it our character deepens, becomes more complex and interesting. The same
is true of bourbon. In fact, you can’t actually even call it ‘bourbon’ until the whiskey
has aged. Before then it’s called ‘green whiskey.’ Most widely available bourbons
are aged no longer than eight years, but some ultra-premium labels are aged 14,
16 or even 21 years. With each turn of the calendar, the bourbon gets just a little bit
darker and often a hell of a lot smoother.

Kentucky, as it happens, has the perfect climate for aging bourbon. Hot
summers cause the whiskey to expand into the wood of the barrel, where it sucks
up toasty, caramelized flavors, which are released when the liquid contracts during
the cold winters. The barrels sit, stacked several stories high, in wood and metal
‘rackhouses’ that dot the central Kentucky landscape like massive barns. You’ll
see them at all the distilleries; unsurprisingly, these barn-like facilities are highly
flammable, and several distilleries, including Jim Beam and Heaven Hill, have had
apocalyptic fires in the past several years.

smooth and smoky finish downtown has some the quirky Headley-
that’s pretty special. pretty Victorians and Whitney Museum (www
intriguing restaurants. .headley-whitney.org; 4435
The Drive » Go slow and It’s also home to an Old Frankfort Pike; adult/
up-and-coming bourbon student $10/7; h10am-5pm
take the Old Frankfort Pike – a label, Barrel House Wed-Fri, noon-5pm Sat & Sun),
national scenic byway – from Distilling Company (www a jewelry designer with
Versailles to Lexington. Head .barrelhousedistillery.com; a remarkable collection
south on KY-1659 to US 60 east of stones, trinkets, doll
to the US 62 to the Old Frankfort 1200 Manchester St; hnoon- houses and sea shells.
Pike. History buffs will want to
5pm Thu & Fri, 11am-3pm Sat visit the childhood home
8 Lexington & Sun), a micro-distiller of Mary Todd-Lincoln
set in the barrel house of (www.mtlhouse.org; 578 W
Lexington is home to the now defunct Pepper Main St; adult/child $10/5;
million-dollar houses Distillery. It bottles h10am-4pm Mon-Sat). You
and multimillion- moonshine, vodka and know, Abe’s wife. And
dollar horses. Once the a product called ‘oak if it’s basketball season,
wealthiest and most rum’ and is currently catch a KU game at Rupp
cultured city west of the maturing barrels of Arena (p304).
Allegheny Mountains, it bourbon. Rumor has it
was tagged ‘the Athens that the first bottle of 5 4 p295
of the West’, and is the smooth stuff may
home to the University be ready in 2014. Before
of Kentucky. The small leaving town, stop by

293

Eating & Sleeping

Louisville 1 Bardstown 3

5 Eiderdown Gastropub $$ 5 Old Talbott Tavern American $$

(%502-290-2390; www.eiderdowngernantown (%502-348-3494; www.talbotts.com; 107 W

.com; 983 Goss Ave; dishes $4-17; h4-10pm Stephen Foster Ave; mains $8-20; h11am-8pm

Tue-Thu, 11:30am-11pm Fri & Sat, noon-10pm Sun-Thu, to 10pm Fri & Sat, bar to 1am Thu-Sun)

25 The Bourbon Trail Sun) When this Kentucky born, 30-something, Daniel Boone and Abe Lincoln passed through

French-trained chef fled the corporate confines this old limestone tavern, now a restaurant,

of a local Outback kitchen, he envisioned this inn and bar. With worn wooden floors, stone

exposed-brick, dark-wood destination pub walls and beamed ceilings, it does basic dishes

suffused with the aroma of duck-fat popcorn, like a chicken caesar wrap, and a BLT with

cabbage, bacon, and spaetzle – a melange fried green tomato on top, as well as a catfish

of root vegetables and sausage dripping sandwich and a slow-roasted pot roast. The

with sage butter. It’s in the still gritty, mostly food is fair, the history intriguing. It has good-

residential corner of Louisville known as value rooms and suites upstairs, too.

Germantown. 5 Chapeze House Inn $$$

5 Proof New Southern (%502-349-0127; www.chapezehouse.com; 107

(%502-217-6360; www.proofonmain.com; 702 E Stephen Foster Ave; bourbon tasting dinners

W Main St; mains $17-36; h7-10am, 11am-2pm $30-99, cottages $99-169; hby arrangement)

& 5:30-10pm Mon-Thu, to 11pm Fri, 7am- Michael Masters (known only as ‘the Colonel’)

3pm, 5:30-11pm Sat, to 10pm Sun) Arguably will lead you through a tasting from his

Louisville’s best restaurant, and certainly its collection of more than 100 premium and

most lauded, the cocktails here are special, the vintage bourbons. Afterwards, wife Margaret

bourbon (they’re known to pour from special Sue, president of the Kentucky Bourbon

barrels of Woodford Reserve and Van Winkle) Cooking School, will serve a homemade feast in

and wine list is long and satisfying, and mains the candlelit dining room of their lavish Federal-

range from a bone-in pork chop to a succulent style mansion. The Masters are so well known

bison burger to a high-minded take on chicken for their expansive Southern hospitality (the

and dumplings. The art is loud and inspired, Colonel’s drawl is frequently heard on the Food

the servers hip and deadly serious, and the bar Network and Fine Living) they’ve earned the

crowd well dressed and festive. title ‘the Host and Hostess of Kentucky.’

4 Brown Hotel Hotel $$$ 4 Jailer’s Inn Inn

(%502-583-1234; www.brownhotel.com; 335 (%502-308-5551; www.jailersinn.com; 111 W

West Broadway; r from $250; paW) Opera Stephen Foster Ave; r $125) Sleep in a former cell

stars, queens and prime ministers have trod in the Old Nelson County Jail, now outfitted with

the marble floors of this storied downtown floral wallpaper and antique furniture. Not to

hotel, now restored to all its 1920s gilded mention impenetrable stone walls.

glamor with 293 comfy rooms and a swank bar.

Parking is $18.

294

Lexington 8 5 Table Three Ten New American $$$
Hotel $$
5 A la Lucie Bistro $$$ See Trip o (p284).

(%859-252-5277; www.alalucie.com; 159 N 4 Gratz Park Inn

See Trip o (p284).

Limestone St; mains $19-30; h11am-2pm

Tue-Fri, 5-10pm Mon-Thu, to 11pm Fri & Sat)

An intimate and whimsically decorated bistro

serving the classics: a lamb shank here, steak

frites there. Don’t overlook the white wine and

herb braised Kentucky rabbit. The local choice

on date night.

Talladega Superspeedway
America’s fastest NASCAR circuit

ZUMA PRESS, INC. / ALAMY ©

26Tailgate Tour

Visit the holy temples of Southern sport, where fanatics
converge to visualize, embrace and celebrate victory…before
the game even begins.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS 6 DAYS
1250 MILES /
696 miles 1240 miles 1250KM
Louisville
Ali, basketball and the Cameron Indoor GREAT FOR
greatest party of them Stadium
all Love Duke or hate ’em, G
this is a college
##4 basketball institution BEST TIME TO GO
# Lexington
February when
# #7 basketball heats up,
and September when
Knoxville mK# football kicks off.

Ll Chapel I ESSENTIAL
Hill PHOTO
# Athens
Talladega Motor
# ##3 #2 Speedway, one of the
iconic sports venues.

Tuscaloosa Talladega K BEST FOR
The best football party, Superspeedway HISTORY
and the best football Impresses even the
team in the SEC non-race fans Feeling the gravity (or
275 miles self-importance) of US
173 miles sports history.

297

26 Tailgate Tour

In the American south, football is king, car racing is a constitutional right
and basketball is a religion. The most legendary venues have become
pilgrimage sights for devoted fans who, before the lights shine, the whistle
blows and the flag falls, gather in college quads, nearby sports bars and
parking areas to make questionable dietary choices and rejoice in the teams
they love. Join them, won’t you?

Louisville FG ß`#Frankfort
]#4 VÓU64 ^#
#INDIANA VÓU64

ILLINOIS Evansville ]# ]#5 Lexington
MISSOURI Henderson ]#
]# Owensboro 25 9000

`ß9001 VÓU75

Bowling VÓU65
Green]#
Paducah KENTUCKY

]#

Hopkinsville ]#

#] Kingsport ]#

Clarksville ÓVU24 VÓU75
Nashville ^# VÓU81

#VÓU40 Oak Ridge ]# ]#6
Knoxville
]# Murfreesboro VÓU40
VÓU65
]#Jackson [Ù24 TENNESSEE ÓVU75
Columbia ]#

]# Memphis Chattanooga ]# Cleveland

#] Corinth ]#

#] Huntsville

Oxford Tupelo ALABAMA GEORGIA lL

Û]]# ]# Ù[22 ##]1
278 VÓU65
äb41 Athens
]# Gadsden

MISSISSIPPI ]#

West Point ]# ÓVU20 Atlanta

Birmingham ]# ÓVU20
#H #p300 [Ù82

#Tuscaloosa
XWÕ459 #\2

]#3 VÓU20 Talladega
Superspeedway