Kentucky Pictures, Events, Restaurants
Naturally, The Homeplace is more than just an awesome gift shop and you’d be completely off your rocker to just go to the gift shop without stepping back in time on their beautiful authentic working farm.
When you DO go, say hi to the chickens for me. They’re friends of mine.
More 1850’s Homeplace on Genuine Kentucky:
I work full time (from home) in our family-owned web-publishing business. I publish over 20 websites/blogs and spend each of my days online surrounded by news stories, articles, technology, “plugins,” blog themes, and… most importantly… coffee and chocolate. Lots and lots of coffee and chocolate. When it comes to websites, mobile devices, e-readers, and anything remotely “tech-y,” few things really surprise me any more. In fact, after so many years doing this, it takes something pretty darn cool to impress me.
What I’m telling you about today actually made me pause and think, “Well, that’s just cool.”
Needless to say, it’s always best to see a city, state park, or other attraction in person. There’s nothing like walking around a town, taking pictures, and meeting its people to give you a real “feel” for what makes the town special, but the second best option is to see the city virtually.
That’s where A Walking Tour of Kentucky comes in. If you can’t make it to one of the three cities highlighted (Louisville, Lexington, or Frankfort) in person, you can visit them and enjoy a “walking tour” thanks to the Look Up America! series. These virtual walking tours serve several great purposes.
When it comes to education and/or entertainment – these tours are pure gold.
Look Up America! Description:
There is no better way to see Kentucky towns than on foot. And there is no better way to appreciate what you are looking at than with a self-guided walking tour from the LOOK UP, AMERICA! series. All walking tours from walkthetown.com are available for your favorite tablet or mobile device. Look Up, Kentucky! includes walking tours of Louisville, Lexington and Frankfort.
The Look Up, Kentucky! walking tour ebook (Look Up, Kentucky! Walking Tours of 3 Towns In The Bluegrass State
A walking tour can be many things. Interested in heritage tourism? Looking for an educational day trip for the kids? Need a fun exercise plan? Want to find subjects to take great photographs? These Kentucky walking tours are ready to explore when you are.
Doug Gelbert, who has authored over 400 such walking tours, describes a mix of historical, architectural, cultural and ecclesiastical Kentucky landmarks. Street addresses and step-by-step directions lead the way. A quick primer on identifying architectural styles seen on Kentucky streets is included.
For more information about each of the Kentucky Cities, click on the following links:
A Walking Tour of Lexington, Kentucky (Look Up, America!)
A Walking Tour of Louisville, Kentucky (Look Up, America!)
A Walking Tour of Frankfort, Kentucky (Look Up, America!)
For more information about the Look Up, Kentucky! Walking Tours of 3 Towns In The Bluegrass State, click the link.
The Sheltowee Trace National Recreational Trail is the longest trail in Kentucky. The Sheltowee Trace trail is named in honor of Daniel Boone, the pioneer who hiked through Kentucky in the 1700’s on hunting trips.
Sheltowee, or Big Turtle, was the name given to Boone by the Shawnees who captured him. This is why signs along the Sheltowee are blazed with the popular turtle logo.
Beginning in Tennessee at Pickett State Park, the trail stretches north from the Big South Fork National Recreation Area up through the Daniel Boone National Forest to just beyond Morehead, Ky. Some 269 miles of the trace’s 282 miles are found in Kentucky.
The Sheltowee Trace is often described as the backbone to the Daniel Boone National Forest. The forest is broken into four ranger districts: Cumberland, London, Redbird and Stearns. The Sheltowee Trace travels through all but the Redbird district.
Many hike the Sheltowee in sections, and a few brave adventurers tackle the entire trace at once. This trail is very popular as a training location for longer hikes such as the Appalachian Trail, the North Country Trail, the Continental Divide Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail. Each of these trails is more than 2,000 miles in length, and the Sheltowee Trace gives hikers an idea of an extended hiking experience without ever being too far removed from developed areas.
Two of Kentucky’s most popular lakes for boating and fishing are located along the Sheltowee Trace. Laurel River Lake and Cave Run Lake attract thousands of visitors each year. Laurel River Lake continues to improve as a top destination for smallmouth and walleye, while Cave Run Lake has long held its reputation as the Muskie Capital of the South.
One truly exclusive attraction along the Sheltowee Trace is the Red River Gorge National Geological Area. This area is home to some of the most unique geological formations anywhere in the country. Due to the numerous cliff faces and rock outcroppings, the Red River Gorge has become a world-renowned climbing destination. There are several outfitters in the area that serve rock climbers, as well as places where people can climb on their own. Natural Bridge State Resort Park, with a lodge, cottages, campground and restaurant, serves as an excellent rest stop in the gorge.
Along with hiking, there are sections of the Sheltowee that are open to other users. Mountain bikers and equestrians have access to certain sections, as well as numerous spurs and adjacent trails.
There are four campgrounds that cater to horseback riders. White Sulphur is located in the Cumberland Ranger District, Little Lick in the London Ranger District and Barren Fork and Bell Farm campgrounds are in the Stearns Ranger District. ATV users will also enjoy a designated ATV/OHV campground at White Sulphur in the Cumberland Ranger District. The entire Redbird Ranger District’s trail system is also designed for use by ATV riders. There are several popular mountain bike trails surrounding Cave Run Lake, just outside of Morehead. The most popular single track for mountain biking on the Trace is from KY Hwy. 80 south to Laurel Lake and back.
There are several places to access the Sheltowee Trace, and many of these locations are working on enhancing their trailheads and services offered to trail users. Some of the communities the trace goes near include Morehead, McKee, Slade, Livingston, and Stearns.
Several towns throughout the national forest have begun to work towards becoming a certified Kentucky Trail Town through the Kentucky Office of Adventure Tourism. A Trail Town certification will signal to visitors that these locations have the needed services and accommodations one may need while enjoying the Sheltowee Trace or any of the other recreational activities in the forest.
“These Trail Towns should greatly enhance what is an already memorable trail experience on the Sheltowee Trace,” said Elaine Wilson, director of the Office of Adventure Tourism.
There are plenty of things to see and experience along the Sheltowee Trace, and the Sheltowee Trace Association works hard to keep the trail in the best possible condition.
“Over the past three years we have seen a significant increase in the number of users on the Trace, not only locally but from surrounding states,” said Steve Barbour, director of the Sheltowee Trace Association. “Volunteers are stepping forward to help us in our work to preserve, protect, and promote the Sheltowee Trace. The promotional efforts of the Office of Adventure Tourism and the development of the Trail Town initiative have significantly raised the awareness that this great trail, Kentucky’s Long Trail, is available and within easy driving distance for weekend or vacation activities.”
The Sheltowee Trace Association hosts a website and helps organize trail work days and group hikes. To learn more about all it does, visit www.sheltoweetrace.org. For questions about the Daniel Boone National Forest and any of the recreational opportunities it offers, visit the website at www.fs.usda.gov/dbnf.
For information about outdoor activities in Kentucky, as well as a calendar of events, visit the Office of Adventure Tourism’s website at www.getoutky.com. Also, be sure to like them on Facebook, www.facebook.com/KYOutdoorAdventure, and follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kyadventures!
We have a lot of things to be proud of here in Kentucky. Our horses, basketball, hospitality, and food just to name a few. I think we can also be kind of proud of the outrageous things associated with our state. I don’t know how many times I’ve read about something kind of “out there” or unusual, only to discover that the story was connected somehow to Kentucky.
I guess all you can say is we know how to keep things interesting.
Our great state is associated with the word and/or color blue a great deal:
Of course you’ve heard of these. But have you read about the Blue People of Kentucky?
In a clear case of Kentuckians keeping things interesting again, it seems there was a woman in Kentucky, Luna Fugate who was “blue all over.” One of her relatives described Luna as, “the bluest woman I ever saw.” In 1975, Luna Fugate’s grandson (Benjamin “Benjy” Stacy) was born. Like his great-grandmother, the baby was born with a blue tinge. Methemoglobinemia is the name of the condition which causes the skin to take on a lovely shade of blue.
As talk of a blood transfusion took place, Benjy’s grandmother told doctors not to panic, that he simply looked like the “blue Fugates of Troublesome Creek.”
The Blue People of Kentucky aren’t limited to Benjy and Luna. In fact an entire family from isolated Appalachia were blue. Apparently, their ancestral line began six generations earlier with a French orphan, Martin Fugate.
Martin Fugate came to Troublesome Creek (near Hazard) from France in 1820 and… well… he happened to be blue. He married a Kentuckian named Elizabeth Smith, who also carried the blue gene, so to speak. Four of their seven children were blue.
Like many small communities of that time, a lack of railroads and limited travel into or out of the community caused it to remain very small and very isolated. Cousins married cousins and, like spilled paint from a can, the blue gene spread.
Luna, of course, came from the Fugate line. One of Martin and Elizabeth Fugate’s blue boys, Zachariah, married his aunt. One of their sons, Levy, married a Ritchie girl and had eight children, one of these children was Luna.
Luna married John E. Stacy and they had 13 children. Luna lived a long life, dying at the age of 84.
Apparently the arrival of coal mining in Kentucky in 1912 led to the Fugates moving away from Troublesome Creek. Thereby causing the blue people begin to disappearing.
Read more about the Blue Fugates of Troublesome Creek (It’s a must read!).
Photo Credit for the picture at the top of the page.
Owensboro Ghost Tour: The Miller House
Are ghosts real? Do you believe in ghosts? Cool questions, right? And with today being Halloween, I can’t think of a better time to ask these questions. It’s also the perfect time for a Ghost Tour!
My family and I had a great time last night at The Miller House. They ran a special where you enjoyed a meal – vegetable soup, potato chips, and a burger – while listening to wonderful ghost stories and got to meet “Mr. and Mrs. Miller” (as they were portrayed by a couple of wonderfully entertaining hams).
Mind you, the food wasn’t up to the Miller House’s usual standards. Their regular food is to absolutely die for (poor choice of words while talking about ghosts). If anyone ate the burgers and soup last night who has not eaten at the Miller House before… take it from me, this was not their typical burger or cuisine. This is actually one of the best (and most beautiful) restaurants in the entire area.
It doesn’t really matter, though, the burgers weren’t the main attraction. The atmosphere, ambiance, and stories were. The ghost stories were told by Owensboro’s ghost expert, David Wolfe. He does a wonderful job with these tours and ghost stories.
I hope you’ll visit his website, Haunts of Owensboro, and go on his tours asap. I did not realize it at the time – I really wish I had – but you can actually tip David Wolfe at the end of the tour. Had I known, I’d have certainly done so. Not only did he help make our Halloween more special, he is doing a great service for our town and community. Anything that draws people to Owensboro benefits us all. He obviously puts a great deal of time and research into his tours and it shows. When you go, be sure to tip!
I’m more of a history buff than a ghost buff, and the tour absolutely fascinated me. To learn about men and women who lived in Owensboro, Kentucky years and years ago is nothing short of fascinating. To walk in the steps they walked in and see the big beautiful houses in which they lived (and live?) made this history buff’s arm hairs stand at attention.
Did you know that the last public execution actually happened in Owensboro, Kentucky? A new hotel (on the riverfront) is being built on the site of this execution. The man executed was Rainey Bethea – for the murder of a 70 year old woman. On the tour, we were shown where her house once stood – a parking lot is there now. A gentleman in the group raised his hand and said he remembered when the execution happened. He said he wanted to go watch, but his mom wouldn’t let him.
Good call, mom.
David Wolfe has done so much research for his ghost tours and knows so much about Owensboro’s rich history. It’d be amazing if he did History Tours as well as Ghost Tours. A local museum should line him up for Historical Tours throughout the year. No ghosts… just history. Believe me, it’s fascinating.
Warning: If you’re easily scared or “creeped out,” you probably should stop reading now and go have a cup of tea. Just be sure to add a little honey… maybe a squeeze of lemon…
In this post you’ll find a couple of pictures I took from the evening. The picture at the top of the post was taken in front of The Miller House at the end of the tour. Mr. Wolfe told us about a few mysterious (and a few not so mysterious) deaths that occurred in this very home. Apparently a gardener was murdered on the grounds one evening – and no one has any idea why. To this day no one knows why anyone would want this man dead. Mrs. Miller is believed to have died in her beloved house.
What’s more, over the years, there were a few more deaths within the home.
It was all very interesting, whether you believe in ghosts or not.
As I said, the picture at the top was taken at the end of the tour. It was the last picture I took. The one below was taken only a second or two before the one at the top. You can see “Mr. Miller” in the doorway and can tell he had only barely moved.
I say all of this simply to bring your attention to something in the bottom part of the picture – toward the right. I can’t claim to know what the blur is. There was nothing on my camera lens or it would have shown up in the other pictures. I have not altered the picture or done any effects to it whatsoever.
There wasn’t anything there. There wasn’t any smoke…. nothing. And yet…. something.
Sometimes all that’s left to be said is, Happy Halloween!
You’ll notice in quite a few of the pictures something ghost chasers call “orbs” – little inexplicable circles of light (energy… whatever you want to call them). They claim that these orbs are evidence of spirits or ghosts. Again, whether you’re a skeptic or believe in ghosts, you have to admit, the orbs were all over the place in a few of these pictures.
You’ll notice a big beautiful yellow home in the second and third pictures. The present owner defined what Kentucky hospitality is all about. He brought out a big bowl of candy and let us all get our chocolate fix. Instant hero.
More Pictures from the Tour (You don’t know how badly I wish I’d taken more):
Again, go to Haunts of Owensboro and find out when the next tour is… then grab your camera and go, baby, go!
