Kentucky is famous for bourbon, horse racing, and fried chicken, but the state has far more to offer than its stereotypes. The landscape ranges from the rolling Bluegrass region around Lexington — home to thoroughbred horse farms and distilleries — to the rugged Appalachian foothills in the east, where the Red River Gorge offers some of the best rock climbing and hiking in the eastern United States.
Mammoth Cave National Park, in the south-central part of the state, contains the longest recorded cave system in the world, with more than 400 miles explored and mapped. The Cumberland Gap, where Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia meet, was the gateway through the Appalachian Mountains for the settlers who opened up the American interior.
Louisville is the largest city and home to the Kentucky Derby, the most famous horse race in America. Frankfort, the small state capital, sits on the Kentucky River surrounded by bourbon distilleries. The Bourbon Trail takes you through the countryside to distilleries where you can see how the spirit is made and, of course, taste it.
Harrodsburg, south of Lexington, is the Bluegrass history stop: frontier Kentucky at Old Fort Harrod, Shaker architecture at Pleasant Hill, and limestone river country along the Kentucky River palisades.
Shelbyville, between Louisville and Frankfort, adds American Saddlebred horse country, bourbon distilleries, and a small downtown with real Bluegrass texture.
