Tennessee-Kentucky Road Trip

---

Geo: 38.5578, -90.6457

September 10-23, 2007
 
DAY ONE (9/10)-KENTUCKY LAKE

We loaded our new SUV to the gills and headed out about 7:30 am.  We drove east on I-64, south on I-57, south again on I-24 through Illinois to the Kentucky Visitors Center (Whitehead) in Paducah. We continued south to exit #31, one of four exits for Kentucky Lake, a large TVA dam that regulates the flow of water from the Tennessee River into the Ohio.

We drove a section of the Trail Road that heads south in the Land between the Lakes (i.e., Kentucky and Barclay). We took something marked "scenic drive" in the Kentucky Lake National Forest.  Nothing was boring; but nothing was exceptionally scenic.

We met Bonita Bay friends Linda and Max McDade, of Fulton, TN, at Kentucky Dam Village Resort Hotel for lunch overlooking the lake. Mediocre food but good view.

We then played 18 holes of golf at KY Dam Village golf course, part of the KY State Parks Golf Trail. It was decent, with some very pretty holes (notably par-3 #7), but in the shape you might expect for a state-maintained, highly utilized public course.

We had dinner at Patti's 1880 Settlement in Grand River. Tasty meal (esp. the pork chops) with a killer chocolate pecan pie.  Following dinner, we wandered through the cute shops and the beautiful grounds which included a gristmill with lovely lighting and landscaping. We're told there are many weddings performed here.

We finished our day heading west along Highway 45 in the rain to Fulton to spend the night at the McDades.  Fulton is in Kentucky and Tennessee; the state line splits it.  Our friends live in South Fulton, or Tennessee.
 
 
DAY TWO (9/11 - MEMPHIS

We checked into the Hampton Inn & Suites at Beale Street (173 Peabody Place), the #1 ranking Hampton Inn in the country.  We have a king-bed suite and it's just lovely.

I had wanted to take the MOJO tour of Memphis on Miss Clawdy, a 50s-vintage bus filled with blues musicians who entertain as you visit all the "blues" spots Memphis is so famous for. Tour doesn't run on Tuesdays after Labor Day so we settled for a half-day city tour by Blues City Tours.

Sights in Memphis are spread out.  And Elvis got around. We saw where he bought his Cadillacs, was originally buried, yadda, yadda, yadda. We saw Graceland from the outside; heard about Heartbreak Hotel, saw endless numbers o tacky places trying to get rich on the legend of The King.

We made actually stops at the wall at Graceland, the Visitors Center near the Mississippi River, St. Jude's Hospital, Beale Street and the Peabody Hotel for the duck parade at 5 pm. We drove by Sun Studio, Memphis Rock N Roll Museum, National Civil Rights Museum, etc.

Following the duck sighting, we headed over to Charlie Vergo's Rendezvous, famous for its dry rub pork ribs.  Yummy, yummy, yummy.  Highly recommend.  It's very casual (menu is printed on paper placemats) and very limited and very reasonable.
 
 
DAY THREE (9/12): MEMPHIS

After complimentary breakfast at the Hampton Inn, we headed off to Graceland.  I played Paul Simon's song and was amused by the line, "For reasons I can't explain, there's a part of me that wants to see Graceland."  I threw a few Elvis songs in for good measure, then the "mansion" was upon us. 

Mid-day in September is an ideal time to visit.  No lines at all.  We walked into the lobby of the Heartbreak Hotel (underwhelming), checked out our first gift shop, got our obligatory photo taken in front of a mural o Graceland and the musical note gates and shuffled off to a shuttle bus on our tour of the country's second most visited sight.

Above all else, it was kitschy. Smaller than I had anticipated. Decorated fine fashion but with little taste, from blue stained glass peacocks in the living room to the jungle throne chairs in the family room, it is something else.

Most interesting to us personally was the "shrine" portion o the tour ... the tributes and the collection of things all things "King".  Gold records, white jeweled jumpsuits, photos with presidents and endless paraphernalia and trappings of his kingdom.

Most amusing (with apologies to the truly faithful) was the Memorial Garden and all the tributes around his grave that remained from the 30th anniversary of his death a month ago. Lovely, tasteless mementoes that brought a smile to your face.

We declined the opportunity to see his autos, his planes, etc. and headed straight to the 4 gift shops which sold everything imaginable, all delightfully kitschy as well.   I bought scrapbooking items, so my day was complete.

We then stopped at Sun Studios where Elvis recorded his first song.  They were responsible for many hits including Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and more. They gave us a tour of their memorabilia, played some songs we hadn't heard in years.  One was a song called "Just a Walkin' in the Rain" by the Prisonnaires, a quintet of five actual prison mates who returned to prison after their one hit.

We toured the studio, learned about a reunion of Lewis, Cash, Perkins and Presley that they recorded in 1955. I had my photo taken with the kind of microphone they all slung around on a standing poll.

Following lunch at the hotel, we headed to the National Civil Rights Museum, which was very interesting and very impressive. Lots of displays, lots of history splattered at you. We saw the Loraine Motel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray.
Dinner was at Automatic Slim's Tonga Bar, a Caribbean club located opposite the Peabody on 2nd Street.  Very tasty (I had the whole roasted snapper).

After dinner we headed to Beale Street where we took in Silky O'Sullivans.  Barbara Blue, highly recommended by my niece Allison, entertained us.  She was a delight. Loved her song "Lake Charles". Might be easier to listen to her facing away. She's frenetic.
 
DAY FOUR (9/13): CENTRAL TENNESSEE

After breakfast at the hotel, we headed out of Memphis, through Jackson, to Clifton to play Jack Nicklaus' Bear Trace course at Ross Creek Landing. Interesting course, as you would expect form Jack, with some really challenging holes.

We then headed east 40 miles to take Natchez Trace north from almost the southern border of Tennessee into Leiper's Fork and Frank where the pioneer trail to Natchez started.

Franklin was the scene of one of the bloodiest of the Civil War battles (1964).  We visited Carnton Plantation, which served as a field hospital for the wounded.  Three Confederate generals died there.  We also toured the McGavock Confederate Cemetery. 

Franklin itself is a cute historic town with a central core of restored buildings.  It looks so quaint and remote, but as we headed north we learned it is now a southern suburb of Nashville.
We checked into the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and dined at Old Hickory Steakhouse which was quite good but quite pricey ($50/head).

The hotel itself is amazing. Almost 2900 rooms, all of them filled this week.  Huge convention facilities. Gorgeous indoor landscaping.  Unfortunately, it's near nothing.  It's worth seeing but it's terribly inconvenient unless you're attending a business meeting here.
 
DAY FIVE (9/14): NASHVILLE (overcast and mid-80s, clearing in afternoon)

We are at Opryland on a "vacation" package that includes 2 room nights, 1 buffet breakfast for two, 2 tickets to the Grand Ole Opry (preferred seating), 2 to the Country Music Hall of Fame, 2 to the Ryman auditorium, 2 free drinks at Wildhorse Saloon and 2 tickets for the Delta Riverboat Ride through the Opryland grounds.

Our breakfast was in the Cascades Restaurant off the lobby where a huge waterfall cascades nearby.  And there is a lily pad area in the pond for a band to perform.

We packed up for the day and headed net door to Opry Mills where Patrick bought a golf bag to replace the shoddy one he brought along.  I checked out Off 5th but the only thing I bought was Starbucks.

Next was The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's home before and after his presidency.  It is beautifully maintained; it's one of the most impressive restored homes we've seen.  Well worth the visit.  There are acres of land, a beautiful garden with their burial spots, original log cabins and slave quarters.  Oh, an introductory film and a museum.

We then headed downtown to the Country Music Hall of Fame.  Again, very interesting.  Wish we had done the audio tour - I'm sure we would have heard even more music.  But the gold records, the country star clothing (Porter Wagoner's, Dolly's were something else), Elvis Solid Gold Cadillac and a special exhibit on Ray Charles were all fascinating.  Don't miss it.

We walked to the Ryman Auditorium where the Grand Ole Opry returns in November.  Sort of interesting to see; had our picture taken on stages with the GOO backdrop.  Not sure it is worth the time or the $10.

Our last stop was Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, a legendary club that features music all day long.  The group playing during our visit was very enjoyable.

We did driveby's of several other National sights: Fort Nashborough, Vanderbilt, Wildhorse Saloon, etc.

We had intended to stay downtown for dinner but we were exhausted so we headed back to the hotel.  Before we parked, I ran into the Willie Nelson Museum and General Store where I bought a Willie Nelson bandanna with attached braids.  A kitchy souvenir.

Before dinner, we took the Delta Riverboat Ride that was included in our "vacation" package. Learned a lot about the hotel and got some great pictures.

Dinner was at a mid-priced restaurant ($25/head) called Water's Edge Marketplace, which is a buffet featuring a variety of stations. I loved it; Patrick was underwhelmed.

We then did the 20-minute walk to the Grand Ole Opry.  I headed into the museum (free) which more of the same stuff we had seen at CMHF and the Ryman.

The show was awesome.  I didn't know what to expect but I was delighted.  It is broadcast live on the radio and on the internet.  It's four 30-minute segments, commercials and all.  Each segment is hosted by a different star.  First segment's host was Porter Wagoner. Second, Little Jimmy Dickens. Third, CMHF Bill Anderson. Fourth, Diamond Rio.  All 13 acts were enjoyable but two of the newcomers we found especially appealing were Danielle Peck and Chris Young, who won USA Network's Nashville Star competition.
This was so much fun I would definitely do it again.
 
DAY SIX (9/15) FAIRFIELD GLADE

We started off a gorgeous day with golf at Gaylord Springs, designed by Larry Nelson.  Awesome track nestled between the Cumberland River and the river bluffs.  We were paired with Joe and Kathy Sells who travel to Florida near our winter home.  Hopefully we will catch up with them again this winter.

Patrick bought two shirts on sale in the pro shop before we headed east on I-40 (two hours) to Fairfield Glade. The town of Crossville has really grown up since we were last here 5-6 years ago.
We stayed with former St. Louisans Carole & Bill Burton and had a lovely and relaxing time.  Carole fixed a yummy Weight Watchers dinner and we played games for many hours.
 
DAY SEVEN (9/16) FAIRFIELD GLADE

We had breakfast at Burtons' and headed to FG Dorchester Club for a round of golf. Day was lovely; my game was not.  I think I'll sit out the rest of the golf rounds.  Four times in one week is more than my tolerance levels will allow.

WW dinner again at Burtons and more games.  Great fun and a nice relaxing way to break-up a driving trip.
 
DAY EIGHT (9/17) CHATTANOOGA

Travel: US127S to Pikeville and then east a bit on the Trail of Tears (TN60) but when there weren't any apparent historical sites or markers, we swung back and continued south on 127 through the Sequatchie Valley, then headed east on TN111 to Soddy-Daisy along another scenic drive.  We took US27 into Chattanooga, passing into the Eastern Times Zone.

Lookout Mountain is a destination we pass four times a year driving to and from St. Louis and Florida.  Patrick visited as a child and I might have visited with my grandfather when I was 10 but it was time we saw it again.  Supposedly you can see 7 states from up there (TN, AL, GA, KY, NC, SC, VA).

We rode the Incline Railway up the mountain (72 degree incline at one point) and walked the three blocks to an interesting electronic 3-D presentation on the Civil War "Battles for Chattanooga".

We visited the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, the National Park's first, which was created in 1890 to preserve and commemorate these battlefields.

We opted not to visit Ruby Falls because we have done Missouri's Meramec Caverns and the rep Ruby Falls has is that it's cheesy.

We did do Rock City, the destination promoted on so many roadside rooftops.  It was prettier than I imagined ... it's actually made up of massive ancient rock formations, gardens with 400 native plant species, and breathtaking panoramic views. The Enchanted Trail was worthwhile; the Fairyland Caverns were a joke.

In 1932, founders Garnet and Frieda Carter opened their garden to the public. From Lover's Leap to Fat Man's squeeze, Rock City is quite interesting.  There's a  Swing-A-Long bridge that spans nearly 200 feet.

Before heading to our hotel, we swung by the Chattanooga Choo Choo, which is actually now an attraction at the Holiday Inn downtown.  You can stay in club cars when you register at the hotel.  And, of course, you can have "dinner in the diner, nothin' could be finer.
We checked into the Hilton Garden Hotel on Chestnut which is quite nice with really good bedding but hard to control room temperatures.

We walked to Big River Grill on Broad for dinner, which I had read about in USA Today because of its down home cooking.  Despite my dieting, I ordered Low Country Shrimp and Cheese Grits.  It was yummy, but a diet buster.  I recommend the restaurant highly.

DAY NINE (9/18) SCENIC BYWAYS/CASHIERS, NC
Travel: I-75N and TN60E (again) to the Scenic Byway to Ducktown. TN68N on the Cherohala Scenic Byway. TN143E, 28E, US19N to Cherokee.  Blue Ridge Parkway east from its starting point at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountain NP, to US 23S through Sylva, NC107S to Cashiers, NC

The Ocoee byway offered lovely views of the river and the lakes that it forms.  The early morning sun was magnificent on the leaves and the water. Along the way, we made a stop to photograph a lovely river with lots of stones in the bed.  It turns out it was the river for the canoeing events in the 1996 Olympics headquartered in Atlanta.  The river depth is controlled by a dam, so they could fill it for the events.

We headed north on 68 to Tellico Plains where we began our tour of the Cherohala Skyway, one of three national scenic byways in Tennessee.  Our favorite stop was the Bald River Falls which was not on the main drive.  It was worth the side trip.

It was a lovely drive along a ridge road but I have to admit that most of the scenic overlooks produced the same view: multiple ridges of blue mountains with a limited view of a heavily-pined, very deep gorge.  You would never be able to tell the photos I took at each stop from one another.

The drive took much longer than we had planned so we decided to postpone the trip through the Great Smokies until Thursday.  This freed up our time to explore Cherokee, NC at the south entrance.  We visited the Museum of the Cherokee which had the history of the tribe and a lot of information on the Trail of Tears, when federal troops made them move to the New Territory in Oklahoma.  Very educational.

We pulled out of Cherokee at the entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway which runs through North Carolina and Virginia, almost to Washington DC.  We took about a 20-mile drive, but again, the photos looked much like those of the morning's skyway, except for the very pretty tunnels.
We headed south through Sylva and into Cashiers, NC to visit our Bonita Bay friends Susie and John Akitt.  They have a lovely home in the mountains in a gated community called Chattooga Club.  The views from every window are spectacular.

We had dinner at a nearby restaurant called The Orchard featuring fresh mountain fare.  A lovely day, but an exhausting amount of driving
 
DAY TEN (9/19) CASHIERS

John and Patrick played golf at their club, Wade Hampton in Cashiers.  Patrick said the course was just gorgeous and quite challenging.

Susie and I headed to Brevard where they have a very impressive scrapbook store.  We then swung the other way and went to lunch in Highlands at Wild Thyme.  Quite tasty.
We did a little shopping at Christmas Cottage in Highlands. I learned later that the bookstore there carries a line of photo cards by my friend Diane Walker. It includes a photo of our Golden Retriever Sundance with four tennis balls in his mouth called "Ball Boy".  I would have croaked if I had discovered it accidentally.

 We then did a little more mountain sightseeing along the road to Franklin.  It's a very winding, highly bluffed road that parallels the Cullasaja River Gorge.  There were beautiful falls; I took many photos.  We stopped at some other falls (including Bridal Veil) and other overlooks, took photos of a meadow of beautiful pink wildflowers and headed home.

We had dinner outdoors on the porch of the Chattooga Club.  It was quite scenic and tasty as well. The temperature dropped but the outdoor warmers did the trick.
A lovely ending to a lovely stay.
 
DAY ELEVEN (9/20):

We had an early departure from Cashiers, heading north toward the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains.  Took a few pumpkin photos of displays in Cashers and then got to the GSMNP.  Surprisingly, there is no admission charge, perhaps because the main drive through is a state road.

Views from Webb outlook were spectacular in the morning (about 9 am).  "Smoke" settled in between the ridges of the mountains.  You know why they call these "smoky" and "blue ridge".
On top there is the boundary between NC and TN and more spectacular views.  We headed down quickly and sped through Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, except for a Christmas store in each.

Most of the rest of the day was spent traveling north: through Knoxville, some Eastern Kentucky towns like Corbin and Renfro.

We stopped in Berea, a college town.  We visited the College Craft Center and the Kentucky Alliance o Crafts.  We also drove through the Old Town but it lacked interest.  Didn't buy anything but the works in both places were quite awesome.

We headed west along a scenic byway to Danville, KY, which sports some very cute, very old, very dense site downtown called Constitution Square.

We checked in at Beaumont Inn, a 100-year-old inn in Harrodsburg, KY, just south of Lexington.  It was quaint, with antiques in the rooms but a king bed and wireless internet. Dinner in the inn's dining room proved to be the epitome of southern hospitably: fried chicken, cured ham, mashed potatoes, etc. Not dietetic but yummy.
 
DAY TWELVE (9/21): BLUE GRASS COUNTRY

We back-tracked along small roads through Nerinx and Gethsemane to New Haven, south to Hodgenville, KY61N to Elizabethtown, East on the Martha Laine Collins Bluegrass Parkway to Bardstown, US150N, I-265W,  I-65N into Louisville. Not at all an efficient driving day.

We had the breakfast buffet at the hotel that was included in our room rate (quite reasonable, BTW). We checked out in time to see the sun come up over the Shaker Village in Harrodsburg.
Further east, we visited Keeneland Race Track.  We spent time circling the area on Bluegrass scenic byways, taking photos of horse farms, barns, and horses of course.

We stopped at Keeneland, taking in horses and jockeys on their morning workout.  We stopped at the gift shop, wandered through stables areas.  Wish we had a guide as we belt like the reverse of a cowpoke in NYC.

We headed downtown to the University of Kentucky, taking in the central campus, including the Rupp Arena.  We drove around Gratz Park and took in the many Victorian homes nearby.
Next we headed down the Bourbon Trail to Bardstown. We passed up LaBrot and Graham in favor of the Maker's Mark Distillery in the remote location Loretto.  It was a fascinating tour and made for some great photos.

While in Loretto, we stopped and photographed the Loretto Monastery for Nancy Pautler (she sent us on a wild good chase looking for what she calls bathtub Marys) and the Trappist Abbey at Gethsemane, in honor of my dad who all threatened to run away there to get some peace and quiet.

We traveled through Hodgenville and Elizabethtown along the Lincoln highway to see Abraham Lincoln's boyhood home.

We then went back to Bardstown (should have down that earlier in the day on the way to Maker's Mark) where I took photos of "My Old Kentucky Home".

We arrived Louisville late afternoon and checked into 21C Museum Hotel at 700 West Main Street, downtown near the Ohio River.  Very very nice property which combines a hotel with a museum.  There are red penguins everywhere (above the entrance, in the hallways, etc.).  Rooms are very contemporary but nicely appointed with awesome bedding. There is a wide flat screen TV, iPod/player, refrigerator, exposed brick wall, contemporary windows, etc.  Even an ergonomic desk chair.  And a yellow ducky in the tub.

We dined at Vincenzo's Italian restaurant two blocks away.  Quite good (a 3-star Mobil restaurant). We stopped at the Louisville Slugger Museum and photographed the multi-story bat outside.
 
 
DAY THIRTEEN (9/22) LOUISVILLE

To my delight, we when stepped out of our room this morning, the red penguins had all moved.  There were more on the landing above the entrance, the one on our floor was having a timeout in the corner and one greeted us in the elevator.

We had breakfast at 21C's Proof restaurant where there were more penguins and some thought-provoking art.

We walked over to the Louisville Slugger Museum and Manufacturing Facility.  I bought "bat" souvenirs.  We didn't have time for the 30-minute tour but I got some great photos of lobby items and you can actually see into the plant through picture windows from the street.
At 10 o'clock we made our way to Churchill Downs were we had a delightful personal tour (Insiders' Tour) of the jockey area, the race track and the Twin Spires clubhouse.  It was fascinating.  90 minutes in all.  Learned a lot.  Got to see a lot.

The Kentucky Derby Museum, which offers the tours, has lots of memorabilia, from trophies to silks to ladies' fancy Derby Day chapeaus. Rich picture taking.  And don't miss the video, which starts at dawn at Churchill Downs but flashes back to foals being borne and destined to run in the Derby.  Includes a lot of footage of jockeys, races, winners and the whole horse industry.  It was very emotional and beautiful, and very informative. We loved our entire visit.

There is also a backstage tour which we chose not to take because we had just done stables, training sessions and up-close meetings with horses yesterday at Keeneland. Shortly afternoon, we headed west to St. Louis, exhausted but delighted with our trip.
 
TOTAL MILES: 2,203

---