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FAMILY TRAVEL DESTINATION -
BLUEGRASS COUNTRY
KENTUCKY, TENNESSEE AND WEST VIRGINIA
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Kentucky and Tennessee and West Virginia bridge several worlds, from the eastward Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River on the west. In between are the major cities of Knoxville, Louisville, Nashville, Chattanooga and Memphis. Each has a unique flavor and good reasons for a visit.
Many defining periods in U.S. history are reflected in Bluegrass and Appalachian country. This was Cherokee country and the beginning of the Trail of Tears; the Appalachian and Smoky Mountains evoke the early settlers and pioneer days; Kentucky and Tennessee were major players in the Civil War and the site of far too many battlefields; the Tennessee Valley Authority epitomizes the country's struggles to recover from the Great Depression; Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry are the heart of 20th- and soon 21st-century American country music; Memphis encompasses Mississippi lifestyles with riverboats and muddy-water blues; while the Ohio River bordering northern Kentucky was probably the strongest section of the Mason-Dixon Line and sported its own river life. Another sort of river life you'll find in the region is whitewater rafting. Small companies are tucked here and there, so if this is a type of adventure you want to try out, check with the tourist departments.
Slow down when you're driving with the kids through a quiet wooded area and come upon a marked historical site-you may have happened upon a cabin of Daniel Boone's or a link in the Underground Railroad.
Translating all this into a family vacation is more fun than challenge. There's great outdoor sporting in the mountains, as well as on the many rivers and lakes. Cultural and musical events await you in the country and in the cities. Civil War buffs may choose to start their explorations in Chattanooga, where General Sherman began his own march. When you go to Nashville, you will want to include Nashville and at least do a little "star-gazing."
And how can you go to Bluegrass Country and not enjoy a little horse racing-or THE horse race-the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville. But even if you don't make it to a big race, the vast expanses of bluegrass fields with young foals frolicking is a fine sight, and the power of the yearlings and two-year-olds running their own races across meadows could turn anyone into a racing aficionado.
But wherever you go in Bluegrass Country you are likely to be struck by the natural beauty and be tempted to just kick back for a while to enjoy a refreshing pause. Which isn't a bad choice for a vacation.
Here are some resources to help you get started planning: ----- KENTUCKY KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT OF TRAVEL DEVELOPMENT STATE PARKS DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT OF FISH & WILDLIFE RESOURCES DANIEL BOONE NATIONAL FOREST ----- TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF TOURIST DEVELOPMENT MEMPHIS VISITORS BUREAU DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT & CONSERVATION WILDLIFE RESOURCES CHEROKEE NATIONAL FOREST ----- WEST VIRGINIA WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM STATE DIVISION OF NATURAL RESOURCES |
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