Kentucky Adventures

Things to do: Follow the Kentucky Bourbon Trail

Posted on April 22, 2015April 23, 2015 by rmiracle

Kentucky may be famous for basketball and horses, including the greatest horse race, but it's also famous for something else... Bourbon. Bourbon is a specific form of Whisky distilled in Kentucky. It is aged in oak barrels which gives the drink it distinct flavor. (more…)

Add a horse farm tour to your agenda

Posted on April 21, 2015April 23, 2015 by rmiracle

If the Kentucky Derby Festival doesn't keep you busy around Louisville, you can always drive an hour away down I-64 towards Lexington and see where the magic happens. Central Kentucky, renowned for its rolling hills of Kentucky bluegrass is home to many farms dedicated to our equine friends. Horse farms, from trotters, to show horses to the thoroughbreds that will...Read More

Let the Festival begin! It’s time for Thunder over Louisville!

Posted on April 18, 2015April 23, 2015 by rmiracle

Of course some festival events have already been going, but the big kick-off happens today over the Ohio River in downtown Louisville when Thunder over Louisville takes to the air. This year's theme is a "Boom with a View". (more…)

Derby day comes and my wallet is empty

Posted on May 4, 2014February 11, 2015 by rmiracle

Our vacation is nearing its end. It's Derby day. We won't be among the 164,000 people to pack in to Churchill Downs dressed to the nines with flowing hats and drinking $11 mint juleps. Instead it's a day to head to Sherry's brother, Doug's house for his annual Kentucky Derby party, a tradition he took over from his parents. The...Read More

Makin’ Maker’s Mark at the Bourbon Festival

Posted on May 3, 2014February 11, 2015 by rmiracle

When looking to fill our out schedule, taking a tour of the Maker's Mark distillery sounded like something to do. We discovered that on Friday, they were actually holding a festival at their campus in Loretta, Kentucky. Friday was scheduled for good weather and was our open day, so we packed up the car and drove 35 miles south of...Read More

It’s Thurby — but for us, it was more family time.

Posted on May 2, 2014February 11, 2015 by rmiracle

The Kentucky Derby has always been the grand event that brought in people from outside of Kentuckiana. It's the event that most people know about. The Friday before the Derby, is a race for three-year old fillies (female horses) that's just about as big as the Derby -- the Kentucky Oaks, but being on Friday, it was always been considered...Read More

The Belle of Louisville kicks the Belle of Cincinnati’s behind in the Great Steamboat Race #kdf2014

Posted on May 1, 2014February 11, 2015 by rmiracle

One of the banner events of the Kentucky Derby Festival is racing old river paddle boats up and down the Ohio River. The cornerstone of this race is the 100-year-old "Belle of Louisville" who turns 100 later this year. She is an authentic steam-powered paddle wheel that drove transportation in the 1800's and 1900's up and down the Ohio and...Read More

Dawn at the Downs — take two #kyderby

Posted on April 30, 2014February 11, 2015 by rmiracle

Today was another early morning to head back to Churchill Downs to watch the horses work out. Today instead of doing the breakfast on Millionaires Row and watch the workout from the boxes, we just went to the rail to get close to the horses and hear and feel the thundering hooves. We found a lot that was open without...Read More

Dawn at the Downs — Day 1

Posted on April 29, 2014February 11, 2015 by rmiracle

One of the cool things that people can do that is actually related to the Kentucky Derby is watch the horses work out early in the mornings. Many locals will go out before they go to work to get a glimpse of the horses they will otherwise only see on TV Saturday. This event is known as Dawn at the...Read More

More fun than you should have with a bed: the 2014 Great Bed Races #kdf2014

Posted on April 29, 2014 by rmiracle

Beds... You jump on them as kids. You sleep on them and well, um you... Race them of coarse. One of the more fun things that Kentuckians race is beds. There are two phases of the competition: the style and the speed. During the style phase, the teams assemble costumes and decorate the beds based on a theme. This years...Read More