Come See Our State on Route 68 (sung to the tune of Come Get Your Kicks on Route 66) - Part 2

Route 68 South

With Lexington in Fayette County as its nucleus, U.S. Highway 68 runs through six Bluegrass Region counties, providing a tapestry of all that makes the region special.  From Thoroughbred horses and bourbon distilleries to a history spanning 250 years and incomparable scenery, this is a route that demands slowing down and savoring.

We’ve already traveled U.S. 68 North from Lexington; now it’s time to head south to see what else this beautiful highway has in store.

Counties: Fayette, Mercer, Boyle (with a detour to Scott County)

Before starting the southern portion of U.S. 68, carve out a day in Lexington for one attraction that shouldn’t be missed – the only park in the world dedicated exclusively to the horse.

“A horse…a horse……a kingdom for a horse:”
 
This slight variation from Shakespeare’s famous quote in his play Richard III is an appropriate description for the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.  From the moment visitors see the bronze statue atop the grave of legendary stallion Man o’ War, they know they have arrived at someplace special.

More than one million visitors come to the 1,200-acre park every year to pay tribute to the noble equine, and not just the majestic Thoroughbreds who are born, bred and retired to stud in the Bluegrass.

Just take in the park’s twice daily Parade of Breeds and you will see more than 50 types represented here – from the stocky English Shire horse to the dainty Spanish Paso Fino, from the stately Arabian beloved by desert sheikhs to the sleek Appaloosa beloved by Native Americans.

Take a horse-drawn trolley ride or saddle up for a trail ride.  Celebrate the connection between horses and humans through the centuries at the International Museum of the Horse.  Follow that with a walking tour showcasing equine sculptures created by international artists.

If you are thinking one day isn’t enough for your visit, the Kentucky Horse Park offers a full service 260-site campground with bathhouses, grocery store, gift shop, fire pits and picnic tables.

Make New Friends at Old Friends:

Crossing into Scott County, keep your equine love affair going with a visit to Old Friends Farm, where on 236 acres of rolling Bluegrass farmland just outside of Georgetown, you’ll find the nation’s first retirement community for Thoroughbreds.  Here, they have a safe haven to live out their lives once their racing and breeding careers are over.

You’ll definitely want to pay your respects to Silver Charm, who at 31 is the oldest living Kentucky Derby winner.  Silver Charm is always happy to meet fans, especially if they come with a carrot in hand.

Don’t be in any rush to leave Scott County as it has a lot to offer – from a serene garden, Yuko-En on the Elkhorn, which celebrates Central Kentucky’s friendship with Japan to a flower farm bursting with blooms where you can stop and do your own cutting.

Lavender in Bloom is a bit of Provence in the Bluegrass, although the blue is tinged with purple in spring when the lavender fields are at their best.  If you forgot your gardening shears, you can still take some fragrant lavender home in products ranging from lavender massage oil to lavender scone mix.

Feeling the need to leave the car to stretch your legs and get some exercise?   The Toyota Biodiversity Trail offers the perfect opportunity.  A wildland filled with native Kentucky plants and trees has five paths that circle Great Blue Heron Lake and the Eastern Bluebird Loop.

One of those paths, Morizukuri, lives up to its name (“to create a forest”) with 4,000 trees – from swamp white oak and river birch to chinquapin oak and pawpaw.  An hour spent meandering along forest trails is the very definition of slow travel.

Everyone knows that a driving trip on a lonely backroad brings out a desire to spin ghost stories.  But few places have one that can equal Scott County’s Dead Man’s Hollow, where a sign off U.S. 25 welcomes travelers to “Hell.”

In this case, Hell refers to a nearby cave that as far back as the early 1800s proved to be the final resting place for unsuspecting wayfarers.  The discovery of dead bodies in the cave (now collapsed and lost in time) spawned the legend of a mysterious beast who fed off the misfortune of any traveler unlucky enough to get lost in the woods.

There have been no recent sightings, but some have claimed to hear wailing and moaning coming from the lost cave.  Dead Man’s Hollow is probably one Bluegrass spot where you won’t want to linger.

Fortunately, the same cannot be said for the Buffalo Springs Distilling Co.’s Air bnb.  If you’re looking for a unique lodging option, this one’s for you.

At the 150-year-old distilling company in the Scott County community of Stamping Ground, the last remaining building has been converted into an Air bnb on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

The limestone structure, dating back to 1868, isn’t just a place to spend the night; it’s a chapter in Kentucky’s bourbon history.

If you have the family fur baby along for the ride, just know that he/she is welcome here.

While you’re in Stamping Ground, see if you can find a local to tell you about  treasure supposedly buried somewhere in the town.  You might want to start at the historical marker that is all that remains of a house that burned down in 2012.

There was nothing particularly noteworthy about the house or the two 16-year-old sweethearts who married there in 1841.  Nothing except for the two sons later born to them.  Frank and Jesse James became the most notorious outlaws of their day, and legend has it the brothers’ ill-gotten gains are buried somewhere in the vicinity.  Find the treasure, and there is no need to buy a lottery ticket on your way out of town.

Back on U.S. 68 Heading South:

Leaving from Lexington on U.S. 68, you’ll head south until you cross the Kentucky River.  Coming up is one of the most scenic drives in the Bluegrass – hairpin curves around the palisades of the river.

This is where slowing down and enjoying the scenery around you is not only a suggestion, but a necessity….on some parts of the winding road, the speed limit is 20 mph.

Just past the palisades, you’ll reach the entrance to one of the region’s most visited attractions.  Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in Mercer County is best seen for the first time in the early morning when the rolling hills are softened by river mist and the whole scene resembles a watercolor painting.

Today, the 3,000 acres of undulating farmland are unbroken save for stream-laced woodlands, 36 miles of hiking trails and 34 historic buildings bordered by white picket fences.

But during the 19th and early 20th century this was a thriving community of Shakers who were believers in pacificism, environmentalism, non-materialism, and perhaps most unusual for the time, equality between the sexes.

Today, it’s home to the largest private collection of original 19th century buildings in the United States, and is the largest National Historic Landmark in Kentucky.

Many visitors come for the day to tour 14 of the restored buildings, watch demonstrations of crafts such as broom making, weaving, spinning and coopering, and from late April to early October, cruise the Kentucky River on the Dixie Belle, an authentic sternwheeler.  Some cruises even offer onboard yoga – something we’re sure that the Shakers, progressive as they were, never did.

Some opt to stay overnight in one of the 15 buildings where modern amenities are combined with Shaker-inspired reproduction furniture, handwoven rugs and hand-loomed coverlets and draperies.

One thing every visitor should do is have a meal in one of the candlelit dining rooms of the Trustees’ Office.  Traditional fare features pan-fried catfish, country ham, chicken croquettes, homemade coleslaw, and a Shaker specialty - lemon pie, filled with tart, paper thin slivers of lemon.

This walk back in time might inspire you to pay a visit to the first settlement in Kentucky – Harrodsburg, also in Mercer County.

It all began at Fort Harrod in 1774 when pioneer James Harrod arrived a year before the more famous Daniel Boone and established a fort in the Bluegrass Region.

A reconstructed Old Fort Harrod has heavy timber stockade walls encircling cabins and blockades.  Visitors can interact with costumed craftspeople performing tasks such as weaving, woodworking and blacksmithing, while others tend to farm animals and gardens.  They can also visit the oldest cemetery west of the Alleghenies here at the fort.

Another Mercer County historic site makes for an excellent overnight stay.  White-columned Beaumont Inn began as a school for girls in 1845, and didn’t start welcoming guests until 1919.

You’ll love the period furnishings, the lovely gardens and the front porch with its row of rocking chairs.  Best of all, however, is the dining room – named a James Beard American Classic and renowned for its yellow-legged fried chicken, corn pudding and cornmeal cakes.  The Old Owl Tavern is a great spot to enjoy a pre-dinner bourbon cocktail.

A Battlefield, a Blown Glass Museum and a Backroads Country Store in Boyle County:

Continue your U.S. Highway 68 odyssey in Boyle County where you can get a Civil War history lesson; see the iconic glass art of a Bluegrass legend, and sample some homespun hospitality at a truly off-the-beaten-path country store (although we must confess - only part of it is in Boyle County.)

Let’s start with the history lesson.  At the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site, visitors can learn about Kentucky’s most significant Civil War battle.

For two days in October,1862, 40,000 soldiers fought in a battle considered by many historians and Civil War scholars to be the watershed battle of the war.  About the relatively obscure battle, President Abraham Lincoln said, “As Kentucky goes, so goes the nation.”

It all happened right here, with the Confederate forces winning a tactical victory, but suffering a strategic defeat, with relentless pressure by Union troops forcing them to withdraw from the state.

Today, visitors walk among the peaceful green hills, accompanied only by the chirping of birds, the sighing of the wind and the ghosts of those 40,000 soldiers.

From the art of war to the art of blown glass requires but a short drive into Danville.  The GLASS National Art Museum is a showplace for the collection of renowned glass artist Stephen Powell, as well as other artists working in the medium. 

Located in the Arts Center of the Bluegrass, the glass museum has free admission.

Don’t leave Danville without taking a stroll through Constitution Square.  A free open-air museum in the heart of downtown, it’s the birthplace of Kentucky.  On June 1, 1792, Kentucky separated from Virginia to become the 15th state.  Take a selfie beside the bronze statue depicting two men – an aristocrat and a frontiersman – with the motto “United We Stand, Divided We Fall.”

Boyle County has received a modicum of fame for having half of the oldest country store in America continuously operated by the same family within its border.  Yes, half……..the dividing line between Boyle and Casey Counties runs right through the middle of the store.

Open since 1845, Penn’s Store invites visitors in to say howdy and sit a spell, but only on Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. (the rest of the time, it’s hit-and-miss as to opening hours.)  It’s worth a stop to gather around the coal stove and listen to an impromptu “pick and sing” session.

Boyle County marks the southern terminus of U.S. Highway 68 in the Bluegrass Region, so you have now had a chance to discover this scenic highway in its entirety in Central Kentucky.

The highway represents slow travel at its best with leisurely time spent exploring horse farms, bourbon distilleries, early American and Civil War history, signature landscapes and the best of regional food and lodging.  We hope you have enjoyed this authentic slice of our beautiful Bluegrass Region.

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