What the media think….
Posted on 12. Oct, 2009 by admin in Highlights
“I was very surprised with Kentucky, not knowing what to expect before my visit, I went with no preconceived ideas, and was truly delighted. The variety of scenery in the countryside and the facilities within the cities make this truly a wonderful destination for young and old alike, it’s an ideal place for the sporting fraternity and equally as much fun for the spectator! It’s a place to breathe without the madding crowds, a place to enjoy!” Alan Coxon, Award winning UK Chef recently voted one of the top 10 Chefs in the world
“I fell in love with Kentucky from the moment I arrived. If you’re a horse fan, Kentucky is the place for you. The scenery is beautiful, consisting in no small part of well fenced paddocks containing happy horses. If it’s horsey action that’s your thing, there is plenty of that too – from racing to the Rolex Kentucky Three Day event in April, the forthcoming World Equestrian Games (which I’m really looking forward to) as well as trail riding for all ability levels. All of this is coupled with a warm welcome – the friendliness of the people in this state bowled me over. I’ve rarely been so sad to leave a place.” Julie Harding, Eventing Magazine
“I loved Kentucky when I visited for the first time – I couldn’t believe how beautifully maintained everywhere was and the miles of white fencing makes for a really authentic experience. The people are so friendly and hospitable and the trail ride made me want to explore and explore!” Kate Hammaran, Horse and Rider
“As a horse lover you have to like Kentucky. The stables, the white fences, the “Blue Grass” - it’s just perfect. And, most importantly, the Kentucky people are very hospitable. You feel in the right place!” Sara Peschke, Neue Zurcher Zeitung
“”In equestrian circles, taking a trip to Kentucky is regarded as a pilgrimage to the thoroughbred breed. The style and scale of the magnificent stud farms is spectacular but the state also has so much more to offer. In terms of equestrianism, Kentucky Horse Park pays homage to many horse breeds and its museum is not to be missed while riding over the rolling hills is an unforgettable experience. Factor in the Bourbon trail, driving through old towns such as Midway and being made to feel so at home by the inhabitants’ inherent hospitality and Kentucky is an essential destination for horse lovers and their families. Not forgetting this as the home of Southern Fried Chicken; off the stud farm, horse park or racecourse tours, lavish hotels, bars and restaurants situated in bustling towns to quaint villages give the Kentucky tourist a surprise around every corner with plenty of choice to suit all ages and tastes.” Anna Bruce, Equestrian Lifestyle Magazine
“There really is something quite charming about turning up for dinner at an old style southern mansion. You’re instantly transported back in time to when you’d tie up the horse by the porch and sit in a rocking chair with a glass of lemonade. Nowadays this particular mansion just outside Lexington, is one of the best restaurants in the USA and for me, give us a glimpse of the other side of Kentucky. So often only associated with horses, chicken and bourbon, I discovered a lot more than that in Kentucky (although it certainly does horses, chicken and bourbon very well indeed). Both Louisville and Lexington offer an impressive array of top hotels, there is bluegrass music to enjoy, plenty of history to discover and of course lots of dollops of good old fashioned hospitality. Not to mention of course, one of the world’s greatest golf courses at Valhalla. Now, where did I leave that Hot Brown.” Andy Mossack, Travel Writer and Broadcaster for The Travel Editor
Kentucky Films
Posted on 12. Oct, 2009 by admin in Highlights
Kentucky has been been captured many times in the movies, on both the small and big screen.Most notably the scenes in Seabiscuit, the film about perhaps America’s most celebrated racehorse ever.
And don’t forget the Bond film, Goldfinger, where the baddies steal the gold from Fort Knox, Kentucky.
Fabled BBC traveller and ex-Python, Michael Palin, visited Burlington, Kentucky, in his classic documenatry Around the World in 80 Days.
In all, Kentucky has featured in 365 films, one for almost every day of the year. Here’s some of the more notable titles:
Elizabethtown
Demolition Man
Fahrenheit 9/11
How the West Was Won
Lost in Yonkers
The Asphalt Jungle
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail
Posted on 12. Oct, 2009 by admin in Highlights
Discover the rich history and proud tradition of America’s official native spirit on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, which showcases eight signature distilleries along a scenic drive through the rolling Bluegrass hills.
You’ll experience the time-honored process of making fine bourbon, and learn why only Kentucky has the perfect natural mix of conditions and climate for producing the best.
For further details visit http://kentuckytourism.com/thingstodo/bourbon.htm.
Bluegrass Kentucky
Posted on 12. Oct, 2009 by admin in Highlights
Kentucky is as home to the rolling bluegrass hills as the footstomping bluegrass beat, a kissing cousin of country music with roots easily identified in old-style English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish folk and even west African music.
Sound kinda odd? Well then let the founding father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe, explain it better:
“Bluegrass is Scotch bagpipes and ole-time fiddlin’. It’s Methodist and Holiness and Baptist. It’s blues and jazz, and it has a high lonesome sound. It’s plain music that tells a good story. It’s played from my heart to your heart, and it will touch you. Bluegrass is music that matters.”
Got that? No? Well, just refer to the Coen Brothers’ movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?, an apparent homage to old time bluegrass music, starring Kentucky local boy, George Clooney.
Or check out Bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs on iTunes, Grammy awardwinning Alison Krauss, or even comic actor Steve Martin, a big convert to the banjo and bluegrass, mastering the instrument on his first solo album, called The Crow, with guest vocals by music legend Dolly Parton.
Martin loves the banjo, to him it’s a “high lonesome sound … generated nostalgia for experiences I never had, joy I was yet to experience, and melancholy that was yet to come”.
Thousands of devotees agree, flocking to the annual bluegrass celebration known as the River of Music Party (aka ROMP) in Owensboro every June, at the genre’s dedicated centre, the International Bluegrass Music Museum.
http://www.bluegrass-museum.org/riverofmusic/. Or if you have a phone, dial 1-888-mybanjo
Outdoor Kentucky
Posted on 12. Oct, 2009 by admin in Highlights
At 40,000 square miles big with just 4 million people, there’s a vast natural landscape out there for you to explore and enjoy, all captured in superb, sprawling national parks. Kentucky is home to the greatest length of navigable waterways and streams in the Lower 48 states, some 90,000 miles, host to the highest per capita number of deer and turkey in the US and home to the largest free-ranging elk herd east of Montana.
With all this space, visitors can choose from myriad fun activities, ranging from whitewater rafting to ATVing on quad bikes, from caving to kayaking, hiking or horseriding. If you prefer to drive, just roam the scenic driveways. Or if wildlife is your thing, take an organised spotting tour; watching for elks and eagles. There’s really something for everyone.
One unmissable experience is Mammoth Caves National Park in central Kentucky, the longest cave system known in the world, a World Heritage Site with a confirmed 365 miles of passageways. Take a lit-up tour of amazing natural phenomenon such as Grand Avenue, Frozen Niagara, and Fat Man’s Misery, or venture on your own paraffin-lamp tour or really get adventurous on a “wild” tour. Gawp at the bats but don’t eat the indigenous cave shrimps. Well, you can, but where you gonna cook ‘em!!!
There’s the Red River Gorge, full of fast streams and towering sandstone cliffs, best sampled by kayak, and don’t miss the mysterious Moonbows at Cumberland Falls, the only place in the western hemisphere to admire regular lunar rainbows above the waterfalls spray. It’s best seen near a full moon. The only other place on earth just as good is Victoria Falls in Africa.
The Urban Bourbon Trail
Posted on 12. Oct, 2009 by admin in Highlights
Get your tasting boots on, it’s time to hit the Urban Bourbon Trail, a tour round downtown Louisville’s premier bars and hotels, where the likes of writer Scott F Fitzgerald or the “non-writer” Al Capone took their drinks or where Louisville’s trendsetters kick back.
There’s the Old Seelbach Bar, the 1892 tavern or the lounge bar at Brown’s, redolent of a 1930s movie set, or sample the wares at the in-vogue 21c Museum hotel’s restaurant bar, Proof on Main, or the urban cool bar at Blu.
Grab your Urban Trail passport and tick off the destinations with a stamp, sampling en route some classic bourbons and cocktails, such as the ubiquitous Manhattan or the legendary Mint Julep. Most venues offer tastings and can talk you through the subtle nuances of up to 50 different, and largely distinct bourbons, with most serving up innovative food and snacks, such as the fabled mint julep pancake or bourbon barrel smoked salmon.
OK, you don’t have to finish the whole trail in one go – that would be dangerous, and a waste. Just grab the passport and pick off again whenever you want.
For more details, visit http://www.justaddbourbon.com/planavisit/urbantrail.aspx
Or why not joi the Facebok group http://www.facebook.com/pages/Urban-Bourbon-Trail/62763884459
Kentucky Cocktails
Posted on 04. Oct, 2009 by sarah in Highlights
Get into the Kentucky mood, with these tasty cocktails (remember, drink responsibly, which means don’t forget to add Angostura bitters).
MANHATTAN
‘The King of Cocktails’, apparently, and making a strong comeback. For a sweet version, or much drier drink, vary from 1:1 or 4:1 parts bourbon: sweet vermouth. Shake with ice and strain into a jazzy glass, topped with a glazed mascherano cherry. You can also serve on the rocks in a lowball glass.
MINT JULEP
The official drink of the Kentucky Derby, with 120,000 served at Churchill Downs. It’s similar to a mojito, and usually made from four ingredients: mint, bourbon, sugar and water (Kentucky uses the local spearmint, known as the Kentucky colonel – try not to bruise the mint!). Use 3-6oz of bourbon, 4-6 sprigs of mint. Shave some ice and add sugar and mint to a glass, top off with bourbon and cover again with ice. Stir well.
THE OLD FASHIONED
Thought to be the first cocktail, so old, in fact, it has a glass named after it – the short round 8oz to 12oz Old-Fashioned tumber. Just add sugar, saturate with 2 dashes of angostura bitters, add dash of soda water. Wait until it dissolves then fill glass with ice cubes and add 40c of bourbon. Garnish with a slice of orange, a twist of lemon and two maraschino cherries.
LONG HOT NIGHT
You need 2oz bourbon, 3oz pineapple juice and 3oz cranberry juice. Place a few ice cubes in a highball glass, pour in bourbon, stir, add pineapple and cranberry juice, stir again. Simple!
ITALIAN STALLION
Not one for the faint-hearted this. Mix 1 1/2oz bourbon, 1/2oz sweet vermouth and 1/2oz Campari in a glass, add 1-2 dashes of Angostura bitters, then fill with ice. Shake and strain into glass.