Kentucky

Land Between the Lakes, Kentucky: Bison, 270 Cemeteries and the Town That Was Erased

April 15, 2022 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: August 3, 2026

Land Between the Lakes is a National Recreation Area in western Kentucky and Tennessee. The area is formed by Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, which run parallel to each other for more than 50 miles. Lake Barkley, 58,000 acres, was formed by Barkley Dam impounding the Cumberland River, completed in 1966 by the Army Corps of Engineers. Kentucky Lake, 160,000 acres, was formed by Kentucky Dam impounding the Tennessee River in 1944, a TVA project and still the largest artificial lake by surface area in the eastern United States. At Grand Rivers the two come within about a mile of each other and are joined by a canal, which means a boat can pass from one river system to the other. The 170,000 acres left standing between them make up the largest inland peninsula in the country. It is very popular for water sports, hunting, fishing, mountain biking and hiking. From Cave City, Kentucky it was about a two-and-a-half hour drive.

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Mammoth Cave & Cumberland Falls, Kentucky: The World’s Longest Cave and the Only Moonbow in the Hemisphere

April 8, 2022 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: August 3, 2026

Kentucky gave us two stops that have almost nothing in common except that both are underrated. Cumberland Falls throws a moonbow — a lunar rainbow — on clear nights around the full moon, and it is one of only two places on earth where that happens on a predictable schedule. Mammoth Cave is the longest cave system in the world by a very wide margin, and it is still getting longer every year as surveyors push further into it. Between the two of them we found the original Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Stonehenge in somebody’s front yard. From Pigeon Forge it was a straightforward run north.

Inside Mammoth Cave National Park on a walking path with a flat ceiling, Kentucky

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Shepherdsville, Kentucky: Bernheim Forest and the Bourbon Trail During COVID

April 12, 2020 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: July 12, 2026

Shepherdsville, Kentucky sits just south of Louisville and serves as an ideal base for exploring two of the state’s great attractions: the lush, sprawling Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest and the legendary Kentucky Bourbon Trail. We arrived in late March 2020 from Cave City, eager to explore both — and found the same story we had been hearing across the country. COVID-19 restrictions were in full effect. Distillery tasting rooms, restaurants, and all social gatherings were closed as the country braced for what was coming. Bernheim Forest, however, was still open, and it turned out to be one of the most beautiful places we visited on the entire journey. The early spring blooms were extraordinary.

Cherry tree in full bloom with clouds of white blossoms in early spring at Bernheim Forest, Clermont, Kentucky

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Cave City, Kentucky: Mammoth Cave National Park During COVID

April 8, 2020 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: July 12, 2026

Cave City, Kentucky sits about an hour and a half north of Nashville, Tennessee, and we had been looking forward to this stop for months. Mammoth Cave National Park is home to the longest known cave system in the world — more than 400 miles of mapped passages — and we had reserved a guided cave tour well in advance. The day before we arrived, the National Park Service cancelled it. COVID-19 shutdowns were sweeping the country in March 2020, and Mammoth Cave’s underground tours were among the first to go. Disappointing as it was, we made the most of our time exploring the park’s roads, trails, and the beautiful landscape above ground. Mammoth Cave remains very much on our list, and we will be back.

Apple tree blossoms in the foreground with an old cemetery and historic church in the background at Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

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