Explore Kentucky

Day 1  CINCINNATI ARRIVAL - NEWPORT/COVINGTON
Arrive at Cincinnati Airport, pick up your rental car and make the short drive to your hotel in the Covington/Newport area. Explore the Northern Kentucky area in Newport and Covington. Enjoy an afternoon on the Levee, a popular dining and entertainment complex or a cruise with BB Riverboats to take in the city views of Covington and Newport from the river. Schedule a walking tour with Riverside Food & Culture Tours. Check out the B-Line, northern Kentucky's bourbon experience with distilleries, bourbon bars and bourbon-centric restaurants.

Day 2  NEWPORT/COVINGTON - LEXINGTON
On the way to Lexington, the Horse Capital of the World, stop in Georgetown at Old Friends Farm, a Thoroughbred retirement home to meet and greet retired racehorses, or Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, America's first and the world's largest Toyota manufacturing facility. See a horse show or demonstration at the Kentucky Horse Park, take a tour of the historic Keeneland Racecourse and book a horse farm tour with Horse Country. In the evening, check out Lexington's Distillery District or the new dynamic public marketplace, Greyline Station.

Day 3 LEXINGTON - RED RIVER GORGE - BEREA
Enjoy an amazing outdoor adventure in Red River Gorge Geological Area. Zip through the trees at Boone Creek Outdoors or venture below-ground for a clear-bottom kayak tour of a flooded mine at the Gorge Underground. Hike or take the sky lift at Natural Bridge State Resort Park to see the sandstone arch. Music lovers may want to head even farther east to check out U.S. 23 Country Music Highway and history buffs may want to check out sites from the famous Hatfield-McCoy feud around Pikeville. End the day in Berea, the Folk Arts & Crafts Capital of Kentucky. Pick up handcrafted treasures at the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea or the many local shops in town. Be sure to try the spoonbread at the Historic Boone Tavern Hotel and Restaurant.  

Day 4 BEREA - CUMBERLAND FALLS - MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARK - BOWLING GREEN
Head south to Mt. Vernon to the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Continue to Corbin to see Kentucky's most breathtaking waterfall at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park. If time allows, stop in the Harlan Sanders Cafe and Museum or along Lake Cumberland, the Houseboat Capital of the World. Take a tour at Mammoth Cave National Park, the world's longest- known cave system. Continue onto Bowling Green and check out the National Corvette Museum and NCM Motorsports Park. In the evening, take a walk around downtown and Fountain Square.

Day 5 BOWLING GREEN - LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES - PADUCAH
Depart for Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area (LBL). Stop in Hopkinsville at Casey Jones Distillery for a sip of bourbon or moonshine. At LBL, visit the Gold Pond Planetarium or drive through the Elk & Bison Prairie. Enjoy a meal at Patti's 1880's Settlement before heading to Paducah, an UNESCO City of Crafts and Folk Arts. See amazing works of art at the National Quilt Museum and then walk along the city's floodwall murals.

Day 6 PADUCAH - OWENSBORO
Mosey over to Owensboro for barbecue and bluegrass music. Downtown, the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum celebrates and preserves the history of bluegrass music. Sample bourbon at Green River Distilling Co., the westernmost point on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. There's also the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art and the Western Kentucky Botanical Garden. Stroll along the riverfront or splash into some fun at Smothers Park. Take in a seasonal event at the RiverPark Center. Visit Reid's Orchard for fresh produce and baked goods.

Day 7 & 8 OWENSBORO - LOUISVILLE
Depart for Louisville, Kentucky's largest city. Explore by taking a tour at the Kentucky Derby Museum or enjoying seasonal racing at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. Have a lunch cruise aboard the Belle of Louisville while viewing the city from the water. Check out the downtown museums and attractions on Whiskey Row, including the Muhammad Ali Center, the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, the Frazier History Museum, the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience and more.

Day 9 LOUISVILLE - CINCINNATI DEPARTURE
This morning drive to Cincinnati and return your car in time for your departure flight