2020-01-02 12:27:12
Historic river towns are a little bit country, a little bit cosmopolitan – and a whole lot of awesome, with one-of-a-kind attractions that stop visitors in their tracks.
AN AREA OF SUPERLATIVES
Superlatives put the “e-s-t” into every visit to this region. Here, you’ll find the biggest boat – we’re talking biblical proportions – with the life-size Ark Encounter; the most covered bridges in one county in Flemingsburg; the largest collection of dummies (950 and counting!) at Vent Haven Museum; one of the first state parks at General Butler (now a State Resort Park); and one of Kentucky’s earliest settlements at the 1700s village of Washington. Oh, and this region also is home to the state’s only aquarium (Newport Aquarium) and the only town with a dog for a mayor (Rabbit Hash).
CHARMING CITIES & TOWNS
“Come On A My House.” Maysville chanteuse Rosemary Clooney sang it and this region lives it, welcoming visitors to its front door on the Ohio River – gateway to Kentucky’s bourbon country and the “Kentucky Bourbon Trail”® – to come experience all the charm, chumminess and charred-barrel spirits it has to share.
Follow the new B-Line to your happy place, from “Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour”® distilleries to atmospheric bourbon bars to restaurants that pride themselves on Southern cuisine (and hospitality), sampling the region’s cocktail and bourbon-centric culinary culture along the way.
Regional Highlights
The B-Line Bourbon Tour: Craft your own bourbon experience as you seek out the region’s popular sipping spots.
Newport Aquarium: See rare animals, unique touch exhibits, see-through tunnels and floors and rock-star shark rays throughout 14 galleries displaying thousands of animals from around the world.
Boone County Arboretum, Union: The nation’s first arboretum within an active recreation park setting is also the first public arboretum to have its plant collection mapped with GPS technology.
Rosemary Clooney House, Augusta: Trace the footsteps of the “girl singer” through her own home and see the world’s largest collection of “White Christmas” memorabilia.
Ark Encounter, Williamstown: Explore history of biblical proportions during a tour of the life-sized Noah’s Ark. Afterwards, check out the adjacent zoo, zip lines and restaurant before heading to the Creation Museum in Petersburg.
©Kentucky. View All Articles.