State #3 Kentucky

Blue Moon of Kentucky keep on shining. Yep, that’s right, Kentucky the bluegrass state. We are in Kentucky for several days. We stopped for a potty break at the first rest area after crossing the state line. It was one of the nicest rest areas.

The picnic area was like a park with tables, grills, plenty of shade from all the trees, and paved walkways. My only complaint is that is was too early for us to have lunch. It was such a pretty stop I hated to not get to picnic there but it was too early.

The first day we stopped at Kentucky Down Under. It’s a petting zoo of sorts. You can pet kangaroos and emus and they have several other birds and animals to see and pet. A short cave tour is included. Given the 100 degrees outside, the cave offered a break from the heat. The kids had fun but this wasn’t my favorite stop. Here’s why- 1) Did I mention it was like 100 degrees with the heat index. 2) It was a walking park not a drive through one. A very hilly one at that. Did I mention it was hot? 3) We went to the Virginia Safari Park last year and LOVED it. It was a drive through and so much fun. The animals came right up to your car and some stuck their heads in. I have a small dent in my door to show for it. It was one of our favorite stops of the trip. I’m telling you that because I couldn’t help but compare the two and that’s probably not fair to Kentucky Down Under. 4) Also the cave was short and just ok. The guide was a real nice guy but we have been to much bigger and better cave tours so again I kept comparing.

In the end the kids got to pet kangaroos and Trev got to kiss a camel. If they’re happy I’m happy.

Mammoth Cave National Park was going to be our next stop but Trev and I decided to scrap it and go to the hotel. You have to remember we were up really late for the baseball game the night before. The boys slept in but after walking around for hours in the heat and petting animals, we decided it was best to go to the hotel, get bathes, and get to bed on time. Sometimes, you’ve just got to do what’s best for the family and that day it meant skipping a planned stop. It turned out to be a wise decision. We got to the hotel, bathed, ordered pizza, and played games in the hotel breakfast area.

Even being the mom of boys, I still don’t get boys since I’m a girl. For instance, Mason bet Tucker $2 to eat a whole pack of red pepper flakes (one of the packet’s that came with the pizza). In my defense, I tried to tell him it was a bad idea but when Dad and bro are saying “come on you can do it,” it’s hard to compete with that. Tuck’s not one to back down from a dare so that poor child tore that packet open and all at once dumped the whole thing in his mouth. Bless his little heart. His face turned blood red. You could immediately tell he knew how dumb that was. I was afraid he was going to throw up but I pointed him to the nearest trash can and he tried to spit it out but those flakes just stuck to his lips. Since we’re in a hotel we didn’t have any milk so he just kept drinking water and put chapstick on his lips to help with the burn. After the intense burn wore off, he had his chest puffed out strutting around because he did it. Of course, that lead Mason to decide he was going to do it too. I just don’t get boys. Exact same dare, exact same results. I really wished I had videoed the whole thing. All I got was a last minute picture of Mason at the trash can. Boys?!

The next morning we headed to Abraham Lincoln Birthplace Historical Site in Hodgenville, KY. We got a late start as the boys slept in and we crossed back into the Eastern time zone so we lost an hour. But it turned out fine. We saw some tobacco fields along the way. I don’t remember every seeing the tobacco flowers on top before.

We got to the site and the boys completed the Jr. Ranger program and got another badge. The grounds were pretty with these big beautiful old trees. We love historical stops like this. We all learn so much and it’s a fun way to learn. The park rangers there were super friendly.

Tucker ran up and down those 56 steps countless times; arms out like Rocky at the top each time.

Our next stop was Louisville for none other than the Louisville Slugger Museum. Trev saw a sign for the Patten Museum (General George) and normally we would have detoured to check it out but we had our tour time we needed to make. The tour was neat and the boys had a blast. The boys got to hold one of Acuna Jr’s bats. You’re not allowed to take pictures of the factory while on tour but it was pretty cool to see how a tree become a very player specific bat.

Then off to Buffalo Wild Wings to wrap up the guy afternoon and then we headed to the hotel to call it a night.

We were up and at’em to head to the fitness center to work out. We hadn’t worked out the last two days because of the boys sleeping late after the game and then getting a late start and the time change. We get to the fitness center to it’s closed for renovation. The whole hotel was being renovated actually so a lot of things were different. The boys were pretty bummed. Me, not so much. So anyway after breakfast, we headed out toward the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, KY. The GPS took us on a little back county detour which we didn’t mind. We got to see some pretty farms.

Our right turn signal started blinking super fast all of a sudden so I was pretty sure the bulb was out. Sure enough, when we stopped for a potty break and checked, it wasn’t working. So I told Trev with all the driving we were doing we probably needed to get it fixed pretty quick. Lo and behold there was a car dealership directly across from the gas station we had stopped. Talk about a blessing. We pulled in, had the turn signal and the tag bulb both replaced and off we went. Props to Marshall Toyota in Dry Ridge, KY for speedy, friendly service. They didn’t even care that we own Fords. ;-).

The Ark is impressive. I was taken back by the sheer size. They did a great job trying to stick to the Scriptures with noted exceptions for artistic license. Besides the tour, we listened to a presentation by Ken Ham, played on the playground, petted some goats, and ate at Emzara’s Buffett there on the property. Mason love stuff like this. He could spend all day reading all the signs. Tuck does good but he doesn’t possess the patience for it like Mason. So he took a power nap during the presentation. Ignore the fact, the boys and I are wearing the same clothes as yesterday.

I so want one of these little guys. I had no idea how cute hairy armadillos were until I saw one up close.

This place is massive!!!! Inside….

and out!

A couple days later we visited the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY. We have been a couple times; once with Mason during his dinosaur phase and once with my nephew Hunter. This time it is the four of us.

I enjoy the Creation Museum. It has amazing information. It reminds us that evolutionist and creationist all have the same information, they just start from different views. The museum was in the final stages of a renovation. Unfortunately, we were about three weeks too early to see the finished product. We still had a great time.

How could you not with….

the most complete Mastodon fossil (replica) ever found and….

bugs…..

more bugs….

lots of dinosaurs……

and more dinosaurs…..

all kinds of science…..

Bible……

journey through creation……

dinosaur feeding time…..

fun in Eden’s garden…..

beautiful flowers…..

a 4D theatre and a whole lot more.

I would definitely stop for the Ark, however, if you can only pick one attraction, the Ark or the Creation Museum, I would still have to pick the Creation Museum. The attractions are only 45 minutes apart so if you’ve got time, you can see both.

Well, well, well. Where to next?