This is post 23 on our cross-country USA adventure as we travel along the Ohio River Scenic Byway in towards Louisville Kentucky on our 6-month adventure.
The following areas in are covered in this post.
Day 1: Hot Springs, AR to Paducah, KY (day 176 of the overall trip)
Winona Scenic Drive
We want to drive up AR-9, designated as a scenic road – but somehow, our GPS routes us to another northern scenic route, AR-7. Just after we pass another scenic drive called Winona Scenic Drive, we realize we need to cross east from 7 to 9 and by looks of our map, the Winona Scenic Drive accomplishes that. We turn around and drive back 5 miles to the entrance and start on this lovely unpaved road that implies the drive is about 26 miles. Sadly, this route is NOT clearly marked at all and soon we find ourselves jokingly playing “forest route roulette”. We don’t have one of the detailed Gazetteer maps of Arkansas so we’re at the mercy of our sense of direction! We end up driving about 1.5 hours and begin to wonder if we’re hopelessly lost when we suddenly emerge onto pavement. We’re on a connector road north of where we thought we were and only halfway between 7 and 9. We did get to drive through the beautiful Ouachita National Forest and we’re soon back to our planned route.
Driving Arkansas
We picked up AR-9 in Perryville and now begin the 3.5-hour magnificent scenic drive through towns like Clinton and Mountain View until we reach Mammoth Spring, just at the border of Illinois. From there we take the fastest route to the start of the Ohio River Scenic Byway that for us, starts in Cairo, Illinois. This is another mere 2.5 hours of driving.
Ohio River Scenic Byway
When looking to travel home, we decided we’d try to follow the Ohio River Scenic Byway from its end in Cairo, Illinois where it dumps into the mighty Mississippi River, to its beginnings in western Pennsylvania. The Ohio River is the third largest river by discharge volume. It is the sixth oldest river in North America and borders six different states. The entire byway is 943 miles and passes through several small and charming river towns as it does its best to hug the river shoreline. As it turns out, we’re only going to explore the byway until the Cincinnati area, and we’ll save the rest for another time.
We hop on the road in Cairo and it takes us on US-60 for an hour to our overnight destination of Paducah, KY – one such river town along the Ohio River. There is lots of farmland in this area and to our surprise, they grow cotton to some extent here.
Paducah, KY
We’ve been driving for over 9 hours which has to be a record for us on this 6-month trip, and as we stop for gas we realize that its Halloween as our attendant is in costume. We finally pull into our hotel, the Courtyard by Marriott Paducah and after checking in, walk to dinner at the nearby O’Charley’s. This is a chain we don’t have near our home in VA, but we’ve been to them along our travels and really like their atmosphere and food. We sit at the U-shaped bar and chat the guy across from us as well as the people on our right. Our bartender is enthralled listening to our recent adventures and soon we’re passing our phone around the bar showing off photography. As it is Halloween several of the restaurant staff are dressed in costumes.
Day 2: Paducah, KY to Louisville, KY (day 177 of the overall trip)
Apple Valley Hillbilly Gardens & Toyland
Nancy learns of a unique place just several miles from our hotel along US-68 in Calvert City, and insists we stop by. We miss the entrance to Apple Valley Hillbilly Gardens & Toyland – because it is so obscure – but we turn around and pull in. It doesn’t help that all the leaves have fallen off the trees and thus, the driveway and small parking lot aren’t distinguishable from the rest of the grounds. We start walking around and wonder if anyone is here. After about 10 minutes, we are greeted by a barefoot man with long uncombed gray hair, gray beard and mostly rotted teeth. His name is Keith Holt and he’s a delightful character who is very proud (and rightly so) of all the art on his 2 acre property. He asks is we’d like a tour and how could turn that down?
He tells us the property once belonged to his grandparents and they used to make hard cider here in a secret underground still. They operated a small produce stand and also soon built a small house with a few rooms to rent to travelers. He claims that Bonnie & Clyde once spent the night and accidently left a shotgun behind. The produce stand became a country store. Once his parents took over, they added a Gulf gas station and a 4-seat diner in the country store. The whole place closed down when Grandpa died and the family just stayed on.
After 20 years as an actor, clown and stand-up comic, Keith returned to the family homestead with a dream of opening a toy museum and restoring the old Gulf gas station. The universe had different plans for Keith once he learned the county wanted to build a subdivision on his property and so began a small war that continues with the county today. His property is filled with what is best described as “wacky pun art”. He first points out a circle of old toilets and tells us it is “throne henge”. Next he points to a tree with about 100 Ugg boots nailed to the trunk and tells us it is “the Uggly Tree”. We see a church pew, a podium and some bowling pins that he refers to as “the holy roller church”. There’s a few couches with tires on them – the “re-tirement home” and some old cooking pots half-buried that is his “pot garden”. He has some old wire reindeer poking out of the headlights of an old vehicle – “deer in headlights”. There’s so much of this stuff over 2 acres that it is mind-boggling and we can’t remember all the puns and play on words, but you get the idea.
Inside Hillbilly Toyland
As for the toy museum – that is on the property too. In a tiny, one-room building is an eclectic collection of over 60,000 toys that he says represents only 1/6 of his entire collection. They hang from the ceilings, the walls, lay on tables and on the floor. It is a treasure trove of so many unrelated toys. He still hopes to find a way to display more. The old Apple Valley Country Store is now a small museum.
If you like this kind of thing, you should stop by this unusual, off-beat, historic folk art roadside attraction
Driving to the Ferry
Nancy learned there’s a free ferry we can use to cross the Ohio River to get to the scenic drive on the Indiana side. There are only 4 ferries that cross the Ohio River and we’re delighted to have a chance to experience one. After leaving Hillbilly Gardens, we navigate east to US-60, then north on KY-91 to the ferry dock.
Ferry Crossing
We have no idea how often it runs and when we arrive, it is on the other side of the river. There are 4 cars waiting with us and folks seem eager to chat while we all wait. We meet a couple that is sort of following their son for a while who is currently walking across the US doing “the Lord’s work”. Harrison meets a local man who asks him to walk down to the water with him and the guy tells him about Cave In Rock State Park just across the river. Meanwhile, Nancy chats with the couple and a local woman who also tells us about the state park. The ferry arrives a few minutes later, we all drive our cars on and 10 minutes later, we are on the other side in Illinois.
Cave-In-Rock State Park
It is so fun to find a place to explore that wasn’t even on our radar and Cave-In-Rock State Park is one of those. On the bluffs overlooking the Ohio River is a 55′ wide naturally carved limestone cave. It is a short, easy hike from the parking lot and we even hike inside the cave. There are unsubstantiated rumors that river pirates once used this as a hide-out.
Travelling Along the Ohio River on the Indiana Side
KY-91 becomes IL-1 on this side of the river and we follow it north along the Ohio Scenic River Byway by following the signs. About 20 miles later, we turn east on IN-62 and head toward Evansville and then on through to Tell City. Here we decide to take the fastest route to Louisville so we can arrive before dark. And that turned out to be a wise decision since we experience the change from Central to Eastern time at the Kentucky border. For some reason, we didn’t realize that Louisville was on eastern time so losing an hour means we arrive just as the last bits of daylight fall over the horizon.
Homewood Suites by Hilton Downtown Louisville
We’ve chosen an extended stay hotel, Homewood Suites by Hilton Downtown Louisville, yet another chain where we’re members. We’ll be here for 5 days and with this type of hotel, we get a full kitchen so we can still have some meals in the room. It is a studio suite so it is all one giant room (bedroom with couch & kitchen), but the space suits us. The hotel hosts an evening reception for hotel guests and that’s we meet Doug and Susan from Canada who we share travel adventures with for a while.
Gruv Sports Bar & Lounge
About 2 blocks from our hotel is the Gruv Sports Bar & Lounge that has only been open for about 5 months. It wasn’t on the downtown Louisville map given us by the hotel – because it is that new. When we first arrive, there are only about 6 people in the place but by the time we finish dinner, the place is hopping! The service was great and the food, while a limited menu, was also enjoyed. We can see this place is just working the kinks out of being new and should do well.
Day 3: Louisville, KY (day 178 of the overall trip)
Today we are going to walk around downtown Louisville and try to catch a few of the attractions here.
Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory
As big baseball fans, we absolutely have to go to the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, just one-and-a-half blocks from our hotel. Outside the entrance is the world’s largest baseball bat at 120′ tall and weighing 68,000 pounds. The company that makes this famous bat is Hillerich &Bradsby. Due to the lingering COVID, they are still doing timed entries and we’re scheduled for the 10:40am tour. We explore parts of the museum as we wait for our tour to begin. Harrison gets to hold former Washington Nationals star Ryan Zimmerman’s favorite bat! We see one of Babe Ruth’s bats.
Wall with Every Custom Signed Major League Bat Every Made
We walk past the giant wooden wall displaying signatures of every Louisville Slugger contract player.
The Making of Pro Bats
Once our tour begins, we watch a video and learn that Louisville Slugger baseball bats are made from one of three types of wood (maple, ash & birch), all from a particular forest in Pennsylvania. Each chosen tree is cut into 40″ lengths, then split into quarters. One bat will be made out of each of those quarters, with the first stage creating something called a billet, a long cylindrical tube that is flat on both ends. Billets are then graded and sorted by the quality of the wood. MLB players select the wood and bat shape, then order on average, 100 bats each season. Some more famous players have their signature etched onto the bat and some have unique artwork. We also learn that the “Louisville Slugger” stamp goes on a different part of the bat depending on the type of wood.
The Factory Tour
There are 5 stops along the factory tour that show how the bats are made. At one time, each bat was made by hand. With the evolution of technology, the billet are cut by a computerized lathe taking about 30 seconds for the first round of shaping. Each bat is hand inspected and weighed after that first shaping and then they move around on conveyor belts to the various stations where the nubs are cut off the ends, they are hand dipped in different finishes and hung to dry as they move through specific temperature controlled drying units.
Troll Pub Under the Bridge
We walk down Main Street to 2nd street and then head under the bridge to a placed called the Troll Pub Under the Bridge. Outside is a large 8′ troll statue and we head down a short set of steps and enter the brick basement through a heavy wooden door. We sit at the bar facing multiple TVs and are greeted by our friendly bartender, D, who pours us a couple of draft beers. The place is very large with several small rooms and lots of ambiance. We enjoy a quick lunch and then head to our next appointment.
Evans William – The Bourbon Experience
Neither of us are bourbon drinkers, but when you are in Louisville, the land of the Bourbon Trail, you kinda, sorta need to do at least one whiskey tour and tasting. We’ve chosen the 1:30pm Bourbon Experience at Evans William. While Evan Williams was one of the first distilleries on Whiskey Row here in Louisville, the main distillery isn’t on site’. We learn the history of the man, Evan Williams, and how he started his business. We learn the various steps of the process used to create his bourbon. We see a batch of mash, we learn they use oak-charred barrels to age the bourbon a minimum of 4 years. We learn barrels are only use them one time. After all that, we get to sit in a bar and taste 4 different bourbons made by Evan Williams, two of which are only available here at the factory store. Our final bourbon is paired with a chocolate truffle.
The Kentucky Science Cemter
Next we’re off to the Kentucky Science Center – which has 3 floors of wonderful hands-on experiments geared for kids. The whole place was really geared for kids, but we managed to find the kid within to enjoy it.
Egyptian Mummy
Harrison’s favorite thing was a real mummy and sarcophagus.
Walking Downtown Louisville
When we leave the museum, we decide to enjoy the gorgeous weather today and just continue to walk around and explore the downtown area.
Day 4: Louisville, KY (day 179 of the overall trip)
Today we’re going to drive out of town on a short scenic drive. We’d really hoped to stop at the General George S. Patton Museum of Leadership, but it is currently closed. Given that we went to another museum honoring this man (back when we were in California), we thought it would tie together nicely. As it turns out, we wouldn’t have had time anyway. We are both SO tired of ringing in our ears and muffled hearing, that we schedule an appointment at an Urgent Care Center at 3:45pm, so our day will need to take that into account.
Indiana Caverns
Our first stop is at Indian Caverns, part of the Binkley cave system in Indiana. At almost 43 miles long, the limestone Binkley cave system is the longest in Indiana. This place offers more than just a cave tour. It has a zipline, an escape room and a roller-coaster type ride (all of which are closed this time of year, except on weekends). That’s OK with us – we’re here for the cave! The cave was only discovered in the 1930’s and the cavern in 2010. In 2012, dye testing and smoke bombs proved they were connected. A new entrance to the cavern was created and the attraction opened in 2013.
Inside the Cave
As with most cave tours, we start by descending a paved path and then transition to metal stairs that will take us about 150′ underground. We learn about stalactites and stalagmites, columns and cave bacon. We see pools of water with tiny white crustaceans similar to crayfish – but these have no eyes. Our guide, Alex, points out several formations in the cave that have been given names that align with what they look like. This cave, however, offers two things one doesn’t usually find on a cave tour. The first is bones that originate from Pleistocene Ice Age animals. We see the bones of a prehistoric black bear as well as small animals no longer in existence today.
Boat Ride Inside the Cave
The second unique thing is a 15-minute boat ride inside the cave that moves along the 6′ deep waters in the back of the cavern. Once we reach out end point, Alex turns off all the lights and we get to experience complete darkness!
Fort Duffield State Park
We rarely skip a chance to visit an old Fort and Fort Duffield is no exception. It is the largest and best preserved Civil War earthworks fortification. Located at the confluence of the Salt and Ohio Rivers, it is 300 feet above the rivers at the town of West Point, KY. Once the Union Army gained control of the state, General Sherman and President Lincoln needed to protect the waterways used to move supplies to troops and the land itself to move troops. The fort was never challenged and was left undisturbed.
We arrive with about 15 minutes of time to explore the fort since we have that 3:45pm appointment at the urgent care clinic. We park at the bottom of a hill and start the quarter mile uphill hike to the fort area. We manage to get to the top, look around briefly and then head back down. Boy, that was ambitious!
A Visit to Urgent Care
If you’ve ever been to an Urgent Care facility, you know it is all about patients and patience. We have paperwork to fill out and we end up getting to the exam room together around 4:15pm. The nurse practitioner checks us over and determines we “only” have fluid buildup behind our ear drums, no infections, and tells us to basically wait it out for 7 to 10 more days. We are told to take 10 mg of Zyrtec daily and use Fluticasone Propionate Nasal Spray (a prescription), so we head over to CVS pharmacy to get them. It turns out they are sold out of Adult Zyrtec (kept behind the counter) but Nancy discovers that children’s Zyrtec is the same dosage – and after checking with the pharmacist, he agrees it will do just fine. He also shakes his head as to why the adult Zyrtec is the same dosage as the children’s (chewable) and why they both aren’t behind the counter.
Mussel & Burger
The dinner bell rings in our stomachs and we head to a place called Mussel & Burger. You guessed it – it is famous for its oysters & mussels as well as its burgers. We order some burgers and marvel at how tender the meat is. Delicious!
Day 5: Louisville, KY (day 180 of the overall trip)
Today we cross the bridge over the Ohio River and drive around Jeffersonville, Indiana. It doesn’t have as much infrastructure as Louisville, but that is part of its charm.
Howard Steamboat Museum
Who knew that the largest and oldest boat-building and repair yard in the US was located in Jeffersonville, Indiana? The Howard Shipyards built over 1100 river vessels in their 107 years of operation. In 1941, they sold the yard to the U.S. Navy to build ships for World War II, and in 1947 the yard was purchased by the Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Company, which had done the work for the Navy during the war. In 1964, they officially changed their name to Jeffboat, and it remained in business until the end of May, 2018.
The era of steamboats actually began in the late 1700’s when James Watt patented an improved steam engine that revolutionized transportation. James Fitch built the first steamboat in the US in 1787 and it was used on the Delaware River and he was granted the first US patent in 1791. Robert Fulton is actually credited as the “Father of Steam Navigation”. A scientist with a general interest in transportation, he designed canal systems and the first “diving boat” (now known as a submarine). His passion, however, was steamboats and he partnered with Robert Livingston in the early 1800’s to build one for the Hudson River. The Clermont set sail in 1807 and was the first commercial service in the world travelling from New York City to Albany, a 150-mile trip, in 32 hours. His next ship, the New Orleans, was introduced in 1811 with passenger and freight service on the lower part of the Mississippi River. By 1814 there was regular steamboat and freight service between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Natchez, Mississippi. The boats traveled at rates of eight miles per hour downstream and three miles per hour upstream. Soon many competitors entered the steamboat market with James Howard as one them. This museum focuses on the many ships built by the Howard Steamboat Company.
Steamboat Models and Historical Items
The Howard Mansion
In 1894, Edmond Howards built his family a 22-room, 15,000 square foot, 3-floor red brick structure overlooking the Howard Shipyard his father started and built. The house now serves as a museum for the history of the steamboat industry. Within the house are gasoliers that operate on electricity and natural gas. The house features 15 different types of wood and has numerous carvings, arches and a grand staircase that reflect the wealth Edmonds Howard had. All the features and some of the furnishings were built by the same craftsman that built the steamboats. The museum features 90% original furnishings, some of which were purchased at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition held in Chicago.
Doc Crow’s
We drive around Jeffersonville but decide there are two establishments back in Louisville we want to check out. The first is Doc Crow’s, a southern smokehouse and raw bar located in a former distillery. The building has a rich history prior to, during and after prohibition – and located along Whiskey Row. As is standard when we want to visit multiple places in one day, we order an appetizer and a couple of beers, then move on.
Patrick O’Shea’s Public House
Right next door is Patrick O’Shea’s Public House, one of 3 “O’Shea’s” in this local franchise. The first establishment began in 1954 as Mary’s Chateau offering Cabaret-style entertainment and drinks. It moved to the “Highlands” area of Louisville in 1994, added pub fare on the menu and became O’Shea’s Pub. Patrick O’Shea’s opened in 2010 by a member of the 4th generation of the O’Shea family. The third location is H.M. Frank’s O’Shea’s in Jeffersonville, across the river. Patrick’s is located in a 4-story historical building that also has a history on Whiskey Row. Here we split a meal and then head back to our room.
Day 6: Louisville, KY (day 181 of the overall trip)
If we were bourbon fans, we’d be VERY busy in downtown Louisville visiting many of the distilleries in town and doing taste tests. As an FYI, all require 1-day advance reservations. If we were boxing fans, we would probably have enjoyed the Muhammad Ali museum. There are also several art museums here, but that also isn’t our thing. And Louisville has a rich history and relationship with the Kentucky Derby. One can visit nearby Churchill Downs and/or the Kentucky Derby Museum – both of which were currently undergoing renovations that limited access so we decided to save that for a future trip.
Fourth Street Live
We’ve decided to spend this Saturday watching college football, particularly a match between two teams that are both undefeated at 8-0. We head to the party area known as Fourth Street Live. The street is blocked off in this area as a walking pedestrian area centered around 10 different bars, restaurants and pubs. We’re surprised it isn’t more busy on a Saturday afternoon so we suspect this is more of a nighttime party zone. We also learn they hold outdoor concerts and other events (mostly holiday themed). There is a translucent tarp over the street to help weather-proof the area but still let light in.
Sports & Social Club
Sports & Social Club that is located in the center of Fourth Street Live and boasts over 35 TVs for maximum sports viewing. They have a very simple pub fare with adult beverage specials during games. They also have a bowling alley or two. We get a seat at the bar where we have access to 5 TVs, but the game we want to watch isn’t on one of them. Two of them are showing horse racing, which granted, is highly popular in this area, but not what we’re interested in. We ask the bartender to change one of the TVs to the game and are assured it won’t be an issue. A nearby table makes the same request. After 45 minutes and a mediocre appetizer, we just leave. When we get our check, we are stunned at how high the draft beer price was when they claim to have special prices during games. We are SO glad we left and we would not recommend this place.
Troll Pub Under the Bridge
We’ve learned that downtown Louisville doesn’t have a lot of sports bars. We decide to head back to Troll Pub Under the Bridge because we’re more confident they’ll show the game. This place is packed, but we manage to find a small corner high top table with great views of several TVs. Sure enough, the game we want to watch is on, but unfortunately, it is a blow-out. Regardless, we enjoy more great food and a wonderful atmosphere of folks enjoying college football.
Summary
The portion of the Ohio Scenic River Byway that we drove was delightful with little traffic and pretty scenery. As for Louisville, it was nice to have 5 days to explore here, but we feel like we’ve done the things we care about and probably won’t return.
Up Next
We have 2 destinations left: the Cincinnati OH/Covington KY are and then Penn State‘s last home game of the season. After that, we’ll head home so that will be our final post of our 6-month road trip.
Prior Legs of the Journey
Part 1 – The Trip to Key West is located here.
Part 2 – Cross Country to Bellingham Washington is located here.
Part 3 – The Alaska Ferry Inner Passage to Juneau is located here.
Part 4- The Alaska Ferry Inner Passage to Haines & Skagway is located here.
Part 5 – Haines to Fairbanks Alaska is located here.
Part 6 – Three weeks in Fairbanks is located here
Part 7 – Fairbanks to the Arctic Ocean is located here.
Part 8 – Denali National Park is located here.
Part 9 – Denali & Richardson Highways (Central Alaska) is located here.
Part 10 – Wasilla Alaska Area is located here
Part 11 – Homer Alaska Area is located here
Part 12 – Seward Alaska Area is located here
Part 13 – Girdwood Alaska Area is located here
Part 14 – Kodiak Alaska Area is located here
Part 15 – “Back to the Lower 48” is located here
Part 16 – “The Volcano Legacy” is located here
Part 17 – Northern California is located here
Part 18 – The Nevada and California Desert Adventure is located here
Part 19 – San Diego is located here
Part 20 – Crossing Arizona is located here
Part 21 – Utah & Colorado is located here
Part 22 – Crossing the Great Plains is located here
Wow! What an ambitious few days. This was a very enjoyable post. Webs been to Cairo multiple times to relish the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Keep on keeping on….
Thanks for the feedback Dennis