Description
North Kentucky Fly Drive Holiday
The phrase Only in America is a comment we have all made and heard as we explore this amazing country of contrasts and curios. For an experience like no other, Only in America is a 12-night driving tour arriving in Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati and departing from Nashville. It highlights one-of-a-kind destinations and attractions that can literally be found only in America…
Day 1: Arrive Covington, North Kentucky
Fly from the UK London non-stop/direct and arrive at Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati Airport. Collect your car rental and make the short transfer to your hotel in Covington, Kentucky overlooking the Ohio River and the cityscape of Cincinnati.
Overnight : Covington, Kentucky
Day 2: Explore Cincinnati
Stroll across the Roebling Suspension Bridge (a prototype of the Brooklyn Bridge) spanning the Ohio River and take in the Cincinnati River Front with its parks, baseball and American football stadiums, plus neighbouring entertainment and dining districts.
Cincinnati, founded in 1788, became an important supply point for pioneers heading west on flatboats and rafts and its population rocketed in 1811 with the establishment of a major steamboat river port. Today Cincinnati is a dynamic city with a definite European flavour rich in architecture and culture. It is also a proud sporting city, home to America’s first professional baseball team, the Reds, and the Bengals American football team.
Only in America… The banks of the Ohio River in Cincinnati meant freedom to entrapped enslaved people, and the striking National Underground Railroad Freedom Centre portrays three centuries of slavery from its introduction into the Americas to its abolition at the end of the American Civil War. The exhibit describes who the enslaved were, why they were brought here, how they lived, how they worked, and who their allies were – and how they ultimately became free.
The American Sign Museum (10 min drive from downtown Cincinnati) is the premier institution for preserving historic signs and promoting the sign industry’s contributions to commerce, culture, and the American landscape. Signs not only show us the way and invite us in (or not!), they reflect the history, technology, commerce, and culture of our communities.
Overnight : Covington, Kentucky
Day 3: Explore Northern Kentucky
Today stay on the South banks of the Ohio River and the region of Northern Kentucky. Explore Covington, known for its historic neighbourhoods including Licking-Riverside, MainStrasse Village and Wallace Woods, as well as for its downtown commercial district which is home to a large concentration of historic buildings.
Discover the B-Line, an experience cantered around five Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour® Distilleries: New Riff Distilling, Neeley Family Distillery, Second Sight Spirits, Boone County Distilling Co., and The Old Pogue Distillery. Add seven bourbon-centric bars and six amazing restaurants cultivating the freshest tastes in bourbon culinary delights: you’re on The B-Line
Only in America….Before there was Las Vegas… there was Newport, Kentucky. Rising from the profits of bootlegging during Prohibition, Newport quickly became the premier gaming destination of the United States. What happened in Newport, stayed in Newport! It’s always fun to learn the juicy secrets of a city’s history. With the Newport Gangster Tour, you can visit the buildings that actually housed casinos, brothels and speakeasies while learning about Newport’s connections to some of the most well-known crime figures in our nation’s history.
Overnight: Covington, Kentucky
Day 4: Covington to Louisville 80 miles
Depart Covington and continue south to Louisville, which is firmly embedded in the American national consciousness for its multimillion-dollar Kentucky Derby held each May at Churchill Downs. The Derby, known as the richest two minutes in sport, attracts 500,000 fans to this cosmopolitan and diversified city the first Saturday in May, but there is racing at Churchill Downs in April, May, June, October and November, and the track is open for tours year-round. The next-door Kentucky Derby Museum offers an excellent hands-on experience and a magnificent audio-visual display that captures the Derby Day atmosphere on a 360o screen.
Overnight: Louisville, Kentucky
Day 5: Louisville
Downtown Louisville rolls gently down towards Main Street then abruptly lunges down to the river where the historic Belle of Louisville leaves for daily sightseeing cruises. Don’t miss the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, and be sure to sample the Urban Bourbon Trail along Whiskey Row and around town.
Only in America… The Muhammad Ali Center rises on the south bank of the Ohio River and has majestic views of Kentucky’s largest city, where Ali was born Cassius Clay in 1942. Ali went on to boxing fame and fortune, but in his heyday he was known as the “Louisville Lip” and a loquacious self-promoter responsible for some of the finest quips to emerge from a sportsman. The Ali Center is not obsessed with glory and triumph, and it does not shy away from Ali’s failings. Still, his boxing achievements are the centrepiece and fans can watch his fights in a multimedia area and follow his brave and principled stand against the Vietnam War and racism.
Overnight: Louisville, Kentucky
Day 6: Louisville to Bowling Green via Bardstown and Mammouth Cave NP 167 miles
Today’s journey highlights are Bardstown (voted America’s most beautiful small town) and the Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center, driving the Bluegrass Parkway and visiting the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site in Hodgenville. As I-65 heads south toward Bowling Green, you are in the heart of Kentucky’s Cave Country. The region’s “karst” topography is responsible for hundreds of ancient caverns and the idyllic rolling hills seen on the surface.
Only in America… The 400 miles of labyrinth passages and domed caverns of Mammoth Cave National Park contain unique geological formations carved by acidic water trickling through limestone. There is a bewildering display of stalagmites and stalactites, a massive cascade of flowstone known as Frozen Niagara and Echo River, 365 feet below ground, is populated by a unique species of colourless and sightless fish. Guided tours are available with varying time lengths and degrees of difficulty, from a one-hour stroll to a full-day, crawling-though-tunnels experience.
Not only can you have a one-of-a-kind cave and Corvette experience in Bowling Green, but this cosmopolitan university town has a flourishing cultural scene, good shopping and excellent dining.
Bowling Green’s Fountain Square is quintessentially American and reminiscent of the one in the film Back to the Future. There are restaurants, bars, a B&B, and the surrounding park hosts free weekly Concerts in the Park series every June.
Overnight: Bowling Green, Kentucky
Day 7: Bowling Green to Paducah 149 Miles
Discover why the Corvette is “America’s true sports car” and how a small Kentucky river town is a UNESCO Creative City – one of seven in the world.
Only in America… General Motors began production of the esteemed Corvette at the Bowling Green assembly plant in 1981 and the facility has remained the exclusive home of the Corvette for more than 30 years. The guided tour of the factory shows how man and machine combine to produce 137 cars a day – all on order!
The nearby National Corvette Museum features more than 70 Corvettes from classics in mint condition, including Roy Orbison’s vintage ’67, one-of-a-kind prototypes that never went into production to racetrack champions and modern-day wonders of engineering and design. There is also a display of six of the eight smashed-up cars that were swallowed by a massive sinkhole in 2014 when the roof of a cave below the museum collapsed – causing visitor numbers to double!
Creativity is the common thread that connects people from around the globe to Paducah. The world’s 7th City of Crafts and Folk Art in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, Paducah is home to the National Quilt Museum, the Lower Town Arts District and 50 life-sized panoramic floodwall murals.
Paducah’s location at the heart of America’s inland waterways (the Ohio and Tennessee rivers) has shaped its history and culture. The River Discovery Center chronicles these heritage highways from the era of Paducah’s earliest inhabitants to the City’s modern-day life on the river.
Overnight: Paducah, Kentucky
Day 8: Paducah to Memphis 178 miles
Learn how quilting can produce wall-hanging masterpieces, see the family home and ancestry that inspired the classic book and TV series Roots, and watch the glorious sunset on the banks of the Mississippi River in Memphis.
Only in America… About 21 million quilters in the USA alone make quilting a billion-dollar industry. The internationally-celebrated National Quilt Museum features the finest quilting and fibre art in the world as a portal to the contemporary quilt experience. Take a behind-the-scenes VIP tour to discover quilts that are not the kind our grandmothers made. Since its opening in 1991, the museum has attracted visitors from over 40 countries, showcasing its core collection and 8-10 themed exhibitions a year.
Driving south from Paducah to Memphis, make a stop in Henning at the Alex Haley Museum & Interpretive Center. Kunta Kinte. Kizzy. Chicken George. In the mid-1970s, these characters became household names thanks to author Alex Haley. His 1976 novel Roots: The Saga of An American Family, and the television miniseries Roots, which aired a year later, changed what many thought they knew about African-American heritage, taking the story of slavery and the quest for freedom out of dry-as-dust history textbooks and making it come alive in our living rooms.
Continue to Memphis on the mighty Mississippi River and immerse yourself in the city renowned as the Home of Blues, Soul & Rock ’n’ Roll.
Overnight: Memphis, Tennessee
Day 9: Memphis
Memphis more than matches its myth. Pilgrims flock from all over the world to find a vibrant city that, while cherishing its past, remains very much alive. Don’t miss the tour at the famous Sun Studio and be sure to see the Stax Museum of American Soul Music as well as the Smithsonian’s Rock ’n’ Soul Museum and the new Edge Motor Museum.
Discover African-American history at Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum and explore the life and legacy of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. at the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel.
Only in America… Visit Graceland, Elvis’ beloved mansion, see his two private jets and the fantastic automobile museum, as well as a host of other exhibits and memorabilia. Graceland is a surprisingly modest home for the world’s most successful entertainer. Still, when Elvis bought it for $100,000 in 1957, it was considered one of the most desirable properties in Memphis and once was part of a 500-acre farm. Tours start opposite the mansion at the all-new Elvis Presley’s Memphis Entertainment Complex. Visitors are ferried across Elvis Presley Boulevard in mini-coaches for an iPad tour of the mansion and grounds.
In August, during Elvis Week, a candlelight vigil is held on the anniversary of his death (August 15/16) and worshippers stand in line for the opportunity to parade along the Graceland driveway and pay their respects at the King’s tomb in the Meditation Garden. January 8, Elvis’ birthday, is another special time at Graceland with events and activities, plus the mansion is specially decorated during the Christmas season.
Be sure to hear live Blues on Beale Street and dance the night away at BB King’s, Rum Boogie Café, Jerry Lee Lewis’ Café & Honky Tonk or Mr Handy’s Blues Hall. Beale Street also offers good dining, street entertainment and busking, plus festivals and special events year-round.
Overnight: Memphis, Tennessee
Day 10: Memphis to Nashville 210 Miles
Leave Memphis and head east through cotton fields to Nashville via Brownsville and be sure to sample the Southern delicacies served at The Old Country Store at the Casey Jones Village in Jackson.
Only in America… At the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center in Brownsville, peek inside the one-room schoolhouse attended by a young Anna Mae Bullock – known to the world as Tina Turner.
Flagg Grove School is now home to a collection of the Queen of Rock’s memorabilia, including costumes and gold records donated by Tina and her family. The adjacent Cotton Museum helps you discover how cotton has been produced and managed since the early 1800s.
Nashville may be best known for its country roots, but the word is out that it’s also home to a diverse mix of other music genres (rock, Americana, bluegrass, blues, gospel) as well as the largest songwriting community in the world. Nashville’s creative spirit has also led the way to an evolving arts, fashion and culinary scene that’s starting to share the spotlight with its music scene.
Spend an evening at The Bluebird Cafe, Nashville’s legendary hotspot where you’ll enjoy songwriters performing original material in an intimate in-the-round-setting. Or experience Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, the world’s longest-running radio show, to see some of country music’s rising stars perfrom live, such as Taylor Swift and legends like Dolly Parton. Take a backstage tour and see the dressing rooms and famous Green Room. The Opry is on every Friday and Saturday and select Tuesdays and Wednesdays year-round.
Overnight: Nashville, Tennessee
Day 11: Nashville
Tour the Johnny Cash Museum, which features many never before seen historical documents, letters, awards, costumes and instruments that will take the visitor on a three-dimensional journey through Johnny Cash’s life. Catch a concert or take a tour of the Ryman Auditorium, regarded as the “Mother Church of Country Music.” The Ryman is a National Historic Landmark renowned for its exceptional acoustics that has hosted musicians from James Brown to Patsy Cline and Coldplay, as well as current and rising stars of all musical genres.
Only in America… The small and intimate RCA Studio B on historic Music Row is Nashville’s legendary recording studio and “home to 1,000 hits” like Roy Orbison’s Only the Lonely, the Everly Brothers’ Dream, Dolly Parton’s Jolene and 250 hits by Elvis Presley, including Are You Lonesome Tonight? The tour, which is sold as part of the Country Music Hall of Fame ticket, involves a return mini-coach transfer to Music Row from downtown and departs regularly at set times.
Go honky tonkin’ at Nashville’s world-famous bars on Broadway including Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, Robert’s Western World and Legends Corner to see where many country music legends got their start. Kick up your heels to the country sounds at the Wildhorse Saloon or take a cabaret dinner cruise aboard the General Jackson Showboat on the Cumberland River.
Overnight: Nashville, Tennessee
Day 12: Nashville – explore Nashville
Go honky tonkin’ at Nashville’s world-famous bars on Broadway including Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, Robert’s Western World and Legends Corner to see where many country music legends got their start. Kick up your heels to the country sounds at the Wildhorse Saloon or take a cabaret dinner cruise aboard the General Jackson Showboat on the Cumberland River.
Overnight: Nashville, Tennessee
Only in America…. Explore the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, the world’s largest museum dedicated to music! The museum’s permanent exhibit, Sing Me Back Home, carries the visitor on a journey of sights and sounds from country music’s earliest folk roots through today – including treasured artefacts from your favourite artists – and concludes with the interactive Discover Your Country exhibit that will thrill fans of all ages.
Day 13: Fly home from Nashville
Our team of expert travelplanners will help you create your very own dream holiday itinerary, showing you the best that Kentucky has to offer with our Only in America North Kentucky fly drive from Kentucky to Nashville. Call travelplanners today on 020 3542 8888 to book.
