The River Roads tour in Kentucky is one of my favorites. It starts in the city which Patty grew up in, Louisville, Kentucky, and goes southwest along the Ohio River eventually ending at the Kentucky / Tennessee / Indiana border at Hickman, Kentucky.

The drive starts in Louisville where you travel south along U.S. 60 to Fort Knox to see the vault holding the nation's gold depository, and also the General George Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armour.

From Fort Knox, head west on U.S. 60 past several small Ohio river towns before reconnecting to the main highay for the drive into Owensboro, which is the home of the International Bluegrass Music Museum.

Follow the John James Audubon Parkway west to Henderson, once the home of the renowned naturalist and artist. North of town, Audubon State Park features a songbird viewing gallery and a museum tracing the artist's life and works.

Drive U.S. 60 into Marion, KY, where you can stop and take an excursion across the Ohio River on the Cave-In-The-Rock Ferry, before heading to one of Patty's favorite little towns, Paducah. In Paducah, you can visit the exhibits at the River Heritage Museum. Paducha is also a gateway to the scenic Land Between the Lakes National Recreational Area, a region of lush forests, blue-water lakes, rustic campgrounds and resorts. If you'd like a scenic detour, drive the Trace byway past blue-water coves, shaded campgrounds and Civil War Battlefields.

Going west from Paducah, head into Wickliffe, where the Ohio flows into the Mississippi River. Nearby, Wickliffe Mounds are an ancient Native-American ceremonial site, dating back over 1,000 years. Here you join the Kentucky portion of the Great River Road, which in itself is a 3,000 mile scenic higway stretching from Minnesota to Louisiana.

Follow the Great River Road south on U.S. 61 and KY 123 to Columbus, then on KY 58 to Clinton and down to Cayce KY, which is the birthplace of the legendary railroad engineer "Casey" Jones.

The tour concludes with a short drive on KY 94 to Hickman, which has been described by Mark Twain as "the most beautiful town on the Mississippi River".

Blue moon of Kentucky, keep on shining,
Shine on the one that's gone and proved untrue;
Blue moon of Kentucky, keep on shining,
Shine on the one that's gone and left me blue.

- Kentucky's Official Bluegrass Song
"Blue Moon of Kentucky" by Bill Monroe

Depending on the time of year, I'd recommend the following events along this tour:

W. C. Handy Blues and BBQ Festival. This is held in Henderson KY, the beginning of June.

Steven Foster, The Musical. This is held in Bardstown from June through late August.

450 Mile Yard Sale, The World's Largest. This stretches along the road from Covington Ky to Gasden Alabama in mid-August.

Kentucky State Fair. In Louisville usually in mid-August.

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