Bluegrass to Pennyroyal (page 4 of 5)

Points 10-13

10. Duncan Hines Scenic Byway
Continuing through Mammoth Cave National Park, the drive hops across the Green River by ferry, entering an area of wild backcountry. Sunlight filters to the forest floor through a thick canopy of maples, beeches, sycamores, oaks, and hickories, and the forest is filled with chirping songbirds. Here the seasons are exquisitely portrayed, beginning in spring and summer with a colorful procession of blooming dogwoods, redbud trees, and wildflowers. In the fall blazing reds and golds ignite the foliage. But only in winter, when the ground is barren and all the leaves are gone, can you see the craggy layers of limestone -- along with all their sinkholes, streams, and fissures oozing with icy water.

Continuing north out of Mammoth Cave National Park, the drive follows the well-marked Duncan Hines Scenic Byway past lofty ridges, deep valleys, and outcroppings. At the southern tip of Nolin River Lake, the byway veers north to Bee Spring, then west and south through such charmingly named villages as Sunfish, Sweeden, and Windyville. As you continue along this series of country lanes, follow the byway signs all the way into the town of Bowling Green.

11. Bowling Green
George and Robert Moore, two brothers, donated land to found this town on a bend in the Barren River in 1798. According to lore, it was named in honor of Bowling Green Square in New York City. Today Bowling Green is a blend of the old and the new, from the elegant 1872 Italianate home known as River View at Hobson Grove, to the recently founded National Corvette Museum, a tribute to the American sports car, manufactured here in Bowling Green by General Motors. The museum features classic Corvettes spanning the years since 1953, when the first model rolled off the assembly line.

12. Jefferson Davis Monument
The drive follows Rte. 68 through the town of Russellville, whose collection of historic edifices includes the old Southern Bank Building, robbed by outlaw Jesse James in 1868. A few miles farther, a tall white obelisk -- bearing a remarkable resemblance to the Washington Monument in the nation's capital -- towers 351 feet above the surrounding farmland. Located in the little town of Fairview, the structure signals local sympathy for Jefferson Davis, first and only president of the Confederate States of America, who was born here in 1808 and stayed loyal to the Southern cause all his life. An elevator to the top of the monument takes you to a sweeping vista of barns, silos, and farmhouses scattered across an appealing patchwork of fertile fields.

Farther along on Rte. 68, the road enters the old-time world of the Amish (watch for their horse-drawn carriages), where roadside stands offer freshly harvested beans, peaches, tomatoes, and corn.

13. Hopkinsville
One of Kentucky's larger cities, with a population of some 30,000, Hopkinsville has long been a leading market for tobacco. In recent years factories have thrived here as well, producing everything from truck frames, textiles, and flour to springs and bowling balls. In its distant past Hopkinsville was a stop on the infamous Trail of Tears. Cherokee Indians who did not survive the grueling trek are memorialized at the Trail of Tears Commemorative Park.

For a look at more of the town's past, stop by the Pennyroyal Area Museum on East Ninth Street. Its exhibits (including Edgar Cayce, known even after death as one of the world's greatest psychics; Indian lore; Civil War mementos; pioneer furnishings; and old farm tools) seem to be borrowings from the most intriguing attics in southwestern Kentucky.

• • Road Trips

• Blue Ridge Parkway
• Soaring to the crests of the ancient Appalachians, America's longest scenic drive entices travelers with views of misty mountains and verdant valleys that have scarcely changed since the days of Daniel Boone.
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• Skyline Drive
• Weaving through Shenandoah National Park, the Skyline Drive is one of the loveliest roads in America.
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• Lookout Mountain Parkway
• On a clear day you may not be able to see forever, but you can come mighty close from the summit of Lookout Mountain, where panoramic vistas overlook seven states.
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• North Georgia Highroads
• Just a short hop from the gleaming glass towers of Atlanta lies a mountainous getaway little touched by any but nature's hand.
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• James River Plantations
• Some of time's finest treasures can be found along this drive, which starts in the modern city of Richmond, passes centuries-old plantations, then ends in one of the places where America began.
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• More Great Road Trips!
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