Kentucky Spotlight

A blob? A hill? What exactly is Western Kentucky University’s mascot “Big Red?” According to Sports Illustrated, Big Red is number eight on its list of the top 10 greatest mascots in college football history.

In need of a bachelor party destination, but want to skip the general debauchery? Look no further than Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named one of the top bachelor party destinations in America by Men’s Journal magazine.

Transylvania University’s Moosnick Museum has made a name for itself by focusing on medical oddities. (It has been featured in Roadside America, Atlas Obscura and Ozzy Osbourne’s reality show.)

Kentucky often falls in the national spotlight for its signature bourbon, advanced manufacturing industry or growing logistics leadership.

Kentucky’s famous bluegrass and rolling hills are certainly a spectacle for visitors but a recent Travel + Leisure article featured the Commonwealth for what’s below the surface.

Picture walking through a spiraling trellis that transforms plants into architecture. Imagine tasting the sights and smells of an edible garden. That awaits you in Louisville’s own Waterfront Botanical Gardens, set to open in October this year.

Kentuckians know what a great vacation spot our state is, offering good bourbon, bluegrass music, a sweeping countryside and a whole lot of culture. But it’s nice to hear the rest of the country has noticed our brag-worthy status as well.

It’s hard to imagine Kentucky’s culture without the undertones of bluegrass music. The acoustic string instruments emphasized by an offbeat rhythm draw many tourists from around the country (and the world) to experience the high lonesome sound.

April showers bring May flowers … and there’s a unique May “flower” blooming where you least expect it. Kentucky’s state tree, the tulip poplar, shows off in late spring with a cluster of cups atop each branch. Shades of lime, orange and yellow blend together in a show-stopping surprise inside each blossom.

What do France, Italy and Kentucky all have in common? They have cities recently named among the best places to travel in June by Travel + Leisure magazine.