Bluegrass Heritage Museum

Built as a home in 1895 for local doctor, this large building became a clinic and hospital when it was bought by Dr. E. P. Guerrant in 1927. It operated as a clinic until 1989 and then sat empty for 11 years before being donated to the city of Winchester, Kentucky. The museum officially opened in 2004. 

All three floors of the building have exhibits, The first floor has the history of the Guerrant family, the Civil War, tobacco farms, and early industries. The second floor has WWI, WWII, and  telephone history plus an exhibit on Homer Ledford, a musician and instrument builder who hand made 6,014 dulcimers, 476 banjos, 27 mandolins, 26 guitars, 18 ukuleles, 13 dulcitars, 3 dulcijos, 3 dulcibros, 4 violins and one bowed dulcimer. The third floor is dedicated to the clinic and hospital with original equipment in the operating room.Visitors are given a guided tour which is necessary because there's very little written information for the exhibits. After the tour you're free to wander on your own.

 

Because the building was a hospital it has an elevator so all three floors are accessible.The accessible entrance is on the side of the building directly across from the parking lot.

The parking lot is large enough for most RVs but it has a slight slope. Museum  37.98968, -84.17859

Brighton East Trail

At just over 3 miles round trip this is a easy rail trail. It travels though a suburban corridor and views are of back yards with one short section of forest. There's a high level of traffic noise from I-75 at certain points. Use caution at the one road crossing because the drivers do not always stop for people at the crosswalk. The trail is level and well maintained. 

The sign at the beginning of the trail indicates that the connector to Liberty Trail is in future plans. That has been finished so it's possible to add an addition 2.8 miles out and back to your walk/roll. We walked/rolled on the Brighton Trail only.

 

We parked at the parking lot on Bryan Road which is large enough for any vehicle. Trail  38.01354, -84.41886

 

Waveland State Historic Site

Waveland, a ten room antebellum mansion, was built in the 1840s by Joseph Bryan, a grandnephew of Daniel Boone. Bryan, a successful planter and businessman, grew hemp and tobacco and ran a  gristmill, paper mill, blacksmith shop, and a distillery with the help of thirteen slaves, three women who did household chores and ten men who worked in the fields. One of Bryan's sons, Joseph Henry Bryan, took over management of the property after the Civil War and started breeding racehorses. Waveland became one of the best thoroughbred and standard bred farms in Kentucky. Unfortunately Joseph Henry Bryan gambled heavily on the races and lost the property. The house went through several owners before the Commonwealth of Kentucky bought it in 1956. 

The house has been restored to its 1840s appearance and is furnished in the period. Four original outbuildings with exhibits are open for visitors. Signs located at various spots on the property give a bit of history. 

 

Nothing is very accessible so we decided to skip the house tour and just tour the grounds on our own. The outbuildings all have high thresholds or steps and the garden has grass paths. It's possible to see some of the grounds with assistance. 

 

Signs in the parking lot indicate that it is for people taking tours but since there isn't another lot we parked there anyway. It isn't very large so we backed up over the grass to take up only one space. Waveland  37.97084, -84.53638

 

The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky

A two mile paved path forms a loop through the arboretum which is divided into areas to represent the different geologic regions of Kentucky. Additional unpaved paths branch off of the paved path. There's an empty visitor center which is due for renovation. The garden is free but the children's garden has a fee because of the need for supervisory staff when it's open.  

 

The paved path with a short section of boardwalk is in good condition but most wheelchair users will need assistance due to the hilly terrain. We tried an unpaved path through the wetlands and found a boardwalk in need of repair. The ornamental garden has grass paths and is not accessible however a paved path leads to a beautiful sculpture memorializing the people killed in a plane crash at the Lexington, Kentucky. 

RVs will fit in the lot of parked through two spaces or backed up over the grass. Garden  38.01536, -84.50338

 

Perryville Battlefield

 During the Civil War Kentucky was considered a border state after the state legislature declared neutrality. Both sides wanted control because of the strategic importance of the Ohio River and the railroads. The Confederacy added a star for Kentucky on their flag even though Union forces occupied the state for the majority of the war.

The Confederate forces attempted to retake the state in 1862 and Perryville, with an excellent road network, was considered a strategic location. Fighting took place on October 8 with over seven hundred men killed. The Union lost more men than the Confederacy but they were outnumbered and retreated through the Cumberland Gap leaving the Union in control of the state for the remainder of the war.

The site has a small museum with battle artifacts, a video, and exhibits detailing the movements of both armies. The museum staff passes out driving tour leaflets and there are trails that wind through the battlefield with over 40 interpretive signs. 

The museum is accessible. The trails are mowed grass and not accessible. There are some signs along the driving tour but most are too far away to read.

RVs can be parked along the road across from the museum. The driving tour road is fine for most RVs. One half mile section is dirt; the rest is paved. Battlefield  37.67451, -84.97066

Abraham Lincoln's Boyhood Home at Knob Creek

 When Abraham Lincoln was two years old the Lincoln family had to move from their Sinking Spring farm because of a defective land title. They moved about ten miles east to Knob Creek Farm which had better soil but this location proved to be temporary too. Five years later, after another land dispute the Lincolns packed up and moved to Indiana where they lived for fourteen years. 

Knob Creek Farm has two historic buildings; neither are associated with the Lincolns. One is a small cabin built in the 1800s that's been moved to the property and serves as an example of the type of home that the Lincolns may have lived in. The other is a large log building constructed in 1931 by a couple who wanted to preserve the site and create a tourist attraction. The building was a restaurant and tavern with entertainment and dancing. The site was donated to the federal government in 1998 and the log building now houses the visitor center. 

Visitors can peek into the cabin. The visitor center has exhibits about the places that the Lincoln family lived and how Abraham Lincoln's childhood in Kentucky shaped the rest of his life. A 1 1/2 mile out and back trail leads to an overlook. 

 

The visitor center is accessible. The cabin has a sheet of plexiglass at the door opening so it's not possible to enter. The trail is not accessible due to the terrain. 

RVs can be parked along the curb on the south side of the parking lot.  Park  37.61096, -85.63812

 

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

 In 1909, the centennial year of Abraham Lincoln's birth, the Lincoln Farm Association, a nonprofit group, bought 110 acres of the original farm where Lincoln was born. They raised $350,000 and hired a famous architect to design an elaborate memorial building. It looks a bit out of place in rural Kentucky. A small log cabin is the only thing inside. The cabin was promoted as the birth cabin but when the site became part of the National Parks, the National Park Service raised doubts. It wasn't until 2004 that the logs were accurately dated to 1848 erasing any doubts that it was Lincoln's birth cabin. 

 The site has a small visitor center with a few exhibits and a short video. Visitors can walk up the 56 steps of the monument which symbolize the years Lincoln lived. There are also a couple of hiking trails.

The museum is accessible. A boardwalk with a gentle slope and paved walkway provide access to the memorial building which is accessible. Part of the Big Sink Trail which is located on the opposite side of US 31E is supposed to be accessible but we did not try it. The Boundary Oak Trail is accessible for a short distance then heads steeply downhill.  A partial view of Sinking Spring can be seen from the paved walkway at the base of the monument steps.

           

 

The RV parking lot is a gravel pull though uphill from the visitor center. The gravel is very difficult to push through so visitors in wheelchairs may wish to be dropped off at the visitor center, During slow times it may be possible to park across the spaces in the far section of the paved lot. Park  37.53031, -85.735

 

Swope's Cars of Yesteryear Museum

The car museum had its start with the purchase of a 1918 Dodge touring car by Bill Swope, a car dealer in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. In 1999 he decided to put his now extensive collection on display at one of his dealerships. The cars range from the early 1900’s to the 1960’s and the restorations are impeccable. 

I like the fancy hood ornaments and emblems.

 

The museum is accessible.

This is a large dealership so park wherever there's space. Museum  37.71467, -85.87839