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TRIP

62 48 Hours in Louisville

63 Kentucky Bluegrass & Horse Country

64 The Bourbon Trail

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Day Trips in Kentucky & Tennessee

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Drive into the countryside around Louisville, Nashville or Memphis to find Civil War battlefields, spooky old plantation houses and quirky small towns loaded with antiques shops and historic bed-and-breakfasts, as well as get-away-from-it-all wilderness areas.

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OTTER CREEK PARK

About 35 miles southwest of downtown Louisville in the town of Brandenburg, Otter Creek Park is 2600 rambling acres of riverside forest and wildflower meadows. While some parts of the park feel deeply secluded even in high summer, others have a busy Boy Scout-camp vibe. For solitude, hike on trails through the silent, hardwood groves or wade on the banks of the Ohio River or numerous small, rocky creeks. If you’re feeling more social, see if you can get in on a game at the disc golf course, or bring a lunch of pulled pork and pecan pie to eat at one of the many sheltered picnic areas. You can camp here too, in the backcountry or at drive-up tent sites, or rent a furnished cabin. From Louisville, take I-264 East to Louisville and get off at exit 5b for Cane Run Rd. Take Hwy 31 West towards Louisville/Fort Knox, making a right after 13 miles at Hwy-1638. Turn right at Otter Creek Park Rd.

SHILOH NATIONAL MILITARY PARK

It’s hard to imagine that these peaceful fields and forest once soaked up the blood of 3400 soldiers. The Battle of Shiloh, fought just north of the Mississippi border, was the second major engagement of the Civil War and was, at the time, the bloodiest battle ever fought on American soil. Ulysses S Grant, leading the victorious (though not by much) Union army, noted that the corpses lay so thick you could almost walk across the battlefield without touching the ground. Today the Shiloh National Military Park commemorates that battle and the fallen soldiers. The only way to see the vast park is by a 9.5-mile self-guided driving tour. Head to the visitors center first to get a map and watch the documentary Shiloh: Portrait of a Battle. Grim sights along the route include the Shiloh National Cemetery, the death site of Confederate General AS Johnson, and Bloody Pond, where soldiers came to clean their wounds, dying the waters deep red. From Memphis, take I-240 South and merge onto Hwy 385 East. Follow Hwy 72 towards Collierville, entering Mississippi. Stay on this road for about 65 miles before merging onto Hwy 45 North. Follow Hwy 57 to Hwy 22, which will take you into the park.

See also Trip 11

LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES

On the border of Tennessee and Kentucky, the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area is the peninsula formed when the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers were damned to create Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. The 170,000-acre emerald wilderness is a refuge for hikers, campers and outdoor sports enthusiasts. Bikers adore riding the old logging roads through the forest or bouncing along miles of singletrack, while the 300 miles of shoreline are big with fishermen casting for bass, catfish and bluegill -16 boat ramps throughout the park make access easy. But the coolest part of the park may be the 700-acre Elk and Bison Prairie. Here, scientists and non-profit agencies are trying to resettle the herds that were hunted out of the area more than 100 years ago. For a $5 fee you can drive your car through the prairie to see them up close and personal (through the windshield, that is - stay in or near the car, as bison are known to charge). From Nashville, take I-24 West into Kentucky to exit 53. Take Hwy 68/80 West past Cadiz and across the Lake Barkley Bridge.

FRANKLIN

With its quaint 19th-century downtown, little Franklin looks like the movie set for a Civil War romance. Antiques lovers could spend days poring over vintage lithographs, delicately painted gravy boats and estate jewelry in the town’s numerous antiques shops. There are a number of historic homes open for tours. The Carter House, built in 1830, was