We were about 15 minutes breaking camp, and had coffee ☕️ in our hands 15 minutes after that in Gatlinburg, TN. Whoa… tourist Mecca hinged just outside the park with just about everything and nothing for sale. My guess is the economy is taking full advantage of sitting next to a National Park. We enjoyed Smoky and were glad to get at least a one night glimpse at this Appalachian jewel!
We “tic-tac-toed” our way through points North today. We passed Dollywood (Janie queued up 9 to 5 on Spotify), Daniel Boone National Forest, a short-lived panic for misplaced AirPods, a time change to Central Standard, and we briefly considered visiting Mammoth Caves National Park (but tours were Full). After a roughly 4 hr run, we settled in to visit the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park, located just south of Louisville, KY.
The Lincoln Birthplace NHP, found in rural Central Kentucky, honours the humble beginnings of the US’s 16th president. His early life on Kentucky’s frontier shaped his character and prepared him to lead the nation through Civil War. This location presents the country’s first memorial to Lincoln, built with widespread donations from young and old, on the site of his childhood home. While there we stopped at the VC, toured exhibits, watched an introductory video, and walked the steps to the Memorial / replica Log Cabin of birthplace. It was a little thin on content as a visit, but would be an important space for Lincolnites! We enjoyed the visit, as well as the excuse to travel some back road Kentucky!
Towards Louisville, we schemed to nab just one more sitting for BBQ, and aiming to do so while still in Kentucky. No KFC for us 😂! Just south of the city Google led us to the Shack in the Back BBQ, once again with excellent reviews in regard to food, service and price. We arrived to an empty parking lot, and kind of went 🤔 ! However, we were met kindly at the door and ordered up the #1 Combo… this time no push or rush around the till (it was order at your seat). On our quest to sample, we had ribs, chicken wings, brisket/pork sandwiches, and sides of Mac n’ Cheese / Slaw. Gotta say this was as good as any of the offerings to date. We’re also in agreement that the mustard based sauces being served out here are legit! As for cost, Shack in the Back BBQ wins the day (at $42 CAN)! There really has to be more room in the market at home for this southern BBQ style of food.
With that in the books and bellies full it was time to head east, so we not so delicately skirted Louisville and aimed the vehicle at Cincinnati. We knew there were at least 3-4 more hours highway time involved before we could sack out. Highways were great on this day, moving at speed or more and under the best of weather conditions. Even played the WKRP in Cincinnati theme while barreling by the city! “As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.” – Arthur “The Big Guy” Carlson
Our marathon road day continued as we stretched into the early evening (after a gas ⛽️ and washroom stops). The overnight destination was the Hampton Inn Columbus-East, and a shower was definitely required (although I loved the smell of last nights woodsmoke). We picked the destination solely on cost and proximity to our Tuesday attractions, in Pittsburgh, PA! It was online check in and early to bed to set up the 2.5 hr commute into Pittsburgh in the morning. Hoping to arrive there bright eyed and bushy-tailed to take on a few attractions. Goodnight all!
Sounds spectacular !! Now I am hungry!!
Yeah… sampling some of those southern BBQ treats while we have the chance. This piece of travel began with pace, but we’re hoping to track back at a more leisurely speed and stop to smell the flowers 💐. In Asheville today, touristy and gentrified downtown but I suspect that one wouldn’t need to push out in any direction too far to find rural life. Hope that summer finds “you all” (as they say here) well and in serious holiday groove. Hi to Jim!!!
The ballgame sounded interesting! Glad you didn’t need to drive , the traffic and parking would have been an nightmare!
Taking in a baseball game has become one of our favorite things to do while stateside. This Ballpark was absolutely beautiful as well… it had so many layers & different types of seating, fantastic views of the game as well as surrounding city, and well planned and executed visitor services (food, safety, washrooms). And yes, being a three minute walk from door to door was icing on the cake… there were lots that took advantage of the proximity of our hotel including a lot of families with kids! The hotel has loads of parking that was included in our fee there… so gotta say it was all easy and enjoyable!