One of the things that I find most satisfying about Kentucky is the variety of places to visit. I don't mean just different cities and towns. I also mean all of the natural variety. The map above shows the 6 (some say 7) different physiographic regions of Kentucky. Each of these areas has their own character, their own collection of scenery, and their own unique natural wonders.
The Eastern Kentucky Coal Fields and Mountains is probably the area where most people tend to base their unsavory assumptions about Kentuckians and their relationship to their cousins. Appalachia. While the bulk of the Appalachian Mountains are in Tennessee, the Carolinas, and the Virginias, Kentucky does have a portion. This is the part of the country that saw Daniel Boone pass through the Cumberland Gap and provide a passage through the mountains for western expansion. This is where the Hatfields and McCoys fought over and over again (some say it's still raging). Colonel Sanders opened his first restaurant in this region. This is the realm of coal, moonshine, and poverty. It is also one of the most beautiful places in the country. Hiking the numerous trails in and around Daniel Boone National Forest, Red River Gorge, Jenny Wiley State Park, The Breaks Interstate Park, and The Cumberland Gap National Historical Park you will be treated to breathtaking vistas, a plethora of wildlife, and a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Moving west we hit a ring of features known as The Knobs. There are actually two of these formations. The one bordering the mountainous areas of eastern Kentucky were created from the Pottsville Escarpment. In the west, the area that include Louisville was created from Muldraughs Hill. This is a very thin section of Kentucky but it is one of the richest in history. This is the region of BOURBON!!! The Knobs are where they are because of their underlying geology. Most of this region has a very large base of limestone rock created when this part of the world was still a shallow sea. On top of that limestone is a sometimes hundreds of the feet thick layer of shale. Shale is very brittle and is readily eroded. This region would have been very flat if it weren't for the sandstone caps that have prevented the shale from eroding. In the areas where those sandstone caps still exist, there are Knobs. The underlying limestone is a wonderful source for fresh spring water, the main ingredient in bourbon making. Many of the most famous distilleries are still located in this area. Jim Beam in Clermont, KY, is tucked right up against the hills and hollers. (On a side note, a "holler" is just another name for a hollow which are the low, sometimes hidden, valleys located between the knobs.)
North of The Knobs is the more quintessential region of Kentucky: The Bluegrass. When I said above that sometimes there are 7 regions in Kentucky it is because of this region. Sometimes it is divided into the Inner Bluegrass and the Outer Bluegrass. Most often this isn't the case so I won't treat it as such here. The Bluegrass is the home and heart of Thoroughbred racing in Kentucky. Now I know that Louisville is not in this region and most people associate Churchill Downs with horse racing. However, many of the horses that are bred for the Kentucky Derby are bred in the Bluegrass Region. This part of Kentucky includes Lexington, Frankfort (the state capital), and the group of Kentucky cities bordering Cincinnati in northernmost portion of Kentucky. These are the rolling hills, the green pastures, and the white fences. There are horse barns galore, a race track with just as much history as Churchill Downs (Keeneland in Lexington), and also its fair share of bourbon distilleries. This is a wonderful region to just get in the car and ramble down the scenic by-ways well off the beaten track.
So ends part 1. In a few short paragraphs we have covered about half the state. Mountains and coal, hills and hollers, fields and farms. (Incidentally the areas covered here are also mostly Eastern Time Zone, the next three are mostly Central Time Zone.) Up next are the western regions: The Pennyrile (or Pennyroyal), The Western Kentucky Coal Fields, and The Jackson Purchase.
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