The Best of Kentucky, KY, USA

Natural Bridge

If you never thought of Kentucky as a tourist destination, now is the time to add it to your list. Apart from bourbon and derby, Kentucky is home to famous national parks, national landmarks, and state parks.

Red River Gorge & Natural Bridge: The Red River Gorge, located in eastern Kentucky, is a part of the Daniel Boone National Forest. It features several sandstone cliffs, arches, waterfalls. Red River Gorge is a well-known destination for rock climbing, hiking, and ziplining. The Gorge is at its best in fall. Camping in the wilderness is the best way to experience it. Cabins and treehouses are available for overnight stays. Spending a day or two in a treehouse with family is an amazing way to create lifelong memories.

Sky Bridge to the Natural Bridge

Natural Bridge State Park is adjacent to The Red River Gorge. Visitors can hike or take a skylift to the famous landmark natural bridge. Skylift is the easiest way to reach the top of the bridge. You can take the skylift to the Natural Bridge and hike down to the parking lot. It gives the experience of both skylift and hiking the trails. Gorge Underground is a couple of miles away from the Natural Bridge. Gorge Underground has kayak and SUP tours of a 100-year-old flooded limestone mine.

Cumberland Falls

Cumberland Falls: Cumberland falls is one of the few places in the US to see a moonbow or a lunar rainbow. A relatively rare phenomenon that occurs under special conditions. To capture the moonbow, see the park schedule before planning a trip. The hike to the falls is easy. Even if you miss the moonbow, Cumberland Falls is still a beautiful state park to visit and the entrance is free. When we visited, the water level was high due to tot the rains. The park has a huge parking area, multiple picnic spots,  beautiful trails, and a gift shop. During the summer months, there are guided raft tours to the falls.

Mammoth Cave Tour

Mammoth Cave National Park: Mammoth Caves - true to its name, these caves are humongous and runs around 390 miles. By far, these caves are the longest caves known to man in the world. Unlike caverns, these are caves and are hollow by nature and there are no rock formations inside. All tours of the cave are guided. There was a long walk to the cave entrance accompanied by a descent of stairs. The tour was around one and a half-hour long and the pathways were mostly gravel and sand but the caves were well lit. This cave tour was the easiest of all the cave/cavern tours we went on till now. The typical tour size is around 20 people and based on the difficulty, there are several tour options to choose from. 

Mammoth Cave National Park

Dinosaur World: You cannot miss a big Dinosaur statue visible from I-65 near Mammoth Caves. Welcome to the Dinosaur World where kids and dinosaur enthusiasts can enjoy the exhibits equally. Regular children's admission ticket includes fossil digging. Kids can grab a sifter and start their fossil digging. Most of the time they will end up finding shark teeth. This 20-acre park has paved walkways with life-size dinosaurs on both sides of the pathway. Most of the pathway is shaded by the huge trees making this park a good place to visit during hot summer days. Regular children's admission ticket includes fossil digging. Kids can grab a sifter and start their fossil digging. Most of the time they will end up finding shark teeth.

Dinosaur World

Newport Aquarium

Newport on the Levee: Any time is a good time to visit the levee. It is one of the best places to hang out in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky with numerous shops and theaters. Concerts attract a lot of people in the evening times. Newport Aquarium is one of the biggest attractions. Take a Ride on duck or take an hour and a half sightseeing cruise on BB River Boats. The Halloween hunt at USS Nightmare is also a good visit. If nothing interests you, consider taking a walk along Purple People  Bridge across the Ohio River. This is dedicated to pedestrians alone and is the only bridge in the country to connect two states. Happy Exploring!

Purple Bridge

West Virginia Fall Road Trip 2020 Edition, West Virginia, USA

Blackwater Falls

Fall in the USA is beautiful. This year we visited West Virginia and camped at Huntington /Fox Fire KOA. With rolling hills, beautiful valleys, numerous waterfalls, and bridges, WV was marvelous, especially in the fall.

Day 1: First day we drove to North-East WV from Huntington. Blackwater Falls State Park is one of the many state parks in WV. Even though the drive was 3 hrs long, it was one of the best drives in the midwest in the fall. Nestled between the mountains, the Blackwater Falls is best seen during peak fall colors. There are multiple observatory decks to view the falls. The main observatory deck is a short hike from the parking lot and the hike is not too difficult. For good views of the falls, we took a short drive to Blackwater Falls viewpoint. Another notable place for beautiful views of the mountains and gorge is the Pendleton Overlook. Lindy Point Observation deck is another beautiful spot for panoramic views of the Blackwater River and the gorge. 

Blackwater Falls Lookout

Day 2: Second day, we drove from Huntington KOA to South-East WV. US Route 60 runs parallel to Kanawha river from Charleston to Hico and there are several scenic spots in between. Kanawha Falls and Cathedral Falls are beautiful after heavy rain. Hawk's Nest Overlook is a good place for a small picnic. This place is almost heaven-like with its colorful mountains and floating clouds. Babcock State Park is 15 minutes drive from Hico. The infamous Glade Creek Grist Mill in Babcock State Park is next to the beautiful waterfall is a photographer's dream come true.

Hawk's Nest Overlook

WV is famous for Whitewater rafting and bridges. There are numerous bridges throughout the state and the New River Gorge Bridge is one of the most photographed bridges in WV.  This 3030 ft bridge is best viewed from Fayette Station Bridge. Rafting below the bridge in the New River Gorge would be an amazing experience. Another way to see the bridge would be to take a guided tour of the catwalk 25' beneath the bridge. Even though the participants are securely tethered, walking a 24" wide catwalk at 850 feet above the New River would be a great adventure. Due to COVID, we skipped both river rafting and bridge walk.  

New River Gorge Bridge

Day 3: On the third day, we decided to explore the nearby towns. By now, we realized that exploring nearby towns to be extremely rewarding. Blenko Glass Company in Milton, WV is famous for its glass blowing tours. The factory tour is closed due to COVID. But, the visitor center is still open and has a good collection of hand-blown glass for purchase. Kenova's Pumpkin House in Kenova, WV is famous for its carved pumpkin display during the Halloween season. Every year, around 3000 pumpkins are displayed in this family home. Unfortunately, it was canceled in 2020. 

Memorial Fountain - Marshall University

We decided to visit Harris Riverfront Park in Huntington, WV. On the way to the park, we saw Steel of West Virginia and suddenly realized that this was the University on which the 2006 movie 'We are Marshalls' was based. After visiting the park, we took a quick visit to Marshall University Memorial Fountain. A fabulous find in Huntington was Kustom Kreams. A rolled ice cream shop with a fabulous selection of flavors. It was fun to watch the staff make rolled ice cream.

Overall, West Virginia is an awesome fall destination.

Yosemite National Park, California

With its breath taking views, Yosemite National Park attracts thousands or tourists, campers and hikers each year. For me, driving up and down these mountains itself was an adventure. The drive has several vista points for quick stops. Driving up the mountains, you can see tall, black, half burnt trees from forest fires.

This national park is famous for its rock formations and waterfalls. To view any of the waterfalls, expect to take a walk between half to one mile. Even if you are not planning on camping, it is better to take mosquito repellents, sunscreen lotions, anti itch cream and lots of water.This national park offers a variety of out door activities like backpacking, camping, skiing, fishing, hiking, rafting etc. Some activities like hiking half dome needs a permit. Check the website for weather updates, alerts and latest information.

Rock City, Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Ohh the views from the top of the lookout mountain were spectacular. The walk way was perfectly designed, looked like my 4 year old didn't mind the lengthy walking. You can bring your pet along with you.

Combo tickets are sold for Rock City, Ruby Falls and Incline at the ticket booth. The path took us through a grand corridor, needle's eye, goblin underpass, fairy tale land and many more... Swing-a-long bridge was particularly fun.

The view of falls, mountains and spring blossoms made the walk pleasant and memorable

The Maid of The Mist, Niagara Falls, New York

Niagara Falls is one of the world famous attractions of New York State which, millions of tourists visit each year. The falls is located in the America's oldest state park, Niagara Falls State Park. Over years, Niagara state park added several attractions like Aquarium of Niagara, Discovery Center  to promote tourism and keep its visitors engaged. Amongst all the attractions, The Maid of The Mist is the most beautiful attraction.

The one hour boat tour takes visitors up close to the falls. Feeling the mist and hear the splash as you take a ride. This attraction is definitely need to be in any traveller's bucket list. The experience is amazing and there are no words to explain it. On a summer day, if all things fall in place, you can see a rainbow or two during the ride. Strollers are not normally allowed in the boat ride but feel free to take them along with you in case of young children. The cold splash of the mist can be annoying for the little ones. 

I visited this place twice and I find it equally amazing every time I see the falls. Take time to watch an amazing display of colourful fireworks over the falls. In summer months, almost every year, fire works over the falls is open on Wednesday, Friday, Sunday and few Holidays. If you miss the fireworks, check out the illumination of the falls which is equally amazing and open mostly every day.

The Maid of The Mist ride is operational from April till early November. Be sure to check the dates before you plan a trip. If you are planning to do more than one activity at the falls, Niagara Falls USA discovery pass might be economical. It covers multiple attractions at a discounted price. Check the website for operational days and prices.
A short walk from the state park leads to shopping center, restaurants, souvenir stores and street food.