Indiana Oktoberfest

Southern Indiana is home to one of the largest German-American populations in the country. In Jasper, Bloomington, Evansville, Indianapolis, or Seymour Indiana you can find evidence in their distinctive last names, architecture and their choice of restaraunts (I recommend the Schnitzelbank in Jasper). Another big attraction associated with German herritage is the Oktoberfest.

The real, or at least the big, Oktoberfest is held in Munic, Germany and typically runs through the 16 days preceding and including the first Sunday in October. According to Wikipedia, it's one of the largest fairs in the world with over 6 million people attending each year. The festival includes German food and flair but the main attraction is always the beer. Various German-American towns accross Indiana host their own version of the famous festival and some are quite popular. One of the most popular of Indiana's Oktoberfests is in Seymour Indiana.

Seymour Indiana, hometown of John Cougar Melancamp (if you don't know who he is stop reading this, your either too young to drink or not cool enough to drink beer) will kick off it's Oktoberfest on October the first with an authentic "bier garten" and entertainment by Schulhaus. Shulhaus is a fairly well known band in Indiana and plays traditional German music including Polkas as well as doing the chicken and bunny hop dances.

Seymour's Oktoberfest also hosts a brat eating contest, but if you plan on competing you'd better start training now. For the last 4 years the contest has been won by Matt Adams, who won last year by eating 14 of the meaty sausages. For more information on the festival go to http://seymouroktoberfest.com/index.html.

Fall Foliage

As we plan our last few trips of the outdoor season, I remember that one of the few pleasures making winters the "in this land-locked region of ours" bearable, is Autumn. When hazy days of summer fade and the sun settles low in the sky, our forests and parks are painted with shades of gold and amber to which no artist's brush can do justice.

Most of our region normally hits peak fall foliage time in Mid-October, however lack of rain may cause a shorter periods of color or earlier turning of the leaves. Northern regions will peak sooner, southern regions later. Check this map of normal peak times for fall foilage for reference on the best time of year for your region. For destination ideas check this, Kentucky Parks Map, or for Indiana Parks try this map, Indiana Parks Map. Indiana tourism site also maintains a leaf-cam where you can keep track of the turning foliage and plan your trip accordingly. For more information on the leaf-cam and some discount offers try this site, http://www.in.gov/visitindiana/blog/index.php/2010/09/10/2010-leaf-cam-foursquare/.

If you have young children, make this an educational trip by bringing a scrap book and collecting leaves for identifying later. Not only will your children learn something, but while you're making a scrap book together you'll also be making memories.

This will be a simple trip to plan, so pick a destination, load up the family, grab a camera, and get off the interstate. The price we pay for Autumn is an ocean and year round sunshine, so don't waste it!

If you have any trip ideas, notable sites or fun things to do in Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois or Indiana please leave a comment.

Weekend Events

As far festivals and such go it appears that this weekend is Bardstown Weekend.

This is the weekend for Bardstown's monthly classic car show. Hosted by Whiskey City Cruisers the show will feature restored cars from the 1930's to the mid 1970's and has featured over 170 restored cars to date. The show occurs monthly, from April to October, on the second Saturday of each month, at the Justice Center parking lot.

After the car show head over to the Old Stable Restaurant for the Ghost Trek from 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm. Admission for adults is $15.00 each and children under six are free. The trek includes the Jailer’s Inn, Chapeze House, Pioneer Cemetery and the Talbott Tavern (areas of the Tavern are dependent on current events at tour time). Bring along your hi-tech detecting device and catch evidence of the afterlife. Woooo! For more information call 859-576- 5517 for reservations or go to http://www.ghosthunter.com/. The Ghost Trek will take place on the following dates: Sep 11, 2010- Sep 18, 2010-Sep 25, 2010-Oct 02, 2010-Oct 09, 2010-Oct 16, 2010-Oct 23, 2010-Oct 30, 2010.

If you're the active type, this is also the weekend for the 33rd annual "My Old Kentucky Home Bike Tour". Start from Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville for this two day bike tour with 3 different mileage ranges. You'll ride from there to Bardstown, stay over night and then return to Louisville the next day. The cost of registratering is $55 the day of the ride.  For more information or to register call 502-348-4877 or 800-638-4877, or visit http://www.okht.org./

A note to my previous post. In addition to the Bluegrass Music Centennial Exhibit on Friday night the museum will also host the 4th Annual Bill Monroe-style Mandolin camp from 9/11-9/13. This years camp director will be Mike Compton, one of the worlds preeminent teachers.

If you have any trip ideas, notable sites or fun things to do in Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois or Indiana please leave a comment.

Bill Monroe Centennial Exhibit

As I stated in my first blog, one of the hopes of this blog was to educate others of the attractions in our area and to hopefully open my own eyes to things that I've grown so accustomed to that I've begun to overlook.
The International Bluegrass Music Museum is one of those attractions.

Located in our home town of Owensboro, KY, at 117 Daviess Street since 1985, the IBMM is one of the small town's few claims to fame. Made possible by some hardcore fund raising and some substantial funding by the State of Kentucky, the main attractions of the two story complex are the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and the Bill Vernon Collection of recordings. However, on on Friday, September 10th, The Bill Monroe Centennial Celebration Kickoff will take center stage.

The Bill Monroe Centennial Exhibit Opening & Reception will start at 6:00 pm. The admission fee of $10.00 per person includes admission to the museum, the exhibit and a reception (including a buffet and drinks).

At 8:00 pm, the All Star Mandolin Concert will begin at the Owensboro Symphony next door. Performing in the concert will be: Mike Compton, Dr. Richard Brown, Bobby Osborne, Skip Gorman, David Harvey, Dave Peterson, Danny Jones, as well as Special Guests: Randy Lanham and David Morris. The cost for the concert is $20.00 per person or $25.00 if combined with admission to the Bill Monroe Centennial Exhibit.
 
If you have any trip ideas, notable sites or fun things to do in Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois or Indiana please leave a comment.

The timing for a trip to Cave City, Kentucky couldn't be better. Set atop the hills of Western Kentucky, the beautiful landscape only gets better in the fall season. The cooler weather will also make your trip more enjoyable.

Guntown Mountain, Exit 53 off I-65 near Mammoth Cave in Cave City Kentucky, is a theme park in an Old West setting. This trip is about a year old for us but I still remember the trip and the look on Masons face like it was yesterday. There's not a lot of shows and the park is small so I wouldn't plan on spending more than a couple of hours there. However, it's not too expensive, adults are $9.95/ kids 5-11 are only $5.95, and there's plenty of other attractions in the area, like Mammoth Cave, camping, Dinosaur World, Diamond Caverns, Hidden River Cave, Kentucky Down Under, Kentucky Action Park, and Lost River Cave, so you could easily make a day or even several days out of a visit to the area.

When you arrive you'll park at the base of the mountain next to Smith's Country Store, where you can shop for souvenirs. You'll also find authentic country hams hanging from racks, as well as locally made jellies, jams, and relishes. From the store you have 2 options to get to the top of Guntown Mountain. For the adventurous type enjoy the scenery from a ski style chair lift or if you're scared of heights take a bus ride up the mountain and check out the scenery from their lookout deck. No matter the route you take the fun starts at the top.

Once atop Guntown Mountain you may think you've just into an old episode of Gun Smoke. From the wheel gun totin sheriff to the Can-Can show at the old saloon, this place drips "old west". When you first arrive be sure to check the time of their next shoot out so you can get a good seat. The kids, and the kid in you, will love the show. Afterward bask in the smell of fresh gunpowder and have your picture taken with the cast of the shoot out.

 

 

 

This is an outdoor theme park and therefore hours may change seasonally. For more information you can call them at (270) 773-3530 or visit their website, http://www.mammothcave.com/guntown/.

If you have any trip ideas, notable sites or fun things to do in Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois or Indiana please leave a comment.

Car Travel With Toddlers

Taking your toddler on trips is a great way to satisfy the natural curiosity that comes with the age group, but it's also a great way to induce hypertension for the adult car riders.  If you take into account your child's developmental age, normal daily routine and your own tolerance for stress, travel with a toddler can be enjoyable.

Toddlers are creatures of habit.  They like to eat the same things, drink from the same cup, watch the same yellow sponge or purple dinosaur for hours, and keep the same time schedule (time to nap, eat, potty, etc...).  Whenever possible take advantage of this routine as you travel. 

Hopefully by now you've developed a nap time routine for your toddler, if not start one or talk to your daycare provider to find out what the nap time routine consists of. Whatever that routine is, make sure you have the necessary props to keep it consistent (a favorite blanket, sippy cup of milk, music, etc....).  Ideally, you will want to start your trip near the beginning of your child's normal nap time, then when he starts showing signs of fatigue initiate the nap time routine.  If you're lucky, and the trip isn't too long, your child will sleep through the majority of the drive. 

If your child wakes before you get where you're going, it's probably time for a potty break.  A toddler is going to need more than a walk to the bathroom to stretch his legs out, so if possible, pick a McDonald's or other restaurant with a playground, or better yet, pick a park.  Let the toddler run off some of his recharged energy for 15-30 minutes before stuffing him back into a car seat.

After the nap and potty break, or God forbid, if he doesn't take a nap at all, have a satchel or box of toys available to play with.  Bring a wide assortment of toys as children of this age are easily distracted and picking up the toys later will be much more pleasant than listening to a tantrum.  When picking out toys to bring along be sure to avoid any toys that could distract you from the road, such as toys with sirens or other distracting noises.  Also, be careful of heavy toys that may conk you in the head at any moment. Bring along a portable DVD player and some of his favorite movies or a CD of his favorite music too.

Other helpful items to bring along; Children's Dramamine for car sickness, a window shade, snacks, drinks, and a pillow. 

For other tips check this site: http://www.kidscantravel.com/tipstravelkids/ontheroad/cartravel/index.html

If you have any trip ideas, notable sites or fun things to do in Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois or Indiana please leave a comment.

Huber Winery; Fond Memories

As I sit in front of my computer for my second on-call Labor Day Weekend dreading the call I pray will never come, pleasant memories keep me looking forward to my next trip to Huber Winery.

If not for the signs along I-64 and side roads you probably wouldn't expect such an outstanding attraction as Huber Winery in a place as small as Starlight, IN.  The Huber Winery, which started 7 generations ago as a simple 80 acre vineyard and orchard, is a nearly 600 acre agricultural and entertainment delight.  The winery features a farmers market, cheese and ice cream shop, a family fun park, restaurant, and of course wine.

The family fun park, complete with mazes, slides, and go-carts, is sure to be an adventure for your young ones but if you plan on leaving the curtain climbers at home you may want to consider a DD.  Huber produces over 30 different wines and brandies in their winery, and with tastings ranging in cost from free to a few bucks, finding one you like shouldn't be a problem.  Once you've decided on your favorite wine, head down to the wine shop and get a few bottles to go or take a bottle and some glasses to the patio for spirits and entertainment.  The Huber's patio is featuring live music every Saturday and Sunday from 1pm to 5pm through October.  I can attest that the live music coaxes the wine down very well so be careful.  Be especially careful of the Sangria, it tastes great and packs a punch.

Enjoy your trips and safe travel.

If you have any trip ideas, notable sites or fun things to do in Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois or Indiana please leave a comment.

Events, Fairs, and Festivals in Kentucky this Labor Day Weekend

I'm on call this weekend so no trips for us, but here's some cool stuff in Kentucky you can check out.  For more information check the Kentucky Tourism Calendar of Events http://www.kentuckytourism.com/events/events.aspx

Central City
Central City Car Show
Sep 04, 2010

Brownsville
Edmonson County Homecoming
Sep 04, 2010

Central City
Everly Bros./Central City Rock 'n Roll Concert
Sep 04, 2010

Covington
Cirque Devou
Sep 04, 2010

Horse Cave
DeaFestival - Kentucky
Sep 04, 2010

Louisville
Ronald McDonald Movie Night
Sep 04, 2010

Louisville
Toyota Backyard Action Hero Day
Sep 04, 2010

Henderson
Farmer's Market
Sep 3 - Sep 4, 2010

Glasgow
Global Fest of the Barrens
Sep 04, 2010

Henderson
JJ Audubon - Plein-Air & Studio Workshop
Sep 3 - Sep 4, 2010

Burnside
Labor Day Weekend
Sep 04, 2010

Bowling Green
National Corvette Museum Birthday Bash
Sep 2 - Sep 4, 2010

Carrollton
Goldenrod Gala
Sep 04, 2010

Central City
Central City Music Festival
Sep 04, 2010

Sparta
IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights Series
Sep 04, 2010

Paducah
Labor Day Celebration
Sep 04, 2010

Clermont
Bernheim's Bugfest
Sep 04, 2010

Mount Sterling
Historic Downtown Car Shows
Sep 04, 2010

Bardstown Ghost Trek
Sep 04, 2010

Owensboro
6th Annual Hawaiian Luau & 3rd Annual Musicians Reunion
Sep 04, 2010

Louisville
Worldfest
Sep 3 - Sep 4, 2010

Richmond
CKBC Mobile Blood Drive
Sep 04, 2010

Evarts
Labor Day Events
Sep 3 - Sep 4, 2010

Versailles
Boyd Orchard Saturday Night Backyard Cookout
Aug 28 - Sep 4, 2010

Lebanon
Fishing For Kids/Mid-Ky.
Sep 04, 2010

Louisville
Founder's Day
Sep 04, 2010

Lebanon
Labor Day Block Party
Sep 4 - Sep 5, 2010



Winchester
Daniel Boone Pioneer Festival
Sep 3 - Sep 5, 2010