From Burnout to Balance
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following Clifty Creek as it cascades over multiple waterfalls on its traverse to the Ohio River. An ascent through the canyon provides enough elevation to break a good sweat and the park, as a whole, offers enough hiking to occupy a full day. Alternatively, using gravity as a friend, start with an early morning hike at the top of the canyon and descend to a riverfront picnic and an afternoon of urban hiking in downtown Madison.
Mary Todd Lincoln House and Waveland Historic Home, Lexington, Kentucky
Living on the west side of the Allegheny Mountains, it often feels that our neighbors on the eastern seaboard garner more than their fair share of antebellum American history. However, the Mary Todd Lincoln home, the family home of the wife of America’ s 16th president, is situated 70 miles east of Louisville in downtown Lexington. The home, in the shadow of the recently renovated Rupp Arena, was completed in 1806, offering a deep sense of history. Serving a variety of uses over the years, it opened as a museum in 1977. The house tour teaches us about the First Lady and provides a nice snapshot of life in early 19th century America. The home is within walking distance of the Gratz Park Historic District and Transylvania University. After a bite of both history and lunch, nearby Crank and Boom Ice Cream is a mandatory stop for some of the best ice cream this side of Alleghenies( named one of the 10 best ice cream shops in the U. S. in 2021 by People Magazine). Heading west out of Lexington, near the Lexington iteration of The Summit( far superior to the staid strip mall version in Louisville), lies the Waveland State Historic Site. The Greek Revival Mansion, built in 1848, stands in juxtaposition to the Todd Lincoln home, demonstrating advancements in construction and changing fashions over some 40 years. The historic site offers tours of the mansion, and includes slaves’ quarters, a smokehouse and an ice house.
Conrad Caldwell House, Old Louisville
Image by Kenneth C. Zirkel This work is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
Situated in Old Louisville, home of the largest collection of Victorian mansions in the U. S., the Conrad Caldwell House towers over the northwest corner of St. James Court and Magnolia Avenue. Completed in 1895, this Richardsonian Romanesque home has the feel of a castle, attributable to the sturdy, ornate stone exterior and corner tower, replete with a turret. The home tour allows participants time to take in the endless details of the ornate, wood laden interior, fascinating for children and adults alike. While often simply viewed from the street during the St. James Art Fair, partaking in the interior tour is essential. My children fell in love with old house tours during COVID, and, for them, this is the one that gave them the bug.
Image by Quentin Melson This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
French Lick Springs Hotel and West Baden Springs Hotel, French Lick / West Baden, Indiana
One hour from Louisville sit two historic hotels, established in the 19th century, to allow visitors to take in the purported healing powers of the local mineral-rich spring water. While many in Louisville are familiar with the two hotels for a weekend getaway, a golf trip or slightly classier gambling than“ the Boat,” the real pearl is the fascinating history contained within these two hotels. Part of the joy in visiting is the journey, an amble along Indiana Highway 150 through
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