Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dreamscapes.ca/i/631317
DREAMSCAPES WINTER/SPRING 2016 10 I had always associated Kentucky with thoroughbreds and bourbon, blue- grass and billionaires. Looking past those icons, however, I uncovered a string of surprises: Lexington is George Clooney's hometown and Hodgenville is Abraham Lincoln's birthplace. Newport was the gambling capital of America before Las Vegas was even conceived. And under the bluegrass are many celebrities enjoying their eternal rest, among them mystics Thomas Merton and Edgar Cayce. In the 18 th and 19 th centuries, many Ken- tuckians supported the Underground Railroad, smuggling slaves to freedom across the Ohio River at night when signals from the Cincinnati side indicated the coast was clear. Today, helping to tell the story is the National Underground Railroad Museum in a Maysville safe house where fugitives once hid under the floorboards. HAPPY HOUR While the state's distinction as the bourbon capital of the world is undisputed, big news to me was the burgeoning craft breweries along the "Brewgrass Trail" and the resur- gence of wineries. Kentucky had the country's first commercial vineyard in the 18 th century and was once dubbed the "Napa Valley of the East" since it shares Napa's lat- itude and produces wine of equal quality. Initially decimated by tobacco, the wine industry is experiencing a rebirth now that tobacco-growing is in decline. As a longstanding fan of good wines, I relished my dinner at Lexington's Jean Farris Winery & Bistro, which offered a tan- LIKE COUNTLESS OTHER CANADIANS, I HAVE DRIVEN THROUGH KENTUCKY A DOZEN TIMES ON MY WAY TO AND FROM FLORIDA. BUT IT WASN'T UNTIL I SPENT A WEEK TOURING THE BLUEGRASS STATE THAT I REALIZED IT SHOULD BE MORE THAN A PASSING FANCY. BY E. LISA MOSES OLD KENTUCKY EXUDES NEW ENERGY