Louisville, KY

[Quebec Gen]

Hi,

a girl friend and I are planning to go see a show in Louisville, Kentucky by mid October and I was wondering if any of you guys have any suggestion of cheap places to stay other than the usual motel chains? Also, is there any attraction we shouldn't miss, a particular scenic route we should take (we'll be coming from the north (Quebec-Ontario-MI-OH, ...)? How far is Louisville from Nashville approximately (I've driven that road more than once but I can't remember).

Thanks,
Gen

[Mass Tim]

Nashville is about 2 1/2 - 3 hours from Louisville.

This might be out of the way: We've travelled along the Ohio River in the Eastern part of the state and enjoyed watching the barges go into the docks. Also, in KY, if you get a chance to go into the Red River Gorge area of the Daniel Boone NF, that is a most scenic area.

I'll be in KY in a few weeks, so if I pick up anything more pertinent to your itinerary, I'll post here!

[AZBuck]

which will take you along the 401, I-81, I-90 and I-71 and will be generally flat and boring. If you can afford the time, look at roads which will bring you down the Appalachian Mountains to the old National Road through to the Ohio Valley. This would bring your through the Thousand Islands region, the Finger Lakes of New York (lots of waterfalls, gorges and wineries), central Pennsylvania (Grand Canyon of PA, Susquehanna Valley, Gettysburg), northern Virginia (various caverns), west through western Maryland and north central West Virginia (the old National Road and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal if you stay north, The New River Gorge if you head south) and down the Ohio. Like TimboTA, I've driven parts of the Ohio (Huntington to Cincinnati) and it is a very relaxing and scenic trip between the major cities.

The reason I haven't listed specific roads as possibilities is that there are more roads through the regions I mentioned than can be listed and they are very scenic for the most part. And besides, what I think would suit my needs may not fit yours. Take a look at what's along the general lay of this route that appeals to you and go for it.

AZBuck

[Quebec Gen]

AZBuck,

Unfortunately, I don't have much time to do the trip, we only have 3 days or so so I'll try to stick to interstates for most of the trip, but I was just wondering if there was any secondary road on my way that would be more scenic than I-75!:o). I've already been many times to the Thousand Islands region and most of the areas you described (NY, VA, MD) with some exceptions, I'd love to explore the Grand Canyon of Pensylvania someday but it'll be during another trip! I'm also intrigued about that stretch of road between Huntington and Cincinnati since I never really thought Ohio could be scenic (except for waterfronts) (oops:-). Do you remember which road number it is?

Thanks!
Gen

[AZBuck]

Yep, the route between Huntington, WV and Cincinnati, OH is US-52 along the north side of the river. It's east of where you'll hit the river if you come down through Detroit and south on I-75.

Also, I've crossed northern Ohio a number of times and when I got bored with the turnpikes, I started trying some of the other roads, such as US-30 and US-224. What I found was that in rural areas like this, one doesn't lose TOO much time by taking these 'back' roads. So, while I understand time constraints and the need to stick to the road more traveled, at least consider taking a brief respite from the Interstates by using US-68 between Findlay and Dayton. There are just a few small towns, and it also includes the first concrete pavement in the US in Bellefontaine (Court Ave.), which should be a shrine we all get to at some point.

Bonne chance.

AZBuck

[Quebec Gen]

AZBuck,

consider taking a brief respite from the Interstates by using US-68 between Findlay and Dayton

I surely will!:o) I really don't like interstates either (except maybe for I-70 between Denver and Green River) but in that case I don't really have a choice, I have to use it for most part of the trip.:o(

Bonne journée!

Gen