By Katie Potzick
Spring break is less than a week away and for many students, that means heading south to warm sunny beaches. What are the people who are confined to spending their break in the Bluegrass State supposed to do?
How about taking a road trip that goes off the beaten path and shows all the weird wonders Kentucky has to offer?
Throughout Kentucky there are a number of bizarre attractions and sites that are worth visiting and are often overlooked. These whacky sites are definitely creative alternatives to the beach and much more affordable.
For those who don’t want to venture too far, staying in Louisville offers plenty of choices for out-of-the-ordinary experiences.
Louisville is home to the world’s largest bat, glove and bottle of booze, not to mention the grave of Colonel Sanders, and Kaelin’s Restaurant, the birthplace of the cheeseburger.
Just down the road in Bardstown, there is the world’s largest crucifix, and Cave City is a mecca of the wacky, housing Dinosaur World, Wigwam Village Motels, Gun Town Mountain and Big Mike’s Mystery House.
Dinosaur World boasts life-sized T-rexes and triceratopses that dominate the land and take you to a sort of in-active Jurassic Park.
While Gun Town Mountain offers a scene right out of the Old West, complete with a saloon, costumed performers and a daily gun fight in the middle of Main Street.
Carry on the western theme, by spending the night in a teepee at the Wigwam Village. Then check out Big Mike’s, a must see for its gravity defying chairs, optical illusion room and upstream running water. A major plus is the $1 ticket price.
In Bowling Green, there’s the Kentucky Down Under, which transports visitors straight to Australia with its menagerie of kangaroos, koalas and cockatoos. Those looking for a hands-on Aussie experience can test their skills with a didgeridoo or boomerang.
Heading east leads to an assortment of odd sites. Lexington is home to a pharmacy shaped like a mortar and pestle, and a 54-hole Bible theme miniature golf course. The first 18 holes are devoted to the Old Testament, while the last 18 wind through the miracles of the New Testament. Some of the highlights include: the burning bush, Noah’s ark, the parting of the Red Sea and the Last Supper.
Onward in Loretto, there hides a secluded abbey where monks make their living by baking and selling world-renowned bourbon fudge.
Other curiosities include the world’s largest stained glass window in Covington, the Venthaven Ventriloquist and Dummy museum located in Ft. Mitchell, and of course the first KFC which is in Corbin.
One last stop in Mayfield, KY. will satisfy even the most morbid oddity seeker. Mayfield is home to the Woolridge Monuments, perhaps one of the more creepier attractions Kentucky has to offer. Standing guard around the tomb of Colonel Woolridge are 18 life-sized statues of Woolridge men and women, as well as the Colonel’s two favorite dogs. The figures have been labeled “the procession that never moves”, and seeing their stony countenance is an eerie experience right out of the Twilight Zone.
Without plans for spring break? Don’t despair, there are plenty of off the wall adventures that await you here in the great state of Kentucky.
Sure, your friends might come back with tans, but how many of them can say they putt-putted through the seven plagues, sat in on an aboriginal drum circle or dined at the birthplace of ‘Original Recipe’ chicken?
