It’s about time for my annual (or semi-annual depending on the year) trip to visit my father. Ever since he moved to the Cincinnati area, I’ve tried to make seeing him into a writing trip, whether only doing things in the greater Cincy area, or more recently, making it into a road trip.
This year, my trip will see me driving all over Kentucky. The state is very much a blank for me, as I’ve really only spent significant time in the Cincinnati area of Northern Kentucky (remember, while Cincy itself is in Ohio, much of the metro area is in Kentucky – and even a tad bit in Indiana). Add to that a few days in Louisville and one visit to Mammoth Cave, and that’s my entire experience in the Bluegrass State. So it’s time to change that a bit.
Below is the basic itinerary for the trip. As I write this, the majority of this is set, so I don’t expect too many changes, but still, one never knows. Random things always happen, plans change, and surprises occur. So don’t hold me totally to it.
As always, articles will be pretty delayed at this point in the year, probably into at least December if not early 2027. So if you want to follow along closer to real time, come join me on Bluesky, where I try to post daily photos during my travels.
Day One – Los Angeles to Cincinnati
Fly in, see dad. There probably won’t be a ton else today.
Day Two – Cincinnati
It is my hope that Dad is up for doing something today in the Cincinnati area. The city is actually pretty cool, and you can read my guide (which gets updates with every new adventure) here. At the very least we will spend some time together. But the zoo and the Underground Railroad museum are still awaiting, as are numerous other things I have yet to discover.
Day Three – Cincinnati to Owensboro
It’s a few hours’ drive to western Kentucky and Owensboro. Why am I going here? It’s easy. Owensboro is home to the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and I’m going to learn all about the state namesake music. Hopefully I’ll find a cool bar with some live music for dinner as well.
Day Four – Owensboro to Somerset
My route from northwest to southeast in Kentucky will take me past Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace and childhood home, so today I pay homage to America’s greatest president, in my own opinion.
Day Five – Somerset to Lexington
Today, I’ll visit Mill Springs battlefield in the morning. While the visitors center might be closed (hours and days are limited), there is a self guided driving tour of eight sights within the national park unit.
(Pro tip: when designing a driving trip, if you don’t know what to do, you really can’t go wrong basing it around units of the National Parks Service.)
Days Six and Seven – Lexington
I have two full days in Lexington. One will be devoted to writing a story about Henry Clay, one of the most fascinating 19th century Americans. I’ll visit his estate and his mausoleum as I explore his truly interesting career and life. And let’s see how old Henry comes out in the end.
My second day will be headed a bit out of town to Camp Nelson National Monument. I don’t know much about it as of this writing – and that’s kind of fun for me – but I’ve basically never been disappointed by a national parks unit, so it’ll be grand I’m sure.)
Day Eight – Lexington to Cincinnati
Back up to Cincy and my father.
Day Nine – Cincinnati
If we didn’t get to do anything in Cincinnati last week, I hope we get to today.
Day Ten – Cincinnati to Los Angeles
An early flight takes me back to California with some fun stories to tell.
For those who like maps, below is one of Kentucky. The flag on the far left is Owensboro. The other three, from top to bottom, are Cincinnati (on the border as mentioned), Lexington, and Somerset.
