Lexington, Kentucky is known as the “Horse Capital of the World”. It’s also the second largest city in the bluegrass state and known for Keeneland, one of the most picturesque horse race parks in the country. Unfortunately, the track wasn’t open yet. We finished our bourbon trail in Lexington.
Whispering Hills RV Park, Georgetown, Kentucky
Whispering Hills has a lot of full-time residents. It’s located about 30 minutes north of Lexington. Our site was next to a small lake that had quite a few noisy Canadian geese.
It was only a 1-hour drive from Louisville to Georgetown. We had full service and good enough WIFI to stream. Our weather wasn’t the best. Nighttime temperatures were below freezing and winds over 25 mph. The rain and cold temperatures definitely limited our activities, but we still made the most of it. The waterfowl and a muskrat kept Jake entertained.
ARC Encounter
The ARC Encounter is north of Lexington in Williamstown, Kentucky. It is a life size reproduction of what Noah’s Ark could have looked like.
Its dimensions are 510 feet long, 85 feet wide and 51 feet high.
They offer a plausible explanation on how the Ark was built, what life was like aboard the Ark, how the animals were cared for, and how the life was before and after the great flood.
There were examples of how amphibians could have been transported and how water and grain stored.
It was nice to see the detail into how the animals cages, water, food, and waste could have been managed. The engineering of it all was impressive.
It was amazing to see the construction and design involved in such a massive all wooden ship.
James Pepper Distillery, Lexington
James Pepper has the 5th distillery license in Kentucky and at one time was one of the largest distilleries in the country.
Colonel Pepper was born in 1850 and was considered a flamboyant ambassador of whiskey and he enjoyed his trips to Manhattan to promote his lifestyle. He was also a horseman. His horses competed across America and in Europe. His private rail car was called “Old Pepper”.
Colonel Pepper enjoyed staying at the Waldorf Astoria. He introduced them to his drink, the “Old Fashioned”. It was developed at the famed Pendennis Club in Louisville for him by the bartender.
He unfortunately at age 56 slipped on ice, sustained a fracture, had a pulmonary embolus and died.
Our tour took us though all stages of their production. We watched them bottle, saw huge vats ferment, and tasted directly off the still.
We really enjoyed the tour and learned the ABC’s of Bourbon. A means it is American made, B means it is aged in a new charred oak barrel, and C means it must be 51% corn or greater. James Pepper has downsized over the years, but still produces very good whiskey and bourbons.
