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LadyAlicia - I have to make this trip for work! Any advice?? How did it turn out??
You basically have two choices-
1) 78W to 81S to 70W to 68W to 79S to 64W into Lex. A little tricky in the winter through the mountains of Maryland and WV, but shorter by about 20 to a half hour.
2) 78W to 81S through VA to 64W in Lex, VA. to Lex, KY. More southern and a bit less mountains. Beautiful in the Fall!!
The northern route through Ohio is an option, but a considerably longer one.
We couldn't move off LI for six years after we bought in KY, so we made the trip about 4-5 times annually!! Pretty familiar with it all!
Safe travels!
Hi, folks. I've read all the posts and would like an update on doing a road trip from Morristown NJ to Owensboro KY. If Lexington KY is an easier end point for everyone, I can easily figure out how to get to Owensboro from there. We will be leaving NJ on June 13th and would like to take the most scenic route to Lexington as we are history buffs and just love scenic routes. Since this thread was started in 2009, and trying to do a Trip Tik on the AAA site is giving me a migraine, are there any suggestions or updates that you could offer? I'd be grateful for any help you can offer.CraigCreek - I did copy your suggestions on this thread since they looked pretty good to me! We are good with driving as we have the "wonderful" L.A. Freeways so, no worries with crazy drivers!
I have taken the trip from Philly to Lexington many times. Although it probably seems counter-intuitive the best route I think is to avoid the PA turnpike route to Ohio and south from Columbus. PA turnpike is a crap shoot as to what you will get in terms of accidents and construction in the summer. In the winter, it's the weather. I would travel south to Baltimore, take the Beltway to I/70 & I/68 to Morgantown, then south to Charleston, and then west to Lexington. Lexington to Owenboro via the Bluegrass parkway and Western Kentucky parkway. Basically, western MD, all of WV and most of the KY driving will be high on vegetation. There may be some historical stops, then of course you could always do some bourbon trail in KY.
The Lexington to Owensboro route via Elizabethtown in the middle will also be shy of stops. Maybe 7 total exits in the 71 mile span of the Bluegrass parkway. Expect the same ratio on Western KY parkway. Make sure you have a full tank and take your pit stops.
If time isn't too much of a consideration, why not head down to Washington, D.C., spend a couple of days, then head over to WVA as previously suggested, through the Valley of Virginia on I-81 to Lexington, VA, then taking I-64 to Lexington, KY? Loads of history and gorgeous scenery in this area.
The Kentucky (state) Horse Park is on the edge of Lexington and is worth spending a half or whole day. Also in Lexington is Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate, and the home of Mary Todd Lincoln. Nearby is Shakertown at Pleasant Hill (a restored village), Fort Boonesboro and Fort Harrod State Parks. You could easily spend a week in the Lexington area. The highly scenic Red River Gorge is also nearby and contains over 100 natural arches, cliffs, waterfalls, mountains, and forests.
Do take the Bardstown exit off the Bluegrass Parkway (in Kentucky, en route to Owensboro) - check out My Old Kentucky Home State Park, which contains the beautiful ante bellum mansion which inspired Stephen Foster's famous song, and if there's time, stick around to watch an evening performance of "The Stephen Foster Story", a colorful outdoor musical drama based on the life of the composer. There's also a historic cathedral and other downtown places of interest, plus nice enough overnight accommodations. Bardstown is about an hour from Lexington.
Elizabethtown is filled with antique shops, and is close to Fort Knox. You can see the famous gold repository from the road, but you won't see any of the gold.
The rest of my earlier suggestions are still pretty much on target. I last drove across WVA in August, 2017, taking I-64 all the way.
Thanks so much to you both! Printed out your guidelines and looking forward to a great road trip!
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