Day 1: Thursday, June 11, Corvettes, Racing, and Church Hill Downs
We left home around 6:30 AM and drove to Gabe's in Madison, AL. We stopped at Hardies in Madison for breakfast. I ordered a chicken biscuit and a Diet Coke. We arrived at Gabe's, loaded onto the bus, and began our journey. Our driver was Steve Kunze on Signature Bus out of Nashville, TN, Bus Number 1013. Our guide throughout the trip was Angie Himburg.
Our first stop was the former Tennessean, now Dolly's in Cornesville, TN, at 9:30 AM.
They were still under construction, putting up new merchandise, displays, and murals of Dolly throughout the store.
Our next stop was the Corvette Museum & Restaurant in Bowling Green, KY.
We were given the museum's history, then we dispersed, some going to the restaurant and others to the museum.
In the Stingray Grill, we ordered a Stingray Burger with lettuce, tomato, and sweet potato fries and Diet Cokes, which we split. Spent $21.50
After lunch, we toured the museum and stopped at the gift shop. Hubby sat in the lobby while I walked outside to take photos. Had my photo taken in a booth where adrenaline meets tradition in a 2005 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe 2005-2013. Spent $12.00
Our next stop was Tru by Hilton, room 421, Lexington, KY, to freshen up to go to the horse races @ 5:30 PM.
We have seating at Millionaire Row where we can watch the races and enjoy a buffet-style dinner.
Tickets for the Twilight Thursday at Churchill Downs Racetrack, first race at 5:00PM. Row 1 seats 5 & 6 tickets 757825119019& 482678777643.
Watched a couple of horse races, then ate dinner. I enjoyed pulled pork, green beans, slaw, roll, and mac and cheese. We left Church Hill Downs around 8:30 PM, headed back to the hotel.
I was so tired that I fell right to sleep.
7102-7116 Dolly's Cornersville, TN @ 9:30-9:46 AM
7117-7141 @11:58-1:41 PM Corvette Museum Bowling Green, KY
7143-7144 Tru by Hilton Louisville, KY @4:57 PM
Big Camera
8402-8492 Corvette Museum Bowling Green, KY
8493-8509 Church Hill Downs, Lexington, KY
Day 2: Friday, June 12: Train Car, Miss Ohio Festival, and the world's largest bubblehead.
Breakfast at the hotel, Tru by Hilton, Lexington, KY
I ate a blueberry muffin, cream cheese, bacon, egg, and apple juice.
At 8:30, we loaded onto the bus and headed to Mansfield, OH.
We traveled through Cincinnati, stopping at a rest stop in Lebanon, OH, for a restroom break around 10:55 AM.
We traveled through Columbus, stopping at Buckeys Express in Bellville, OH, for lunch.
Buckeyes is a restaurant located in an abandoned B & O passenger railroad car, with a playground area for kids and a very tall bobblehead in the middle. Lots of retired machinery through the yard. They serve a variety of different foods each week.
Hubby ordered the fish and onion rings. I ordered the fried shrimp and onion rings with a Diet Coke.
About the statue:
Jacque now stands outside of a diner that was formerly an abandoned B&O passenger railroad car, restored by Terry ("I like fixing things instead of throwing them out," he said). The statue, which was built to lean at a gravity-defying 69 degrees, is anchored in tons of subterranean concrete. Jacque's hands -- like those of his Marblehead twin -- were destroyed when he was taken down, so Terry replaced them with giant sliced-meat sandwiches, repainted as cheeseburgers, a specialty of the diner.
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/78876#google_vignette
We arrived at the Hampton Inn by Hilton (room 221)to rest before going to the Miss Ohio Festival in Mansville, OH.
At the festival, we were greeted by our host and given the history of the festival and the history of the Richland Carrousel and Park in Mansville, OH.
We were free to roam the town, enjoy the festival, ride the carousel, and browse the gift shop.
The first thing everyone loaded onto the Richland Carousel that includes 52 figures of horses, lions, zebras, bears, ostriches, cats, and hippos.
I picked a horse to ride.
We walked around the downtown area, which was partly under construction. I saw old churches, murals, statues, and historic markers.
Bought a pink pony vanilla ice cream with whipped cream and fresh strawberry slices.
We returned to the hotel around 8:30 PM. Another early night to fall asleep
7172 Tickets to Twilight Thursday horse races 7:33 AM
7173 Breakfast 7:42 AM at Hampton Inn by Hilton Ontario, OH
3752-3771 Cincinnati Traveling Ipad 10:16-10:22 AM
7174-7181 Rest Stop Lebanon, OH 10:55
3772-3774 Travel Columbus, OH 12:17 PM
7182 Columbus, OH Traveling 12:19
7183-7215 Buckeye Express Belleville, OH 1:09-3:33 PM
7216-7217 Lexington, OH 3:31 PM
7218 Hotel 5:23 PM
7219-7269 Mansfield, OH 5:42-7:53 PM
Day 3: Saturday, June 13: Famous Movie locations
Breakfast at the Hampton by Hilton.
I ate an omelet, sausage, cream cheese, a cookie, and kiwi juice.
We loaded on the bus at 8:30, arrived a little early, and had to wait for the gates to open.
We were greeted by our guide, Abby, who was very informative about the prison.
The prison was built between 1886 and 1910 by architect Levi T. Scofield with three architectural styles: Victorian Gothic, Queen Ann, and Richardsonian Romanesque.
The Reformatory was intended as a halfway point between the Boys' Industrial School and the Penitentiary, which was intended to house young first-time offenders. The prison closed in 1990.
Several movies have been made here, the most famous being The Shawshank Redemption.
Others included Air Force One, Tango and Cash, Harry and Walter Go to New York, and many others.
We ate lunch at the Scofield Cafe at the prison, hubby and I split a club sandwich with chips and Coke. We ate outside on the porch because all the tables were full. It was a nice day, so hubby stayed on the porch while I walked around outside taking photos.
Inside were a couple of museums, the North Central Ohio Industrial Museum, and the museum that included the props from the Shawshank Redemption Movie.
We walked through the East and West Cell Blocks. The East Cell Block is the largest free-standing steel cell block in the world, at six tiers high.
We walked through the Solidary confinement. The prison was full of peeling paint on the walls, rust on the prison bars, and full of asbestos in the floors. The prison rooms had beds with a toilet and sink. The water pressure was not very good and would back up into the room, giving off a horrible smell.
Now all of that is closed, so no longer a problem.
Our next stop was the house where the Christmas Story was filmed in Tremont, Cleveland, OH.
We were greeted by our guide, Morgan, who told us the story about how the film was made, and we were free to roam the house.
The house is home to the Parker Family, restored as when the movie was made. It is interactive, where you can try on the hats, pick up the replica BB Gun, touch the leg lamp, lick the soap, or hide under the sink.
Our next stop was the museum where all the memorabilia was located. She told us more history about the film. Features the props from the movie, including the family car, toys, and the original Official Red Ryder
Carbine Action, 200-shot range model air rifle BB Gun- one of 6 produced for the movie.
We walked outside to see the two vehicles parked in the garages that were used in the film.
We then visited the gift shop where several made purchases. Some bought Christmas presents.
Our next stop was Grump's Cafe, a breakfast-to-dinner diner in Tremont, OH, where we were served breakfast for dinner.
I ordered eggs, bacon, and French toast with Coke. There were art work for sale throughout the cafe.
https://grumpyscoffeegarage.com
Returned to the hotel, took a shower, and went to bed after writing in my journal.
7270- Breakfast @ 7:25 AM Hotel Hampton Inn by Hilton
7271-7419 8:40-12:01 PM Ohio State Reformatory Prison, Mansfield, OH
7420-7469 @3:06-3:44 Christmas Story House Tremont, Cleveland, OH
7470-7496 3:45-4:12 Christmas Story Museum & Gift Shop, Tremont, Cleveland, OH
7497-7512 4:40-5:11 Traveling through Cleveland
7513-7522 @5:11-7:02 Grumpy's Cafe, Cleveland, OH
big Camera
8510-8585 Shawshank Prison, Mansfield, KY
8506-8597 Christmas Story Tremont, Cleveland, OH
8598-8654 Traveling Cleveland, OH
Day 4: Sunday, June 14: Vintage Signs, Nostalgia, and Art Museum
Breakfast at the hotel, I ate eggs, sausage, cream cheese, pastries, and kiwi juice.
We were on the bus by 8:15, beginning our journey home.
Next stop was the Rest Stop in Jeffersonville, O.H
Stopping next at the Cincinnati Art Museum, located in Eden Park, where we ate lunch and walked through inside, then out.
Inside, we saw Elizabeth Hawes American Fashions, Ancient Art of the Middle East, East Asian Art, European Paintings and sculptures, Indigenous American art, Photo collection, Prints collection, South Asian Art, and highlights of fashion arts and textiles collections.
One of the pieces that stood out to me was the Chihuly Chandelier you see the minute you walk in. It was installed in 2001 and has become a local landmark. It defies gravity and offers a unique perspective on glass.
Outside were several art pieces and lots of beautiful flowers in bloom.
We loaded onto the bus and rode for about 15 minutes to our next stop.
The American Sign Museum, our tour guide, Art, talked about the owner and his collection. We saw informational signs, promotional signs, identification signs ( channel letters 3d illuminated), and specialty signs. (unique or custom signs tailored for specific needs, such as Neon, and A-framed (sandwich boards).
Our next stop was at a unique restaurant, Nineteen West Main Diner in the heart of LaGrange, KY, the only town in the US where a CSX mainline freight train track runs down the center of Main Street. Up to 20 trains a day. When the train is passing the restaurant, you can watch it on TV.
Our last stop was Tru by Hilton Lexington, KY, where we got a room for one night. Unloaded all our luggage and went to our room 225 for the night.
Wrote in my journal and was asleep by 10PM.
Photos:
7523 Breakfast at Hotel Hampton, Ontario, OH 7:27 AM
7524-7535 Restop Jeffersonville, OH at 9:58 AM
7536-7559 Cincinnati Art Museum 11:18-2:15 & lunch
7560-7571 Traveling in Cincinnati 2:16-2:30 PM
7572-7645 American Sign Museum Valley Park Cincinnati, OH 2:34-4:15 PM
7646-7662 Nineteen West Main Diner LaGrange, KY 5:58-8:10 PM
Big Camera
7536-7559 Cincinnati Art Museum Cincinnati, OH
7572-7645 American Sign Museum Cincinnati, OH
Day 5: Monday, June 15: Travel Home, Stonehenge, Cannon Hill
Breakfast at the hotel Tru by Hilton: eggs, cream cheese, a muffin, and apple juice.
Our first stop was at Stonehenge, saw a replica of Stonehenge in England and a field dotted with rocks of statues, twisted king, Angels, and other pieces.
Cannon Hill, across the road, was dotted with cannon-like rock formations.
Our next stop was Buc-ee's Smith Grove, Ky, for a restroom break and to buy snacks.
We bought a cup of banana pudding, a cup of cheese, and some beef jurkey.
Lunch was at Brickyard Cafe in Franklin, KY, where we were served a buffet meal. I ate baked chicken, salad, and veggies, potatoes, Lazana, and bread pudding.
We arrived at the Welcome Center in Elkmont, TN, at 2:12 PM.
We were at Gabe's by 2:30 and home by 3:30 PM.
Another wonderful journey of adventure and surprises with Backroads Tours LLC.
3784-3834 Stonehenge and Cannon Hill Munsfordville, KY @8:38 AM iPad
3835 Buc ees Smith Grove, KY 9:41 iPad
7664-7668 Travel Munsfordville, Ky @9:15 AM
7669-7678 Buc ees Smith Grove, KY @9:42-10:21 AM
7679-7705 Franklin, KY 10:57-12:10 PM Lunch Buffet at Brickyard, Franklin, KY
7706-7707 Cumberland Heights, TN @12:53 PM
7708 Welcome Center, Elkmont, TN @2:12 PM
Receipts
Bought a bag of chips in the vending machine for 1.50
Diet Coke at the hotel $4.00
Pink Poney Ice Cream $7
Richland Carousel Park Gift Shop bought postcards and a horse pin for $10.90
Corvette Museum took a photo machine for $12
The Stingray Grill Bowling Green, Ky $21.50
19 West Main pent $26.47
Terrance Cafe Art Museum, Cincinnati, OH $22,63
The American Sign Museum bought 3 signs for $38.81
Buc ees, Smith Grove, KY $29.01
Restaurants
The Stingray Grill Bowling Green, KY
Chef's Choice Lexington, KY
Buckeye Express Diner, Belleville, OH
Scofield's Cafe at Prison, Mansfield, OH
Grumpy's Cafe Tremont, Cleveland, OH
Terrance Cafe, Cincinnati, OH
One Nineteen West Main Restaurant, LaGrange, KY
Brickyard Cafe, Franklin, KY
Museum
Corvette Museum Bowling Green, KY
Shawshank Redemption Prison, Mansfield, OH
Christmas Story House, Museum, Gift Shop, Cleveland, OH
Cincinnati Art Museum Cincinnati, OH
American Sign Museum, Cincinnati, OH
North Central Ohio Industrial Museum, Mansfield, OH
