Visit to Paducah KY by Aussie



B

Bronwyn Ferrier

Guest
G'day folks, Lucky girl that I am, I have another trip to the US from here in Queensland Oz. You
might recall you all gave me great gourmet advice when I visited Austin Tx last June which was
really helpful. This time, I am meeting up with my new friends from Austin and we are travelling to
the Paducah Quilt Show in late April. So, what great advice can you give me on the cuisine of KY and
places to try in Paducah? Also, does anyone know of a day trip I can do from Paducah on a Sunday?
I'd love to visit one of the distilleries, but fear Paducah is too far west to achieve this in one
day (without a car at my disposal). Any other tourist attraction from there would be nice I am sure.
Meanwhile I am looking forward to those great Tx barbeques!! Maybe there is a regular poster who
lives in Paducah who would like to meet and say hi. Cheers Bronwyn
 
[email protected] (Bronwyn Ferrier Ms) wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> G'day folks, Lucky girl that I am, I have another trip to the US from here in Queensland Oz. You
> might recall you all gave me great gourmet advice when I visited Austin Tx last June which was
> really helpful. This time, I am meeting up with my new friends from Austin and we are travelling
> to the Paducah Quilt Show in late April. So, what great advice can you give me on the cuisine of
> KY and places to try in Paducah? Also, does anyone know of a day trip I can do from Paducah on a
> Sunday? I'd love to visit one of the distilleries, but fear Paducah is too far west to achieve
> this in one day (without a car at my disposal). Any other tourist attraction from there would be
> nice I am sure. Meanwhile I am looking forward to those great Tx barbeques!! Maybe there is a
> regular poster who lives in Paducah who would like to meet and say hi. Cheers Bronwyn
>

the Great Kentucky Lake is only a few miles (15-20?) from Paducah. Great fish camps/restaurants
abound serving bass, crappie, catfish, etc.

Wayne
 
I grew up in the Paducah area--well, an hour south (Fulton,KY and went to high school in Mayfield,
which is 30 minutes from Paduach) . However, its the only really big town in the region with a mall,
so I logged quite a bit of time there as a teen.

The distillaries--at least all that I know of--are all around Lexington and Lousiville, both of
which are about 5 hours or so from Paducah.

In Paducah, the only real tourists attractions of any sort that I can think of are the
waterfront/downtown, Whitehaven (restored historic mansion), and Bluegrass Downs (horse racing
track). I don't think of these would be an all day thing. Paducah isn't much of a tourist town. It's
more industrial, with some shopping thrown in, and has the only really big hospitals in the area...
There isn't really much of any touristy stuff in Western Kentucky. Most of the really cool stuff in
Kentucky is back around Lexington and Louisville. Far far western Kentucky (west of the lakes), just
doesn't have much.

If you can get any access to a car, there are the Kentucky Lakes and the Land Between the Lakes. It
would be about 20 minutes or so from Paducah to get to the Lakes. Then, at LBL, there is "the trace"
which is a road you can follow and stop off at little attractions along the way. You'd have to have
a car to do this though...

They have been working on building a performing arts center, but I'm not sure if it's finished yet.
(I am currently in California to attend grad school, so I'm not as up on stuff at home anymore).

Also, worth mentioning here, is that Paducah doesn't have mass city transit. There are cab services,
but no train or bus. It's not a huge town--maybe 60,000 people.

I don't think West KY is particularly known for it's cuisine--it's a very much so working class
region, and not that working class can't be gourmet, most of them tend not to be. For food in
Paducah though, the best regarded restaurants are Jeremiah's, Whalers Catch, and CC Cohen. Make
reservations though! In addition to the quilt show being in town, it's also going to be prom season
and between the quilt show attendees and prom goers, it's impossible to get into any of these
without reservations.

The BBQ style in West Ky isn't quite like Texas BBQ. We tend to do pork rather than beef brisket.

You probably already have these urls, but the Paducah/McCracken County Visitors Buerau has a website
at http://www.paducah-tourism.org/ and the local paper's url is www.paducahsun.com. You might also
want to check out http://www.thinkwestkentucky.com. When looking up stuff to do though, be careful
about the Think West Kentucky site. West Kentucky is typically considered to span from the far west
part of the state to Elizabethtown/Bardstown--both of which are 4 hours from Paducah. I consider
both of them to be central Kentucky, but I digress. When I was attending the University of Kentucky,
my friends from far far eastern Kentucky considered Bardstown and Elizabethtown to be West
Kentucky...

"Bronwyn Ferrier Ms" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> G'day folks, Lucky girl that I am, I have another trip to the US from here in Queensland Oz. You
> might recall you all gave me great gourmet advice when I visited Austin Tx last June which was
> really helpful. This time, I am meeting up with my new friends from Austin and we are travelling
> to the Paducah Quilt Show in late April. So, what great advice can you give me on the cuisine of
> KY and places to try in Paducah? Also, does anyone know of a day trip I can do from Paducah on a
> Sunday? I'd love to visit one of the distilleries, but fear Paducah is too far west to achieve
> this in one day (without a car at my disposal). Any other tourist attraction from there would be
> nice I am sure. Meanwhile I am looking forward to those great Tx barbeques!! Maybe there is a
> regular poster who lives in Paducah who would like to meet and say hi. Cheers Bronwyn
 
[email protected] (Bronwyn Ferrier Ms) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> This time, I am meeting up with my new friends from Austin and we are travelling to the Paducah
> Quilt Show in late April. So, what great advice can you give me on the cuisine of KY and places to
> try in Paducah? Also, does anyone know of a day trip I can do from Paducah on a Sunday? I'd love
> to visit one of the distilleries, but fear Paducah is too far west to achieve this in one day
> (without a car at my disposal). Any other tourist attraction from there would be nice I am sure.

The only tourist type thing that I can think of in the area is the casino on the Illinois side of
the Mississippi. It's a riverboat with slot machines, etc. and I believe that there may be some kind
of transportation service from certain hotels--you'd just have to ask. A possible day trip might be
to Charleston, Missouri. Depending on when spring gets here, the magnolias and azaleas will probably
be in bloom and Charleston has an Azalea Trail and Azalea Festival. I'm not sure how far it is from
Paducah--maybe 2 to 3 hours--and you'd probably have to rent a car to do that. Paducah may also have
an azalea trail--seems like I've read that somewhere, but I'm sure you can find that on the websites
already listed by another poster. What the area has to offer, really, is scenery. Across the river
in Illinois is the Shawnee National Forest and state parks such as Garden of the Gods. If shopping
is your thing, there was an outlet mall at Eddyville, KY, but I haven't been there in years and
don't even know if it's still open. In the downtown area near the Quilt Museum there are lots of
antique shops--I could spend days there and never get through them all.

As for places to eat, there are mostly chains in the area. If barbecue is something you want, I like
Starnes. It is near Noble Park--can't think of the street--Joe Clifton Drive maybe? Another poster
said that you will most likely find pork, and that's been my experience also. Most places are really
casual. I agree with the reservations--if you can get them, do because I've been in Paducah when the
quilters are there and it is wall to wall people. My favorite place to eat there is Logan's
Roadhouse, which is a chain, but has good food that is reasonably priced. From my experience the
Chinese place Chong's is to be avoided at all costs.

I hope this helps somewhat! Have a good time. I don't plan to be in Paducah during that time--I
avoid it on that weekend and do my shopping somewhere else because with all the people traffic is
terrible and the stores and restaurants are filled to the brim!

Stacey
 
Bronwyn Ferrier Ms wrote:
> G'day folks, Lucky girl that I am, I have another trip to the US from here in Queensland Oz. You
> might recall you all gave me great gourmet advice when I visited Austin Tx last June which was
> really helpful. This time, I am meeting up with my new friends from Austin and we are travelling
> to the Paducah Quilt Show in late April. So, what great advice can you give me on the cuisine of
> KY and places to try in Paducah? Also, does anyone know of a day trip I can do from Paducah on a
> Sunday? I'd love to visit one of the distilleries, but fear Paducah is too far west to achieve
> this in one day (without a car at my disposal). Any other tourist attraction from there would be
> nice I am sure. Meanwhile I am looking forward to those great Tx barbeques!! Maybe there is a
> regular poster who lives in Paducah who would like to meet and say hi. Cheers Bronwyn

The barbecue in Owensboro, KY is extrordinary. I don't remember the name of the place, but you can
ask the locals. They had a buffet of several styles of barbecue, plus "burgoo" which is a KY
regional stew.

I think Owensboro is near Paducah, but I may be getting it confused with Bowling Green or Evansville
or something.

Best regards, Bob, a Texan in Minnesota
 
Bronwyn Ferrier Ms wrote:
> G'day folks, Lucky girl that I am, I have another trip to the US from here in Queensland Oz. You
> might recall you all gave me great gourmet advice when I visited Austin Tx last June which was
> really helpful. This time, I am meeting up with my new friends from Austin and we are travelling
> to the Paducah Quilt Show in late April. So, what great advice can you give me on the cuisine of
> KY and places to try in Paducah? Also, does anyone know of a day trip I can do from Paducah on a
> Sunday? I'd love to visit one of the distilleries, but fear Paducah is too far west to achieve
> this in one day (without a car at my disposal). Any other tourist attraction from there would be
> nice I am sure. Meanwhile I am looking forward to those great Tx barbeques!! Maybe there is a
> regular poster who lives in Paducah who would like to meet and say hi. Cheers Bronwyn

My favorite place to eat in Paducah is Flamingo Row which is an odd little sandwich place. All the
food there is a bit on the odd side, but it's all fantastic. The best are their stuffed breads,
but to get them you have to go either to lunch or early dinner as they sell out of them quickly.
For BBQ, though it is not TX barbeque, most people there like Starnes which I personally never
thought much of, but everyone their seems to love. There's also Max's Brick Oven which has
reasonably good brick oven pizza and CC Cohen's which is a steak house. If you end up going to
Kentucky Lakes, there's also a restaurant called Patty's which has very good country cooking and
incredible desserts.

---
Matt Marziale [email protected]
 
zxcvbob <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> The barbecue in Owensboro, KY is extrordinary. I don't remember the name of the place, but you can
> ask the locals. They had a buffet of several styles of barbecue, plus "burgoo" which is a KY
> regional stew.
>
> I think Owensboro is near Paducah, but I may be getting it confused with Bowling Green or
> Evansville or something.

Mapquest says about 130 miles and 2.75 hours each way:z=&1ah=&2y=US&2a=&2c=owensboro&2s=ky&2z=&2ah=&formtype1=address&formtype2=address&idx=0&id=4033ead5-
00217-0620a-400c330d&aid=4033ead5-00218-0620a-400c330d>

>
> Best regards, Bob, a Texan in Minnesota

-bwg
 
zxcvbob <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Bronwyn Ferrier Ms wrote:
> > G'day folks, Lucky girl that I am, I have another trip to the US from here in Queensland Oz. You
> > might recall you all gave me great gourmet advice when I visited Austin Tx last June which was
> > really helpful. This time, I am meeting up with my new friends from Austin and we are travelling
> > to the Paducah Quilt Show in late April. So, what great advice can you give me on the cuisine of
> > KY and places to try in Paducah? Also, does anyone know of a day trip I can do from Paducah on a
> > Sunday? I'd love to visit one of the distilleries, but fear Paducah is too far west to achieve
> > this in one day (without a car at my disposal). Any other tourist attraction from there would be
> > nice I am sure. Meanwhile I am looking forward to those great Tx barbeques!! Maybe there is a
> > regular poster who lives in Paducah who would like to meet and say hi.

>
> The barbecue in Owensboro, KY is extrordinary. I don't remember the name of the place, but you can
> ask the locals. They had a buffet of several styles of barbecue, plus "burgoo" which is a KY
> regional stew.
>
> I think Owensboro is near Paducah, but I may be getting it confused with Bowling Green or
> Evansville or something.
>
> Best regards, Bob, a Texan in Minnesota

To all re-posters: Thanks so much for all the helpful replies! From your information I think crowds
are going to be the main attraction in the city! Maybe I will just concentrate on quilting - who
knows, I'll probably meet some quilters and by Sunday we will have formed little groups and maybe
hire a car together (it would be good for an US citizen to do the driving, wrong side of the wrong
and all that...). I'll take note of the restaurant/cuisine ideas too. With Paducah being on the
border of Missouri I hadn't thought of sightseeing in that direction. The State Park mentioned
sounds it could be blissful after the crowds of the quilting symposium. Again, appreciate all your
comments. Local knowledge wins out every time. Cheers Bronwyn
> > Cheers Bronwyn
 
From: [email protected] (Bronwyn=A0Ferrier=A0Ms) G'day folks, Lucky girl that I am, I have
another trip to the US from here in Queensland Oz. You might recall you all gave me great gourmet
advice when I visited Austin Tx last June which was really helpful. This time, I am meeting up with
my new friends from Austin and we are travelling to the Paducah Quilt Show in late April. So, what
great advice can you give me on the cuisine of KY and places to try in Paducah? Also, does anyone
know of a day trip I can do from Paducah on a Sunday? I'd love to visit one of the distilleries, but
fear Paducah is too far west to achieve this in one day (without a car at my disposal). Any other
tourist attraction from there would be nice I am sure. Meanwhile I am looking forward to those great
Tx barbeques!! Maybe there is a regular poster who lives in Paducah who would like to meet and say
hi. Cheers Bronwyn
---------------------------------------------------------------
How about visting Mammonth Cave Ky.? I was only there once in the 60's when I was a kid and can't
remember where in the state it's located but think it would be worth your time to take one of
there tours.
 
On Wed, 18 Feb 2004 19:22:22 -0500 (EST), T E <[email protected]> wrote:
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> How about visting Mammonth Cave Ky.? I was only there once in the 60's when I was a kid and can't
> remember where in the state it's located but think it would be worth your time to take one of
> there tours.

Yahoo's Map and Drive places Mammoth Cave about 4 hours' drive (about 180 miles) west of
Paducah. I haven't been there for years, but remember it as being a neat trip. However,
combined with the drive there and back, plus a few hours for the tour, it doesn't really make
a practical daytrip from there. Overnight is more feasible, unless you don't mind spending a
very long day mostly on the road.

FWIW, they have a website where you can take a look at what's available and the different
types of tours:

http://www.nps.gov/maca.htm

Ariane
 
Barry Grau wrote:
> zxcvbob <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]
> berlin.de>...
>
>>The barbecue in Owensboro, KY is extrordinary. I don't remember the name of the place, but you can
>>ask the locals. They had a buffet of several styles of barbecue, plus "burgoo" which is a KY
>>regional stew.
>>
>>I think Owensboro is near Paducah, but I may be getting it confused with Bowling Green or
>>Evansville or something.
>
>
> Mapquest says about 130 miles and 2.75 hours each way:&1ah=&2y=US&2a=&2c=owensboro&2s=ky&2z=&2ah=&formtype1=address&formtype2=address&idx=0&id=4033ead5-
> 00217-0620a-400c330d&aid=4033ead5-00218-0620a-400c330d>
>
>>Best regards, Bob, a Texan in Minnesota
>
>
> -bwg

In Kentucky, 130 miles is about 1.5 hours. On a recent trip through that part of the country, when I
crossed the state line into KY, the speed limit dropped to 65 but the traffic sped up to 85+. Then
when I got to the TN line, the speed limit went up to 70 or 75, and the traffic slowed down to the
speed limit.

You can probably get Owensboro style barbecue in Paducah, but I don't know for sure. It's like Texas
style barbecue made with pork instead of beef -- the same sweet, hot, sticky tomato-based sauce. But
it was almost 10 years since I ate there, so I might be just imagining it... :)

Bob
 
"zxcvbob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>>
> The barbecue in Owensboro, KY is extrordinary. I don't remember the name of the place, but you can
> ask the locals. They had a buffet of several styles of barbecue, plus "burgoo" which is a KY
> regional stew.
>
> I think Owensboro is near Paducah, but I may be getting it confused with Bowling Green or
> Evansville or something.

Both Owensboro/Evansville and Bowling Green are roughly four hours from Paducah.
 
"Stacey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]... Paducah may also have an azalea
> trail--seems like I've read that somewhere, but I'm sure you can find that on the websites already
> listed by another poster.
They have a dogwood trail, but it's usually a few weeks before the quilt festival.

What the area
> has to offer, really, is scenery. Across the river in Illinois is the Shawnee National Forest and
> state parks such as Garden of the Gods. If shopping is your thing, there was an outlet mall at
> Eddyville, KY, but I haven't been there in years and don't even know if it's still open.

Still open, but it has gone down hill a lot in the past few years. Most of the stores have gone out
of buisness, and what's left isn't that great.
 
"zxcvbob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> In Kentucky, 130 miles is about 1.5 hours. On a recent trip through that part of the country, when
> I crossed the state line into KY, the speed limit dropped to 65 but the traffic sped up to 85+.
> Then when I got to the TN line, the speed limit went up to 70 or 75, and the traffic slowed down
> to the speed limit.

Ok, this was probably I-65 Nasvhille to Lousiville or I-75 in the East part of the state. To go from
Paducah to Owensboro, you'd take I-24 to the West Kentucky Parkway, then the Natcher Parkway to
Owensboro. Do not not not not not not not go over 70 on these or you will get pulled over. I drove
West Ky back and forth for four years, and there are typically smokies all over the place.
>
> You can probably get Owensboro style barbecue in Paducah, but I don't know for sure. It's like
> Texas style barbecue made with pork instead of beef -- the same sweet, hot, sticky tomato-based
> sauce. But it was almost 10 years since I ate there, so I might be just imagining it... :)

Most of the bbq at home seems to be more of the carolina style--smoked in a pit, but the vingar
style sauces. Definitely no sweet sauces.
 
Be prepared - you may experience culture shock. Paducah is not an area laden with rich folk nor high
class/fancy restaurants.

Fried Chicken and catfish are Kentucky staples, you've gotta try those from several
different places.

Moe

: G'day folks, Lucky girl that I am, I have another trip to the US from here in Queensland Oz. You
: might recall you all gave me great gourmet advice when I visited Austin Tx last June which was
: really helpful. This time, I am meeting up with my new friends from Austin and we are travelling
: to the Paducah Quilt Show in late April. So, what great advice can you give me on the cuisine of
: KY and places to try in Paducah? Also, does anyone know of a day trip I can do from Paducah on a
: Sunday? I'd love to visit one of the distilleries, but fear Paducah is too far west to achieve
: this in one day (without a car at my disposal). Any other tourist attraction from there would be
: nice I am sure. Meanwhile I am looking forward to those great Tx barbeques!! Maybe there is a
: regular poster who lives in Paducah who would like to meet and say hi. Cheers Bronwyn
 
Thanks again everyone for your comments! Having eaten catfish (yummy)(with all the trimmings) for
the first time in Austin last year (at the Catfish Parlour - what a place; the owner/or manager
personally welcomed us, gave us a cap and shirt and told us how he enjoyed a trip to OZ some time
ago), look forward to trying the Ky version. Also had fried chicken steak which was terrific
- however in Ky you may mean real chicken as in Kentucky Fried Chicken. Now of course KFC is all
over Oz and I have experienced it once or twice in my life with no desire to do so again -- but
I'll try the Ky version for educational purposes as the birthplace of same <g> -- maybe there is a
world of difference! Cheers Bronwyn

> Be prepared - you may experience culture shock. Paducah is not an area laden with rich folk nor
> high class/fancy restaurants.
>
> Fried Chicken and catfish are Kentucky staples, you've gotta try those from several
> different places.
>
> Moe
>
> : G'day folks, Lucky girl that I am, I have another trip to the US from here in Queensland Oz. You
> : might recall you all gave me great gourmet advice when I visited Austin Tx last June which was
> : really helpful. This time, I am meeting up with my new friends from Austin and we are travelling
> : to the Paducah Quilt Show in late April. So, what great advice can you give me on the cuisine of
> : KY and places to try in Paducah? Also, does anyone know of a day trip I can do from Paducah on a
> : Sunday? I'd love to visit one of the distilleries, but fear Paducah is too far west to achieve
> : this in one day (without a car at my disposal). Any other tourist attraction from there would be
> : nice I am sure. Meanwhile I am looking forward to those great Tx barbeques!! Maybe there is a
> : regular poster who lives in Paducah who would like to meet and say hi. Cheers Bronwyn
 
In article <[email protected]>, Bronwyn
Ferrier Ms <[email protected]> wrote:

> Thanks again everyone for your comments! Having eaten catfish (yummy)(with all the trimmings) for
> the first time in Austin last year (at the Catfish Parlour - what a place; the owner/or manager
> personally welcomed us, gave us a cap and shirt and told us how he enjoyed a trip to OZ some time
> ago), look forward to trying the Ky version. Also had fried chicken steak which was terrific
> - however in Ky you may mean real chicken as in Kentucky Fried Chicken. Now of course KFC is all
> over Oz and I have experienced it once or twice in my life with no desire to do so again -- but
> I'll try the Ky version for educational purposes as the birthplace of same <g> -- maybe there is
> a world of difference! Cheers Bronwyn

Austin and Paducah--Night and Day. or Day and Night depending on your preferences. The catfish ought
to be better because of Kentucky Lake; the chicken, the same. KFC is a chain. Try to find some local
place for regional differences. Kentucky's pride is horse racing and bourbon and you're not real
close to either. A Kentucky country ham is also up there; you might want to try one and compare with
Virginia's. The barbecued goat wasn't bad, but I think that's a Fourth of July specialty.
 
On 21-Feb-2004, Stark Raven <[email protected]> wrote:

> The barbecued goat wasn't bad, but I think that's a Fourth of July

You sure it was goat? Mutton (sheep) is a very popular meat to barbecue, but I've never seen
barbecued goat. Ummmmmmmmmm, I love bbq mutton; I may have to pull the last of my stockpile from the
freezer. I no longer live in KY, but my sister does; she periodically smuggle several pounds of bbq
mutton out of the state for me<smile>.
 
Try to find a place that serves biscuits and gravy. A local place not a chain.

Tom
 
Stark Raven <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<210220040750362995%[email protected]>...
> In article <[email protected]>, Bronwyn Ferrier Ms
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Thanks again everyone for your comments! Having eaten catfish (yummy)(with all the trimmings)
> > for the first time in Austin last year (at the Catfish Parlour - what a place; the owner/or
> > manager personally welcomed us, gave us a cap and shirt and told us how he enjoyed a trip to OZ
> > some time ago), look forward to trying the Ky version. Also had fried chicken steak which was
> > terrific
> > - however in Ky you may mean real chicken as in Kentucky Fried Chicken. Now of course KFC is all
> > over Oz and I have experienced it once or twice in my life with no desire to do so again --
> > but I'll try the Ky version for educational purposes as the birthplace of same <g> -- maybe
> > there is a world of difference! Cheers Bronwyn
>
> Austin and Paducah--Night and Day. or Day and Night depending on your preferences. The catfish
> ought to be better because of Kentucky Lake; the chicken, the same. KFC is a chain. Try to find
> some local place for regional differences. Kentucky's pride is horse racing and bourbon and you're
> not real close to either. A Kentucky country ham is also up there; you might want to try one and
> compare with Virginia's. The barbecued goat wasn't bad, but I think that's a Fourth of July
> specialty.

Sigh...I rather enjoy a good day at the races. And, I am a lover of whisky, more the Scotch variety,
but was prepared to give the bourbon a good test - would have loved to do the disterillies tours -
but as the good folk here have advised, both are 5 hrs away, so not for this trip I'm afraid. This
trip is specific to my quilting hobby so maybe my last day there on the Sunday will be a traditional
day of rest -might need it by then, run off my feet at the symposium. Thanks for your comments.