In late March, my youngest and I headed down to visit my wife’s family in Kentucky, get away from our usual routine in Ohio and visit some places I’ve been meaning to see for a few years now, particularly Claudia Sanders Dinner House in Shelbyville and the city of Danville, Kentucky…
…this is that story.
Claudia Sanders Dinner House – Shelbyville
We are all familiar with Kentucky Fried Chicken, but many outside the Louisville area may not be as familiar with Claudia Sanders Dinner House.
Originally called The Colonel’s Lady, the restaurant opened in 1968 as a rival restaurant to KFC.
You see, Colonel Sanders sold KFC to a group of investors in 1964 and they had messed with his chicken recipe. He got so frustrated that he decided to open this restaurant in response, declaring that only his restaurant had the true secret recipe.
This led to KFC suing Sanders and Sanders countersuing KFC.
Eventually, KFC agreed to pay Sanders one million dollars if he changed the name of his restaurant and he did…
…so, during our getaway, we stopped at Claudia Sanders Dinner House for some chicken…
…1 full pound of chicken livers…
…a hot brown…
…and some Kentucky Pie.
We were able to eat this picnic style out front as I was not fully vaccinate (yet) and it was just a lovely meal.
I’m really sorry for not having any pictures of the actual chicken (which was great) and the rolls (which are INCREDIBLE). Definitely get extra rolls!
Danville
A few years ago, I drove through Danville when heading to the Spoonbread Festival in Berea and thought the downtown looked like a place I would like to revisit someday.
So we went with my mother-in-law to downtown Danville…
…to take in a winter show titled Art of Being Black at the Art Center of the Bluegrass (Sandra Charles/Tomisha Lovely Allen)…
…with the opportunity to make some art of our own…
…enjoy this fried green tomato caprese with lunch at Copper and Oak…
…and explore Constitution Square, the birthplace of Kentucky’s statehood…
…and home to this pre-1792 original building which served as the first post office west of the Alleghenies…
…as well as some cool replicas of the meeting house and courthouse.
Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill – Harrodsburg
Since we enjoyed the history so much in Danville, on that same day, we decided to drive on to Harrodsburg…
…so that we could walk around and explore Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill.
Shaker Village is the largest National Historic Landmark in Kentucky…
…and it holds the largest private collection of original 19th century buildings in the country.
It was the perfect day to take in the architecture, read a little bit about history…
…and even make a new friend.
Kentucky Down Under Adventure Zoo – Horse Cave
After mentioning the possibility of visiting Mammoth Cave National Park during our visit, my mother-in-law told me about the Kentucky Down Under Adventure Zoo in Horse Cave, Kentucky.
Not only did we get a tour of Mammoth Onyx Cave…
…where we got to take in all the beautiful stalagmites and stalactites…
…with a large group of cave exploring guests…
…but we got to admire exotic birds…
…laugh in delight at the leaping lemurs…
…learn how dogs herded sheep…
…and get up close with some of the animals.
This was particularly true with kangaroos…
…who were so full after sneaking out and enjoying the grass of a nearby field…
…that they honestly didn’t mind if you gave them a pet or two.
Around Bardstown
Finally, while in Bardstown, we were sure to take advantage of some great things around us…
…by visiting some Forest Giants at Bernheim Forest…
…enjoying a delicious lamb burger and sausage stuffed dates from Scout and Scholar…
…and just taking in the springtime wherever we could…
…including at a friend’s property…
…where the daffodils were in full bloom…
…making our Kentucky getaway even more memorable.