Kentucky Horse RV Park in Lexington and Churchill Downs in Louisville
September 8-17, 2023. This adventure we took a trip into Kentucky for a Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemaker Concert at the Opera House in Lexington, KY and to do a little sightseeing, highlighted by a trip to Maker’s Mark Distillery and to the home of the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY.
We also stayed at our first Harvest Host, Sumner Winery in Portland, TN and finished the trip staying at the RV Park at The Hollywood Casino in Tunica, MS. to attending a Colt Ford Concert.
Fuel mileage 13.8 – 1736 Miles
Friday: September 8, 2023
We left Friday morning around 6:30am to get out of town before the traffic got bad and hopefully make our first destination at a reasonable time.
Big Blue did not disappoint us in the hills of Tennessee going up or down with such ease. Traffic along the way was good and going through Nashville was not bad at all. We saw nine airstreams on the road today. That’s absolutely crazy. We have never seen that many in one day.
We were staying at our first Harvest Host in Portland TN at Sumner Crest Winery. Site #1. We arrived around 2:15pm. This is a great place to stay, The Winery and their gift shop was great. We enjoyed our stay and will stay here again.
We were able to support the winery after a little rest. We thought we could eat dinner there but it isn’t a restaurant, just a grab and go. So we ate spaghetti in the airstream. We bought plenty to support the $20 electrical hook up. We only had to do blocks on one side so it was pretty level and we had a shade and a nice place to walk the dogs.
Harvest Host – Sumner Crest Winery
Saturday: September 9, 2023
We left the winery about 9 o’clock and drove to the hills of Lexington. The weather is overcast and much cooler. The high is 80 today. The Kentucky RV horse park is huge with lots of grass areas. Our spot is paved, but narrow so the stairs were in the grass, but with rugs it was fine. It was level side to side and front to back with the jack.
We did not see any Airstreams on today’s drive but there are several in the park. At last count they’re 9. We had a neighbor in an Airstream, they were from Canada and were headed to a Rally in North Carolina. We got our second flamingo from them.
We had our windows open for a bit today but resorted to the air conditioning later in the day as it got much warmer.
Todays concert, Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers, was very good. Diane got to meet and take a picture with JT Thomas, who plays the keys. We ate at Frank and Dino’s/Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin‘s restaurant. The food was great. It felt like a fancy place.
Sunday: September 10, 2023
We had a relaxing day – enjoyed sitting outside and going to the Kentucky Horse Park. There is plenty to do and the price is fair. The history is interesting and being able to actually touch the horses was a little intimidating, since they are so huge.
Kentucky Horse Park
Monday: September 11, 2023
We are traveling to Louisville today and it is only about an hour away. So we don’t have to rush. We drove to Costco to get the lay at the land. Plenty of traffic, so we took the back roads back and it was less stressful. The weather is cool and Praise the Lord the tires have not been an issue. The RV park is nice but nothing fancy and feel safe. The internet service is only at the office and the cellular service on my phone is not so good either.
Tuesday: September 12, 2023
We did the Makers Mark Distillery Tour. It was a good hour from our location and there were some skinny roads along the way. It rained the first part of the tour, but not bad. I’m not a bourbon drinker and certainly not a straight bourbon drinker. It was very similar to the Jack Daniels Tour but with a different family story. Not sure we will do another one this week.
Makers Mark Distillery
Wednesday: September 13, 2023
We did the Churchill Downs Tour, museum, gift shop and racetrack. It’s something you see on TV, so to be there in all its beauty is so impressive. We ate at the café on site and the food was OK. Tomorrow will be the twilight races.
Thursday, September 14, 2023
Jack started with preparing the Airstream for traveling on Friday. There was an issue with emptying the tanks. Not much we could do about it, just not a great situation. He survived and will take care of everything before we leave.
That evening we went back to Churchill Downs for the horse races. It was so much fun. We had great seats, ate at the track and watched eight races that evening. Being where the Kentucky Derby is run, was a bucket list item. Great night.
Churchill Downs
Friday: September 15, 2023
We are traveling from Louisville KY to Tunica MS today. We have a long day ahead of ourselves, I little over 400 miles and 6 hours without stops. So it’s going to be an 8 hour day. We left at 7am as planned and traffic wasn’t bad until we got to Nashville. It wasn’t terrible at 9 o’clock but that’s just Nashville.
We stopped at the Tecovas Boot Store in Germantown TN, just outside of Memphis. I got my Annie’s, in Bone! Jack was able to find a spot in the very busy parking lot for the truck and trailer. He was able to come in and get some boots also.
Leaving from there, we missed our exits twice. we normally work this together. We just did not do a good job of making the best decision on the very busy road. Jack almost came over on someone after checking multiple times. I wasn’t paying attention and was adding something to my calendar. Lesson learned.
Praise the Lord, we made it to Tunica with no tire issues or anything else. There is nothing in Tunica, but a few casinos. The RV Park feels like a major upgrade for us. We have a great view from our kitchen table. No one either side so we have extra room. The Colt Ford concert was at another casino. The food options where we are staying were limited and expensive, so we opted to eat in.
The opening band was rock/rap and too loud. By the crowd they must be pretty well-known. They played for an hour, we thought it would never end. While we were waiting for the Colt Ford concert to begin an usher came and got us and moved to the front row. Well how about that.
Colt Ford was very entertaining. He played for about an hour. He played a few songs we know and then some that we didn’t. Overall, a very good concert and had a lot of fun.
We are enjoying the view and the Wi-Fi at this RV park. We feel like we can open the shades and enjoy the view. The park was clean, neat and a lot of room between rigs.
Saturday: September 16, 2023
We drove into Southaven and messed around. Got fuel and did a few things we needed to get done. We ate at Memphis barbecue for a late lunch and early supper. We enjoyed the morning sitting outside. There was a cool breeze and we have a small tree for some shade. I sunned while Jack was finishing up, dumping and cleaning the tanks the proper way. We sat out a little when we got back. I couldn’t stand the bugs on the front of the truck and Airstream, so we did a quick wash on both. This was a very relaxing day all around.
Sunday: September 17, 2023
Park is a perfect end to a week of on the road, peacefully, quiet and beautiful. Traveling home was very easy with a couple bathroom breaks. We really enjoyed our trip.
Tunica MS – Colt Ford
Overview:
We had a very good and safe trip. Many highs and a couple lows along the way. Two concerts, a horse park, Churchill Downs, and the races. So much fun.
Travel Information
September 8-17, 2023 – Kentucky
Miles and Cost Info
| Miles | 1736 |
| Avg Fuel Cost per Gallon | 4.05 |
| MPG | 13.8 |
| Cents per Mile | .29 |
| Total | $511 |