a day trip

My husband and I decided that being stuck inside to escape the heat is nearly as bad as being stuck inside by snowy bad weather.  Either way, it can make us a little stir crazy and tired of looking at the same old walls.

So one morning we pulled out our Kentucky map and figured out a nice scenic drive for the day.
We headed east, taking the back roads, thinking we might end up in Lexington...but right outside of Versailles  (in Lawrenceburg) we encountered this...

The Wild Turkey distillery.

There was a sign for the visitors center so we pulled in and signed up for the next tour.  They charge for their tours... $11 for both of us.

Sorry about this weird picture...I didn't bother to edit. That is the is the wrinkly inside of my hand blocking half the camera lens when I took the photo.

 

While we waited for the tour to begin we looked at some exhibits and information with the history of the distillery and the brand.

Then, we got on a bus to tour the building where the "cooking"  goes on.  Unfortunately, because of the heat, they had shut down the process, because heat kills the yeast action that is needed.

The guide told us there is a shut down every summer and they usually start back up in September.

We also went in one of the rick-houses where the barrels of bourbon are stored.

Our tour guide was a retired military seargent so he had a big voice that was easy to hear.  He also had a good sense of humor and gave us a lot of good information. 

I think this is a tour anyone would enjoy.

At the end we had a tasting that included four different products made by Wild Turkey.

I bought Lonnie a little something at the gift shop. It's a bottle of their honey liquer with a hint of ghost pepper.  I'm saving it for his birthday.

The guide had also told us the history of these two bridges that we crossed after leaving the distillery.
Both are notable, the railroad bridge is used for bungee jumping, and the concrete automobile bridge
is unusual because it's an "S" shaped bridge...and a very high bridge.

Gosh I have to apologize for the bad photos today. I have gotten out of the habit of taking pics everywhere, but these are really sloppy.

Before heading home we drove on in to Lexington to eat at "Red State BBQ".

The place had good reviews online but we weren't impressed with it.  Service was good but food was nothing special.

I found a photo online ....

We enjoyed the trip and agreed we need to take a little day trip more often.