Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/34521
KENTUCKY Visitors enjoying zip line tours, horseback riding and other outdoor activities at Mammoth Cave National Park might be surprised to learn that the first tour guides and some of the most important early explorers of the caves were African-American. Two other notable visitor sites of historical interest are the National Underground Railroad Museum in northeastern town of Maysville and the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill near Harrodsburg in central Kentucky. For a different taste of the Bluegrass State’s heritage, there are six distilleries open for tours on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. In the heart of the Bluegrass Region, Lexington is home to the Isaac Scott Hathaway Museum, named for the artist who created commemorative U.S. coins honoring Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver. Another notable Black heritage site is New Zion, neighborhood founded by former slaves. The city recently began offering tours aboard Double-decker buses and pedicabs called Sprocket Jockeys. Gilbert Civil Rights Museum. LOUISVILLE Make room on your Louisville itinerary for a tour of the Muhammad Ali Center, whose interactive exhibits chronicle the life of the hometown hero in themed sections reflecting his values. The Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs, which recently under- went a $5.5 million renovation and expan- sion, houses a permanent exhibit on the contribution of Black jockeys and trainers. The city’s list of historical and cultural attractions also includes the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, the Kentucky Museum ofArt & Craft and the downtown dining and entertainment district known as Fourth Street Live! Louisville’s largest meeting venue is the 300,000-sq. ft.Kentucky International Convention Center. Muhammad Ali Center LOUISIANA The Arna Bontemps Museum in Alexandria, the Northeast Louisiana African American Heritage Museum in Monroe, the River Road African American Museum in Donaldsonville and the Hermione Museum in Tallulah — located in a former plantation that originally sat at the site of amajor CivilWar battle between BlackUnion soldiers and Confederate soldiers—are just some of the designated sites on the LouisianaAfricanAmericanHeritageTrail. The trail courses through each of the state’s culturally and geographically diverse regions: the Greater New Orleans area; Plantation Country, the area surrounding theMississippi River from New Orleans into Baton Rouge; Cajun Country in southwest Louisiana; the Crossroads Region of central Louisiana, home to the state’s oldest per- manent settlement; and Sportsman’s Paradise, the north Louisiana section that is popular for its hunting and fishing spots. One of Louisiana’s top recreational sites for fishing and other water sports is the Toledo Bend Reservoir on the Texas border. Black Meetings & Tourism May/June 2011: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 45 Photo Photo Credit: Savannah CVB Credit: Louisville CVB