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smoke cleared, left some 7,500 dead and marked a fatal loss of initiative for the South. A
trail winds across the battlefield (now a serene parkland), and a museum showcases rifles,
cannons, musket balls, uniforms, canteens, and other Civil War memorabilia.
5. Springfield
The drive rolls west on Rte. 150, past fields of hay and corn and farmhouse gardens over-
flowingwithlilies,andjogsintothehandsomevillageofSpringfield.SouthwestofSpring-
field, a scenic detour via Rtes. 152 and 49 passes through picturesque fields to the village
of Loretto. Here a cluster of rustic red-shuttered buildings perched along the banks of a
crystal-clear stream comprise the family-run Maker's Mark Distillery. For nearly two cen-
turies it has made some of the finest, smoothest bourbon in the world. Inside the stillhouse,
where the pungent smell of sour mash fills the air, you can dip your finger into the cypress
vatandtastethebubblingbrew,thenwatchasthecopperstilltransformsthemixintobour-
bon. Local law forbids sampling the finished product, though other tippling opportunities
abound at the many inns that line the streets of Bardstown, the next stop on the drive, loc-
ated in a nearby “wet” county.
6. Bardstown
Visiting Bardstown on a tour of the Western Frontier in 1797, the French king Louis Phil-
ippe found a city replete with elegant homes, posh inns, and reputable learning institu-
tions—a description that still rings true. A less regal visitor—but no less esteemed—was
youngcomposerStephenFoster,whocamein1852tovacationwithhisrelativesatFederal
Hill, a gracious plantation house that inspired him to write the ballad “My Old Kentucky
Home.” Today visitors are guided by women in hoop skirts who call attention to price-
lessheirlooms,rareoldportraits—andthepatriotismofFoster'suncle.Themansion'sceil-
ings are 13 feet high, its brick walls are 13 inches thick, and each flight of stairs has 13
steps—all in zealous tribute to the numerical count of America's original states.
Before heading south on Rte. 31E, explore the charming downtown district, where
you'll find weathered brick houses on tree-shaded streets; St. Joseph's Cathedral, the first
cathedral built west of the Alleghenies it was dedicated in 1819; and the Oscar Getz Mu-
seum of Whiskey History; Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center; and the Barton 1792
Distillery and Visitor's Center.
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