Smoky Mountains & Kentucky

Join Rustad Tours on a quest to witness the Great Smoky Mountain’s fall foliage transform from deep greens to vibrant shades of red, yellow, and orange. Heading east through the colorful rolling hills of Wisconsin, we’ll stop for an included luncheon in Black River Falls, WI. Getting acquainted with your traveling companions makes the miles fly by. Before you know it, we’ll be checking into our hotel on the outskirts of Chicago. (L)

This morning, our driver will take us around the busy city of Chicago and into the state of Indiana. You’ll catch a glimpse of Indiana’s impressive capitol building while skirting around Indianapolis. Noon lunch is included in Columbus, IN. We arrive at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY, for a walking tour, and visit their Kentucky Derby Museum featuring the history of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. The iconic Twin Spires atop the grandstands are the most recognizable features of Churchill Downs and are used as a symbol of the Kentucky Derby. The Kentucky Derby takes place on the first Saturday in May and is the oldest continuously held sporting event in America. It is often called, “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports.” The Kentucky Derby receives its nickname from the approximate length of time it takes the winner to run from the starting gate to the finish line. Our visit to Churchill Downs today is your introduction to our tour of the Lexington, Kentucky, area tomorrow. We continue our travels to Georgetown, KY, arriving at our hotel accommodations for a one-night stay. (B) (L)

Kentucky has some of the most lavish horse farms. Our tour this morning takes us on a “Behind-the-Scenes Look” at the personal care and training of Thoroughbred Racehorses. During the tour, you’ll get to watch morning workouts, see the horses up close, learn how thoroughbreds are trained for racing, and experience a typical day in the life of a racehorse. You’ll quickly find out why and how central Kentucky came to be the “Horse Capital of the World.” Stops will be made at Keeneland Race Track to view the thoroughbreds in action while they train to race. We’ll also take a tour of Sun Valley Farm. Their story dates back to 1831 when the Samuel Pepper family operated a distillery business here. Allen Paulsen acquired the farm in 1986, making it part of his famed Brookside Farm. It is now a sprawling nursery of over 1,600 acres and has been developed into a thoroughbred breeding dynasty. After an included meal, we continue traveling southward across the beautiful Appalachian Mountain Range. (Keep your camera ready!) Tonight, we stay in Ashville, NC. (B) (L)

The Biltmore Mansion and Gardens were created by George W. Vanderbilt, between the years 1889 and 1895, as an escape from everyday life. You may explore a portion of this 8,000-acre estate by wandering through the wonderful gardens and by taking an audio tour of the mansion. After an included lunch at the estate, we travel the scenic winding roads through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Picture stops will be made at places such as Newfound Gap and other scenic overlooks. Following a meandering route across streams and through tunnels, we’ll arrive at the mountain resort city of Pigeon Forge, TN. Tourists are drawn to Pigeon Forge for the wonderful southern culture, homespun hospitality and foot-stompin’ country music. We’ll enjoy our evening at Dolly Parton’s Stampede, one of the most fast-paced and awe-inspiring experiences in the country. You’ll be entertained by the beautiful horses that star in it, displaying trick riding and amazing feats. The experience also comes with a delicious home cooked meal and plenty of great entertainment! After a fun evening, we check into our hotel for a two-night stay. (B) (L) (D)

This morning a local guide will join us for a full day of traveling the back roads around Pigeon Forge. Stops will be made at little country churches, local artisan shops, and galleries. A noon meal is included along the way as we continue seeing and hearing about this unique rural area adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We’ll listen to lively stories about making moonshine and learn that life is still very simple. At the end of the tour, our guide and her husband will entertain us in a small historic church with mountain music and storytelling. Dinner this evening is at the Hatfield and McCoy Dinner Show. The story of this famous feud is told through music and comedy by a direct descendant of one of the feud participants. (B) (L) (D)

Leaving Pigeon Forge, our coach returns to Kentucky and follows winding roads through the Daniel Boone National Forest to Cumberland Falls. They call these waterfalls the “Niagara of the South.” The 125-foot-wide falls drop 60 feet into a boulder-strewn gorge and is the second largest waterfall in the eastern U.S. We visit historic Sinking Springs Farm, the birthplace of our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. We also visit the site of his boyhood home near Knob Creek. Tonight, our hotel is in Bardstown, KY. There’s time to freshen up before enjoying an “Old-Fashion Time” with an evening meal of mouth-watering southern home cooking and entertainment at Wickland Mansion. Wickland Mansion is considered one of the best examples of domestic Georgian Architecture in Kentucky, built between 1813 and 1817 by Charles Wickliff. Three Kentucky State Governors once lived in this mansion. (B) (D)

This morning we tour “My Old Kentucky Home” State Park, named for the official state song of Kentucky. The park’s centerpiece is Federal Hill, a farm previously owned by U.S. Senator John Rowan. The legendary song writer, Stephen Foster (a cousin of Rowan) was inspired to compose the famous ballad “My Old Kentucky Home” in 1853. The song grew quickly in popularity, selling thousands of copies. It was regarded as a symbol of Kentucky, and in 1928, it was officially adopted as the state song. We’ll have a guided tour of the mansion, one of Kentucky’s most famous and beloved historic sites. This Federal-Style Mansion is stocked with many extraordinary antiques as well as magnificent artwork. Leaving Kentucky, we start towards home (with meal stops made en route). Our travels take us across Indiana and through the Chicago area to our accommodations in Schaumburg. (B) (L)

On our last day of the tour, we continue to enjoy the fall colors as we travel through Wisconsin. After making our usual stops, we’re soon in familiar territory and returning to the Rustad bus garage, marking the end of a scenic and fascinating fall tour to the Great Smoky Mountains! (B) (L)