"Well, the Blue Grass is green" a Lexington Travel Page by rexvaughan

I would not say I was disappointed in the blue grass of Kentucky - indeed it is so lush and green everywhere that it is truly beautiful. However, it does not look at all blue to me - just a verdant shade of green. Our trip was with our 11 year old granddaughter who loves horses and riding and virtually anything to do with equine life. She even enjoys mucking out stables to give you an idea. Of course horses seem to rule in Kentucky, particularly around the Lexington area where you will find one horse farm after another lining virtually every road you take.

The role of horses in Kentucky is hinted at in their tourism slogan, "Unbridled Spirit," and of course there are huge amounts of money associated with the business. Racing and the accompanying betting are big sources of revenue, horses are bought and sold for huge sums and stallions' stud fees can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The folks we encountered were well aware of the financial side but all seem to share a real love of the animals as well.

We had only a few days so just hit some of the high spots in Louisville and around Lexington. One interesting thing about Lexington is that they feel it is much nicer than Louisville and I may have detected a bit of envy at the Kentucky Derby being in the latter. Several people pointed out to us that Keenland Track was so much nicer, prettier and better than Churchill Downs. That is certainly true of the grounds around the tracks but I am not sure that the track itself, the grandstands and the infield are that much better or nicer. Both places are very well worth a visit.