For 3-year-old Thoroughbreds, the Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the American Triple Crown series. The event has been held every year on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., since 1875. The Derby is undoubtedly the most renowned horse race in the world, with a distance of 1 1/4 miles.

Horses compete in the Kentucky Derby after qualifying through the Road to the Kentucky Derby, which consists of a series of races. The top four finishers in these stakes races receive Derby qualification points. They are held at racetracks around the country. The horses with the highest qualifying points make up the Derby starters, with two of the 20 places reserved for the best qualifiers from the European and Japanese Road to the Derby qualifying events. The race is about more than just seeing which horse can get past the post first to win, it's also about fashion and having a good time. Around race day, there are a lot of traditions. People dress up for the occasion – don't forget your fascinator – and have a good time in the spring Kentucky sun. If you want to go, make sure to prepare ahead of time because the marathon attracts over 150,000 people, and hotels fill up quickly.

Look for the 120-foot-tall replica of Babe Ruth's Louisville Slugger at the museum's entrance, which is possibly the easiest tourist attraction in town to discover. Inside, visitors may take a tour of the Louisville Slugger factory, where they can see how a basic piece of wood is transformed into a tool that has been used by professional baseball players to set records since 1884.

A museum attached to the factory houses memorabilia and exhibits on the history of the Louisville Slugger as well as the careers of some of the most famous players who used it. The bat used to smash Hank Aaron's 700th home run, Joe DiMaggio's bat from his 56-game hitting streak, and Babe Ruth's bat from 21 of his 1927 home runs, complete with the notches that the Bambino cut around the logo for each of those hits, are among the museum's most valued possessions. Batting cages, a pitching simulator, and a 17-ton limestone baseball glove are among the museum's attractions, which are often climbed by both children and adults. You'll get your own mini bat as a keepsake at the end of your tour.

Address: 800 West Main Street, Louisville, Kentucky
Website: www.sluggermuseum.com

West of the Appalachian Mountains, the Daniel Boone National Forest encompasses some of the most difficult terrains. Steep wooded slopes, sandstone cliffs, and tight ravines are all waiting to be explored!

The Daniel Boone National Forest is a large area of the property in eastern Kentucky that spans 21 counties and covers more than 708,000 acres. The park's most notable feature is its diverse landscape, which includes over 3,400 kilometers of sandstone cliffs, gorges, and ravines carved by rivers and streams, as well as the 65-foot-high and 75-foot-wide Natural Bridge. It's only one of the park's many strange rock formations, formed by the erosive forces of wind and water. The Sheltowee Trace path, which runs for 273 miles across Daniel Boone National Forest, is the longest of the park's many trails. The Barren Folk Accessible Heritage Route, which features a 0.75-mile paved trail, is the closest to Whitley City and tells the story of Barren Folk Mining and Coal and the hundreds of people who lived in the isolated mining town.

Address: 1700 Bypass Rd, London, Kentucky

Website: http://www.fs.usda.gov/dbnf

Southeastern Kentucky stretches into the Cumberland Mountains, with the Cumberland Gap serving as the most major route across the hills. Native Americans exploited this 760-foot-deep cut through the range as a trade route, which was found by pioneers going west in the mid-18th century.

More than 200,000 white settlers crossed the Cumberland Mountains to the west when the renowned Daniel Boone drove his Wilderness Trail into Kentucky in 1775. In Middleboro, the Visitor Center has a small interactive museum and rangers on staff to answer questions. You may also take a shuttle excursion from the visitor center to the Hensley Settlement, a well-preserved old country settlement. The park also provides guided hiking excursions of Gap Cave, with a popular hike to Pinnacle Overview, which gives spectacular views of the hills and the Gap from an altitude of 2460 feet.

Address: 91 Bartlett Park Road, Middlesboro, Kentucky

Website: http://www.nps.gov/cuga/index.htm

The Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park lies on the former site of Sinking Springs Farm, which was founded by Thomas Lincoln, the 16th President's father. The Memorial Building, which includes the Symbolic Birth Cabin, a replica of Abraham Lincoln's one-room cottage where he was born in 1809, was completed in 1911.

Architect John Russell Pope built the Neoclassical Memorial Building, which is made of Tennessee marble and pink granite from Connecticut. Its 56 steps represent Lincoln's age at the time of his death, while other features honor his presidency. The Memorial Building and 116 acres of Thomas Lincoln's Sinking Spring Farm make up the Birthplace unit. Walking trails follow through Lincoln's footsteps, passing by the famed Sinking Spring, a natural water source named for the way the water goes back into the soil below, and the location of the border marker oak tree. The Knob Creek Farm unit's pathways follow the creek where Abraham and his pals used to work and play.

Address: 2995 Lincoln Farm Road, Hodgenville, Kentucky
Website: www.nps.gov/abli

The Mammoth Cave is located in the "Land of 10,000 Sinks," also known as the Caveland Corridor, which is located about 80 miles south of Louisville in southern Kentucky.

The Mammoth Cave is one of the world's biggest known cave systems, with more than 400 miles of passages explored so far, and was already known to the region's original native people by the 1st century BC. This is a very popular family destination with a number of excursions to choose from. The Mammoth Dome, which stands about 200 feet tall, and the Ruins of Karnak, which are known for their massive limestone columns that create the sense of a ruined temple, are two of the park's most popular attractions. The Snowball Dining Room, with its amazing rock formations; the majestic Frozen Niagara, with its magnificent stalactites and stalagmites; and the beautiful Crystal Lake are among highlights. All cave excursions require a ticket, and hikers should prepare for the significantly lower conditions found underground. Camping, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, bicycling, hiking, horseback riding, and a variety of ranger-led activities for kids are all available at Mammoth Cave National Park.

Address: 1 Mammoth Cave Parkway, Mammoth Cave, Kentucky

Website: https://www.nps.gov/maca/index.htm

The Kentucky Horse Park, located north of Lexington, offers visitors to see a working horse farm, learn about horses, and interact with them. The park offers a variety of sights and activities, including horseback riding and pony rides.

The farm's residents live in a number of themed barns, including a Kids Barn where visitors may meet smaller animals, the Mounted Police Barn, the Breeds Barn, the Hall of Champions, and the Big Barn. The retired champion racehorses may be seen in the Hall of Champions, while the park's magnificent draft horses can be found in the Big Barn. Every day, there are many exhibits showcasing the various breeds and vocations of horses. The draft horses, in reality, provide the power for an informational trolley trip. The Smithsonian-affiliated International Museum of the Horse, which chronicles the history of the horse's role, is one of four museums in the park. The Al-Marah Arabian Horse Galleries, the American Saddlebred Museum, and the Wheeler Museum, which is dedicated to competition horses, are among the other museums.

Address: 4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, Kentucky
Website: http://kyhorsepark.com

The Muhammad Ali Center was developed to encourage the great humanitarian's ideals and life work. Visitors are first introduced to Ali through a five-screen orientation film that presents a summary of his life.

Exhibits include interactive exhibits, artifacts, historic footage, and multimedia presentations that concentrate on various aspects of Ali's approach to living his life and working to make the world a better place. His position as a symbol of strength during the Civil Rights period, the value of his spiritual life and charity activities are among the main topics. The Children's Hope and Dream wall, a mosaic of artwork from children all around the world, is one of the most interesting exhibits. A replica of the boxing great's practice room is also on display, where you can learn some moves and try your hand at the speed bag. There are three galleries at the museum, each with a different exhibit and installation.

Address: 144 N 6th St, Louisville, Kentucky
Website: https://alicenter.org/

The Kentucky Derby Museum, located right next to the racetrack, has a range of exhibits that span two levels and cover the history of the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs from the first race in 1875. A variety of displays regarding thoroughbred horses and their many stages of life and training are also available at the museum.

When you visit the Museum, you will experience the closest thing to being at the Derby! Even when the track isn't in session with live racing, the track's authorized tour provider offers a variety of trips throughout the year. The Greatest Race, an 18-minute feature film exhibited in high-definition on an impressive 360-degree screen, is a must-see. Belongings of famed trainers Bill Shoemaker and D. Wayne Lukas, as well as other notable historic items, are among the museum's artifacts. The museum also offers Churchill Downs excursions for an extra cost, which gives guests a behind-the-scenes peek at the venue. Derby Cafe, the on-site restaurant, is a great place to get lunch while taking in the scene at Churchill Downs.

Address: 704 Central Avenue, Louisville, Kentucky

Website: https://www.derbymuseum.org/

Lost River Cave offers a variety of opportunities for families to appreciate the beauties of Kentucky's distinctive karst geology while also encouraging children's interest in the natural world.

The main draw here is a boat tour into a massive cave, the state's only one of its sort. The Nature Center provides a variety of activities and events to help younger visitors to learn more about the environment. Kids may work on tasks to become a Junior Tour Guide while exploring the basic nature trails, or gather their discoveries and trade them at the Nature Trading Post. "Bird bingo", geocaching, and sifting for treasures are some family activities. Visitors can also simply walk about the grounds to see the natural spring, limestone bluffs, and the remains of ancient mining buildings. A zipline trip is also offered for those seeking a bit extra excitement.

Address: 2818 Nashville Road, Bowling Green, Kentucky
Website: https://lostrivercave.org