• Woodford Reserve Distillery 7855 McCracken Pike, Versailles, 859/879-1812, woodfordreserve.com, tour and tasting $5
• Kentucky Horse Park 4089 Iron Works Pkwy., Lexington, 800/678-8813, kyhorsepark.com, $9 in winter, $15 in summer

A TROT IN THE COUNTRY Just how charming are the horse farms and bourbon distilleries of western Kentucky? These photographs will have you daydreaming about your next road trip. • Launch the slide show

Day 2
Cathy and I start the day with a mountain of carbs--doughnuts and sugar twists at Hadorn's Bakery, a family-owned institution in Bardstown that's been around since 1935. We bring some of the pastries with us in the car, rolling up the windows to trap the intoxicating aromas inside.

Since we're in Kentucky, I really want to see the place where Abraham Lincoln was born, the log cabin in the woods we all learn about in school. But the 16-by-20-foot cabin at the Lincoln Boyhood Home at Knob Creek isn't Lincoln's­ home at all--it's a reconstruction of the home of one of his childhood friends. A park ranger explains that nobody knows what happened to Lincoln's real boyhood home. I feel cheated until he says that Lincoln's family did lease the 30-acre plot.

We hightail it over to Mammoth Cave National Park for a tour of part of the world's most extensive cave system, which stretches for about 365 miles. Cathy freaks out over the insects on the walls until the guide tells us they're just crickets. Along the way, a little girl asks whether there are any eyeless fish in the cave. Sure enough, some of the shrimp and crayfish living in the dark cave rivers are blind.

Although she'd probably rather be back at the horse park, Cathy indulges me later with a visit to the National Corvette Museum, near the Bowling Green plant where the cars are made. It showcases many of the iconic Corvettes that have been produced over the past 55 years, including a 1960s Stingray coupe. In the gift shop, I buy a mini red '57 Corvette that reminds me of my childhood toys. In my humble opinion, this is the best gift shop ever.

Food

• Hadorn's Bakery 118½ W. Flaget St., Bardstown, 502/348-4407

Activities

• Lincoln Boyhood Home Hwy. 31E, Hodgenville, 270/358-3137, nps.gov/abli, free
• Mammoth Cave National Park 1 Mammoth Cave Pkwy., Mammoth Cave, 877/444-6777, nps.gov/maca, from $5
• National Corvette Museum 350 Corvette Dr., Bowling Green, 270/781-7973, corvettemuseum.com, $8