Boondoggle, in the Urban Dictionary, is defined as "a business trip in which you do more relaxing/fun stuff than work." That is exactly what I did last week, along with 40 or so other Macaroni Kid publishers from around the country. We Boondoggled to Bowling Green, KY to see what they have to offer for family fun, and boy, did they have a lot!
We started off with a trip to the Historic Railpark & Train Museum. There, we got to go on board a train from the 1800's. It was very interesting to see how they traveled back then. We also got to see a huge model train set up complete with landmarks and tiny people. Kids will love this!
Our next stop was the National Corvette Museum. Along with all the old corvettes and memorabilia, they have a whole exhibit dedicated to the sinkhole that swallowed up 8 Corvettes at the museum back in 2014. They even have part of the hole still there that you can look down into and the cars on display that were recovered from the sinkhole!
Our next stop was the National Corvette Museum. Along with all the old corvettes and memorabilia, they have a whole exhibit dedicated to the sinkhole that swallowed up 8 Corvettes at the museum back in 2014. They even have part of the hole still there that you can look down into and the cars on display that were recovered from the sinkhole!
The Corvette excitement continued with a trip to the GM Corvette Assembly Plant where they make them. I have to say, I'm not much of a 'car person' myself, but it was so fascinating to see how these cars are made. They have tours there every operating day, and the tour guides are very informative. We were surprised to see how many women were working on the line! Sorry, no pictures were allowed here. A trip to the Corvette Museum and Assembly Plant would be a great family day.
But wait...there's more! Our next stop was the Kentucky Museum. I learned a lot about Kentucky here! Did you know that Duncan Hines was a real person? And that he was from Kentucky? Yup. Fun fact: when he was developing his cake mixes, he purposefully made it so you had to add an egg to the mixture so women would feel like they were still cooking. It was the 1950's, after all. We also got to dress up in some fun clothes from the civil war era.
But wait...there's more! Our next stop was the Kentucky Museum. I learned a lot about Kentucky here! Did you know that Duncan Hines was a real person? And that he was from Kentucky? Yup. Fun fact: when he was developing his cake mixes, he purposefully made it so you had to add an egg to the mixture so women would feel like they were still cooking. It was the 1950's, after all. We also got to dress up in some fun clothes from the civil war era.
What is a trip to Kentucky without bourbon?! We hit the Kentucky Bourbon Trail at Corsair Artisan Distillery. It is an award winning spirits company that makes small batches of rum, whiskey, gin and vodka in different flavors with a variety of natural ingredients. We got to take a tour to see their still and learn how they make all of their spirits. There was even a tasting at the conclusion of the tour. Adults only for the tasting, but I think kids would enjoy seeing the still.
Family fun on the farm was next at Chaney's Dairy Farm. We had a delicious lunch there with homemade ice cream for dessert. Yum! We took a hayride to the barn to see their new milking robot. We learned how the cows were trained to go to the robot when they needed to be milked. It was really amazing to see the cows line up at the robot. I didn't realize how smart they were! We couldn't resist a hop on their giant jumping pillow! They also have "Ice Cream & a Moovie", free family-friendly movies all Summer long outdoors projected on the side of the barn. Fun!
Now to the outdoors portion of our trip. Bowling Green has a minor league baseball team called the Hot Rods. They have a beautiful stadium with a kids area and lots of great concession choices. We went to a game and even sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" on the jumbo screen during the seventh inning stretch. That was embarrassing! But fun :)
Now to the outdoors portion of our trip. Bowling Green has a minor league baseball team called the Hot Rods. They have a beautiful stadium with a kids area and lots of great concession choices. We went to a game and even sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" on the jumbo screen during the seventh inning stretch. That was embarrassing! But fun :)
Our next destination was one that I was really looking forward to. The Lost River Cave and Nature Center. This is just one of the many cave systems in Kentucky. We took a boat ride on an underground river through the cave. That was really fun! Although, I would not recommend it if you are claustrophobic. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the area, and we learned a lot about the history of the caves and how they formed. They also have a nature center with hiking trails and a butterfly exhibit.
Our last stop was probably the most delicious! Boyce General Store, home of the Pie Queen of Bowling Green. There, we had an authentic fried catfish dinner, and for dessert, literally the BEST pie I have ever had!! They don't call her the Pie Queen for nothing! It is not surprising that she has won awards. If you would like to challenge my claim, they do not have a website yet, but you can email them and they will ship the pie to you. boycegeneralstore@gmail.com. Or better yet, visit Bowling Green, Kentucky for yourself to taste the best pie ever, and find your family fun away from home.
Our last stop was probably the most delicious! Boyce General Store, home of the Pie Queen of Bowling Green. There, we had an authentic fried catfish dinner, and for dessert, literally the BEST pie I have ever had!! They don't call her the Pie Queen for nothing! It is not surprising that she has won awards. If you would like to challenge my claim, they do not have a website yet, but you can email them and they will ship the pie to you. boycegeneralstore@gmail.com. Or better yet, visit Bowling Green, Kentucky for yourself to taste the best pie ever, and find your family fun away from home.
*The Bowling Green Area Convention & Visitors hosted Macaroni Kid for a three-day press trip. Accommodations and most meals and activities were complimentary. No other compensation was received in consideration of this article and all opinions are that of the writer Thank you to the Fairfield Inn & Suites of Bowling Green for the lovely accommodations.
Visit https://www.visitbgky.com/ for more information and to plan a trip to Bowling Green.
See more photos from our trip on Facebook HERE.
Visit https://www.visitbgky.com/ for more information and to plan a trip to Bowling Green.
See more photos from our trip on Facebook HERE.
