On day 77 of “The Ultimate USA Road Trip” we drive from Louisville to Mammoth Cave. Before we leave Louisville we stop briefly at the Harley-Davidson Dealership in Louisville to score a poker chip for the collection.

We drive on beautiful winding roads, including through the "Jefferson Memorial Forest", located in the southwest of Louisville, Kentucky, in the Knobs region of Kentucky. Covering an area of 16 square miles, it is the largest municipal urban forest in the United States. The forest was created as a tribute to Kentucky's veterans and was designated a National Audubon Society Nature Preserve. Inside the park, you can visit the Jefferson Memorial Forest Welcome Center if you are interested in the history of the forest.

The first planned stop is at the “James B Beam Distillery”, an American brand of bourbon whiskey produced in Clermont, Kentucky. It is one of the best-selling brands of bourbon in the world. Since 1795 (interrupted by Prohibition), eight generations of the Beam family have been involved in bourbon production. The brand name became "Jim Beam" in 1943 in honor of James B. Beam, who rebuilt the company after Prohibition ended. They offer tours and tastings.

The “Beam Made Bourbon Experience” is an all-inclusive tour and tasting that lasts 90 minutes. You will see the production process of the bourbon and the guide will tell stories and take you behind the scenes of the distillery. The tour concludes with a guided tasting at the American Outpost.
Plan to spend at least 2-3 hours at the distillery if you want to experience the “Beam Made Bourbon Experience” and taste it, be careful because you will have to drive later. And this way you also reserve some time to visit the gift shop afterwards. There are also other tours and they vary in length from 20 minutes to 4 hours and cost between $18 and $350. More information about these at the links in this review.

After lunch in Radcliff we visit Fort Knox, a United States army post located in the state of Kentucky. Fort Knox is located north of Elizabethtown, and south of Louisville. The army post covers more than 441 km² and has more than 10,000 residents. Fort Knox is best known for “The United States Bullion Depository”, the gold depository. The Fort also houses the “General George Patton Museum” which is open to the public, free admission.

In 1861, during the American Civil War, forts were first built on the site of Fort Knox under the name Fort Duffield. After the war the location was deactivated and it was not until January 1918 that military activities took place again. Then the foundation was laid for the fort as we know it today. This was named after Henry Knox. Until 1919 the camp was not really a fortress, but in July 1919 it was expanded by purchasing 40 km² of land and the construction of the actual fort began.

In 1931, a small unit of mechanized cavalry was stationed in the fort. In January, the 1st and 13th Cavalry Regiments arrived and the 7th Mechanized Cavalry Brigade was formed. The success of the German mechanized units at the beginning of World War II resulted in the 1st Cavalry Regiment being transformed into the 1st Armored Division and led to the transformation of Fort Knox into the training center of American armored units. In order to fulfill this new role, the site was expanded. In 1943 there were already 3,820 buildings within the base area, spread over 432 km².

We drive along a winding country road through the beautiful green Kentucky countryside to the day's end point where we visit Mammoth Cave National Park, which is more than just home to the longest cave system in the world. It's a place for hiking, biking, horseback riding, canoeing and camping on more than 52,000 acres in south-central Kentucky. The park offers rolling hills, deep river valleys and the world's longest known cave system. Mammoth Cave National Park is home to thousands of years of human history and a rich diversity of plant and animal life, earning it the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve. You can stay overnight and plan a longer visit, camping at one of the three campsites, renting a lodge or booking a room at the hotel.