On day 76 of “The Ultimate USA Road Trip” we drive from Cincinnati, Ohio to Louisville, Kentucky. Before we leave Cincinnati we visit the “Spring Grove Cemetery”, this is a must visit. This cemetery and beautifully landscaped garden have a beautiful design that will amaze you. “Spring Grove Cemetery” and Arboretum covers 733 acres (2.97 km2) and is a non-profit rural cemetery and arboretum. It is the third largest cemetery in the United States, after Calverton National Cemetery and Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, and is recognized as a U.S. National Historic Landmark.

In Cincinnati you can visit the “American Sign Museum”, keep in mind that the museum is only open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment. The cost is $10 per person. In this museum old advertising signs and neon/light advertisements are exhibited. Enjoy a 1.5 to 2-hour guided tour of the museum with more than 3,000 cataloged objects from a bygone era. Have fun learning about the history of the advertising industry and its important contributions to commerce and the American landscape

In Cincinnati, you can also visit the Cincinnati Museum Center, which is a museum complex that operates out of the Cincinnati Union Terminal in Cincinnati's Queensgate neighborhood. It houses museums, theater, a library and a symphonic pipe organ, as well as special traveling exhibitions.
The museum is home to five organizations:
1. Cincinnati Historical Museum
2. Museum of Natural History and Science
3. Robert D. Lindner Family Omnimax Theater
4. Cincinnati History Library and Archives
5. Duke Energy Children's Museum

We leave Cincinnati via the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, which is also the state border between Ohio and Kentucky. When the bridge opened on December 1, 1866, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world with a main span of 322 meters, later overtaken by John A. Roebling's most famous design, the 1883 New York Brooklyn Bridge with a main span of 486.3 meters.

We drive on beautiful winding provincial roads along the Ohio River through the hilly green landscape of Kentucky, along the way we pass villages, farms and many rivers with often beautiful authentic bridges, these are nice places to stop briefly and take a few photos. There are opportunities for lunch and breaks in the towns along the route.

An optional visit to the “Ark Encounter” is possible along the route. Experience the history of the Bible here in Noah's life-size Ark, built according to the dimensions stated in the Bible. This modern engineering marvel is 155.5 meters long, 26 meters wide and 15.5 meters high and amazes visitors of all ages. Meet Noah, his family and the animals on the Ark. The family-friendly Ark Encounter theme park near Cincinnati also features a zoo, zip lines and a craftsman restaurant.

The end of this day is in Louisville, a competitive, authentic and global city, known for its Bourbon industry, the birthplace of boxer Muhammad Ali, the Kentucky Derby (horse race) and the Louisville Slugger (Baseball bat).

With bourbon as a native drink, the local culinary scene is nationally known. The city is home to distillers for the world's best bourbons, from “Old Forester” to “Michter's” to “Evan Williams.” Louisville's reputation as a hub of food and bourbon innovation (among other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages) has earned it accolades, including being named a top foodie destination in the world. We will stay overnight at a hotel near Main Street near “Whiskey Row” which refers to an area along Main Street, close to the Ohio River, where the bourbon industry was located.

The 100 West Main Street Whiskey Row Historic District specifically refers to a block-long stretch from 101 to 133 W. Main Street, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. It is a collection of eleven contributing buildings in the Renaissance Revival, Beaux Arts, and Chicago School styles with cast iron storefronts built between 1852 and 1905.

“Whiskey Row” was built and used to store whiskey barrels produced at the nearby distilleries. On a list of Louisville's most endangered historic places, the buildings were scheduled for demolition in 2011, but an agreement between the city, local developers and preservationists saved “Whiskey Row.”

Numerous distilleries transported whiskey barrels to the Louisville market to sell by rail or wagon. Main Street became so overcrowded with whiskey businesses that it was decided to call the buildings “Whiskey Row.” Due to the numerous roles Kentucky played in the beverage market, it later became the leading producer of spirits. Some of the top liquor companies, such as “Brown Forman”, “Greenbrier Distillery”, “John T. Barbee” and other major companies, have their offices and businesses in Louisville.

Enjoy your stay in Louisville, visit the museums, enjoy the bustling city with its many bars, restaurants, or book lunch or dinner on the “Belle of Louisville”, a steam-powered paddle boat.