Having never been to Kentucky, our family found our selves needing to travel to Louisville- Pronounced-
Loo-A-Ville or Loo-A-Ville but never pronounces LOOEYVILLE or absolutely not LOUIS-VILLE," For a job opportunity.  We looked into everything around the area and decided this was going to be a fun trip. 

My immediate impression of Kentucky was that it is unique and a fun town.  We stayed right in the downtown area that has been more recently reclaimed and rebuilt. In the center is a lovely outdoor center with shops and bars, and you guessed it . . . whiskey.  We spent a few nights right at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Louisville Downtown hotel and noticed it to be a walking crowd, with some of the best dressed people (full suits and ties) going out for a lunch or dinner  The hotel we stayed at was right across from the outdoor center and I have to say, they have some of the friendliest employees we encountered on many of our trips. Highly recommend them and their included breakfast.

On to the whiskey tour. We mapped out the whiskey distilleries we had time to see, of course we wanted to see much more. Next time! My husband is a fan of Maker's mark, so we booked that first. Well worth it! The actual distillery is quaint and the area is gorgeous. Our tour was filled with information but not too long to get right to the tasting.  At the end we even dipped our own bottles to take home (always check with your airlines about travelling with bottles)

Hope you enjoy this fun video of the Maker's Mark Distillery.  Truly beautiful!

A little secret about me, I was an avid fan of the show Destination Truth before it was cancelled. Partially because Josh Gates and his crew tours some really eerie sites, but mostly because he is lucky enough to get paid to travel to some great destinations that I can only dream about. On one of his shows, he did a segment on Chernobyl where he
went on a ghost hunt. I starting wondering "Is it possible for you and I to go there?" So, the answer is yes!  You can go with a tour, but expect to pay for mandatory insurance when you do and a full security screen that must be completed at least two weeks in advance.  There are a few companies that do day tours to the sites including the 30 Km Exclusion Zone as well as the almost buried Kopachi Village. One such company is Tour Kiev and there is a full description on their website of what they offer.
http://www.tourkiev.com/chernobyltour/ 
 
If you are thinking of going more extreme, like I was, you might want to try the multi-day trip and stay at one of the local hotels. If you are wondering what I mean by extreme, here is an insert from their website to give you an idea:
"In order to fully understand and feel the most special matter of the Chernobyl zone – namely, a radiation – it is recommended to order a personal dosimeter-radiometer Terra-P. It will make ‘visible’ a radiation relief you travel at, constantly inform you about the radiation level of your place, and in the end of the trip show you your exact irradiation dose received. As Sergii Mirnyi says, "To go to the Chernobyl zone without a dosimeter is like going to the usual tour with your eyes blindfolded."  You can rent the reliable personal dosimeter for $ 10 per day"
https://chernobyl-tour.com/travel_en.html

OK, so it might be a little unsafe. It is certainly sad for the events that led to this place becoming a ghost town and maybe even very creepy, but it would sure make a "guess what I did on vacation" story that trumps all your friends.

   A couple years ago, a few friends, my sister's family, and my family decided we all wanted to do a group vacation together. Well as fun as this sounded when we were all excited discussing our dream trip of kicking back on the beach with a cocktail in hand, the reality is that you have to be pretty brave to travel with different personalities on a 7 day adventure.  So you say, "we always have a great time together, we would be fine" and while that is probably very true,  having a blast every once in a while during a night or even weekend get-away can turn into a bloody nightmare when you find yourself stuck with someone that turns out to be a nightmare travel companion. 

  We realized that our friendships were more important then taking any risks of problems so we decided the most important thing was going to be making it as low stress as possible in terms of keeping the activities all in one place and not making a lot of impromptu trip decisions when we were there.  Any trips away from the resort needed to be pre-planned and pre-paid.  When you have so many different tastes in hotels, food, entertainment, and party life, the best thing to do is find activities  that can hit a bit of everyone's preferences.  All-inclusive resorts in this case are one of the very best answers and a true friendship saver.

   The hard reality of vacations is that money is probably the first thing to cause a rift. Whether it is between husband and wife or one couple being in a tight spot and feeling the pressure of the remaining group to spend more then they are comfortable with.  This is exactly why an all-inclusive can keep your friendships intact.  Believe me the upfront cost is more expensive and can seem almost unreasonable thinking "I would never spend that kind of money if we just wing it", but you will, and you do.  You might save a little on the pocket but you may lose more in your relationships with animosity. Now I am not saying you can't travel to a non-inclusive with your best buds you have always known and would live with, I am talking about that group of your newest best friends or even some family reunions.  This way each person can book the room that fits their budget, you can all eat at the same place without fighting over the tab,  put your pocketbooks away during the trip for the most part, and enjoy all the entertainment you want as a group or even splitting off.
​
  We chose to go to Turks and Caicos at the Beaches Resort since we were taking the kids along.  I also love Sandal's Resorts but that is a resort for couples only, no kids allowed.  Our rooms ranged from the beachfront 3 bedroom (not mine of course) to an inside second floor room.  The grounds were as secure as could possibly be so the kids had a bit more freedom. We had great food, lots of drinks and fun at the pool bar, a few of us tried the inclusive diving, jet-skis, kayaks and even sail boards. All meals were included and they have a non-tip policy so you leave your wallets at home.  Food 24/7 and a good variety of options. In the evening they offered activities for both the kids and the adults so those that wanted to go went out and those that did not relaxed in their room with a good book. No driving, no fuss.  There are several all-inclusive resorts especially in Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean.  All of the families and the kids talk about this trip to this day and yes, we all made it out as a group.  Sure there were a few hiccups as there is with any big group travel but no one ever had to worry about overspending once we arrived. Remember, movies make it look easy to travel together and heck, even Gilligan's Island they all were stranded together and hardly argued, but that is TV, not reality!  Make sure where ever you go as a group you at least try to stay in the groups budget if you can't do an inclusive. Great friendships are hard to come by and it is never worth causing someone to feel out of their comfort level. 

St. Augustine, Florida, is a gem of a place to visit if you need to sneak away for some peace and quiet on your Mickey Mouse vacation. After visiting this location, I think it would make a perfect destination in itself. Sort of a North, Key West feel.  There are lovely shops that line the downtown area and plenty of attractions to visit. We did a segway tour around town and fell in love with this beautiful water-front town located about two hours from Orlando. 

The locals all know this place, and now, so do we. With cobblestone lined streets, and plenty of history, St. Augustine is a friendly town worth your visit. If you are into ghost hunting, this is also the place for you. Have you watched the Ghost Hunters St Augustine light house episode? It was one of the scariest I have ever watched. So, of course we went there. We climbed the quaint lighthouse snapping lots of pictures. While we saw no ghosts, we enjoyed out tour very much--the view from above is incredible.


St. Augustine also has a fort that has been turned into a park that is worth a visit. As for food, they have several  top-notch sea food restaurants, and an Irish one that we visited (get the shephards pie if you go!), as well as a yummy Australian coffee shop to round out your day. 
Check out the specials and try one of the haunted night tours, 

  In July 1947, something happened northwest of Roswell, New Mexico. A mysterious object was reported to have crashed on a ranch about 30 miles north of Roswell.  Skeptics, believers, and conspiracy theorist alike wildly debate what happened. Was it an alien craft? Was it a weather balloon? Was it a military experiment gone wrong?  Maybe it is time to check it out and decide for yourself.   Every year, Roswell’s UFO Festival, a three-day event featuring all things UFO, takes over the town. The UFO Festival is tentatively scheduled for July 3-5, 2015 with guest speaker, authors, costume contests, live entertainment, and family friendly activities. 

 While you are in town, make sure and visit the Roswell UFO museum. Unfortunately, there are no specific UFO hotels, or UFO restaurants in town, but most places have a touch of the UFO theme. The McDonalds is designed to look like a spaceship on the outside, but inside it is just another McDonald's. The KFC at 2423 North Main St. has a large, green wood-carved alien outside its front door. You can see a few scattered alien heads streetlights hanging on Main St. and, although it has been described as a novelty store, the Area 51 Museum, Alien Zone, can make a great souvenir stop. 
 
I know it is not an alien, but you might want to consider the Tree of Knowledge on Roswell Public Library Grounds, I hear it is worth taking a look.
 http://alienzoneroswellnm.com/   http://www.roswellufomuseum.com/museum.html