Named after the wild mint that grows in the area, the Pennyroyal Plateau is in the south-central region of Kentucky and is rich with history and geographical wonders.  Join The Filson Historical Society on this two-day adventure as we head south by coach bus from Louisville, KY and journey to multiple sites.  We will spend the night in Bowling Green, KY and continue our tour of the region the following day before heading for home.

Fieldtrip Fee
$175 for Filson members $245 for Non-members
Includes all admission fees to museums and historical homes, chartered bus, two lunches and a reception. Participants are responsible for paying and making their own hotel reservations.  Wine, soft drinks, and snacks will be offered Friday evening and dinner will be on your own. Several restaurants are within walking distance of our hotel.

On Friday, September 8 the bus will leave The Filson Historical Society promptly at 8:30 am. We will return to the Filson Historical Society late Saturday evening.

To reserve your place
Space is limited. A non-refundable deposit of $75 per person (due by 8/18/2017) is required at time of registration. To assure your field trip reservation, you can register online using the form below or call the Filson at (502) 635-5083.

Accommodations
We have blocked out king-sized bed rooms for Friday, September 8 at The Holiday Inn Express, 165 Three Springs Road, Bowling Green, KY 42104 Tel: 270-843-3200  $124;
All participants are responsible for making their own hotel accommodations by 8/16/2017.  

Sites we will see
National Corvette:  Museum The Museum features over 80 Corvettes in periodic settings, including mint classics, one-of-a-kind prototypes and modern-day wonders of engineering and design.  We will  get behind the scenes access with collections and take a peek at their Library & Archives.  We will have a chance to see several exhibits including KENTUCKY: 225 YEARS ON THE MOVE The exhibit will focus on modes of transportation with ties to Kentucky as it celebrates its 225th anniversary as a state in 2017. CORVETTE CAVE-IN: THE SKYDOME SINKHOLE EXPERIENCE A semi-permanent exhibit to tell the story of their February 12, 2014 sinkhole in the Museum’s Skydome which swallowed eight Corvettes 

Riverview at Hobson Grove: This Italianate style historic house museum was the home of Atwood and Juliet "Julia" van Meter Hobson and was so named because of its proximity to the Barren River.  It is currently interpreted to represent the Victorian Period of 1860 to 1890 in south central Kentucky.  Riverview at Hobson Grove is the only non-profit historic house museum in south central Kentucky.  It is a site on the Civil War Discovery Trail and listed on the National Register.

Kentucky Museum: The Kentucky Museum is located on the campus of Western Kentucky University and houses six major permanent exhibits and several changing exhibits.  In addition to these exhibits we will see several significant and/or unusual materials housed in their Library Special Collections and view the museum's quilt and art storage  to see one of the finest publicly owned quilt collections in the state.

Mammoth Cave: Mammoth Cave National Park preserves the cave system and a part of the Green River valley and hilly country of south central Kentucky. This is the world's longest known cave system, with more than 400 miles explored.  Fieldtrip participants will get to choose from two different tour options to suit their abilities.  (Be sure to note which tour you will take when you register!) Gothic Avenue Tour Some areas of Mammoth Cave just seem magical, and Gothic Avenue is one of those special places. This tour enters one of the most historically significant passageways in the cave. This area showcases hundreds of examples of visitor experiences still visible today, from the multitude of nineteenth-century candle-written signatures to the dozens and dozens of stone monuments left behind by visitors nearly 200 years ago.  Its difficulty is moderate. Discovery Tour and Heritage Walk Visit the Rotunda, one of the largest rooms in the cave and explore a vast canyon passageway. Learn about prehistoric American Indian explorers, saltpeter mining operations, and basic cave geology on this self-guiding tour. Heritage walk Includes a walk to the Old Guides Cemetery where former enslaved cave guide Stephen Bishop now rests. Its difficulty is easy.

South Union Shaker Village: This Shaker community was established by the Shakers in 1807 and closed in 1922. Several of the original buildings have been restored and now house a fine museum of Shaker folk life and material culture.  We will have an opportunity to see beautiful artifacts and have a tour focused on archives with behind-the-scenes access.

Historic Russellville: A guided tour of the West KY African American Heritage Center, which consists of 5 buildings that have been recently restored and reside in a National Register Historic District know as the "Black Bottom". We will see the Southern Bank of Kentucky building, constructed in 1857 and robbed by the James gang in 1868 as well as a 1820 Saddle Factory that includes an attic where indentured servants and slaves were housed documented with chalk writings on the walls from the 1820s.