Highlights

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Itinerary

Day 1 – Pikeville, KY – Paramount Arts Center – Highlands Museum – Dinner Show 

Today, arrive in Ashland, KY this afternoon where you start with a visit to the historic Paramount Arts Center in Ashland, KY where native Loretta performed several times.

You also visit the Highlands Museum, featuring a 19th century classroom, a early American medical exhibit about Doctors on horseback making late night house-calls. Then you will find exhibits relating to the music culture of Eastern Kentucky especially Loretta Lynn, Billy Ray Cyrus and the Judds.  Plus there is Karaoke Korner should the impulse strike, and an interactive Music Quilt sound sculpture.

End the day in Pikesville, KY where you spend two the next two nights at the Hampton Inn or similar.

This evening, your group has dinner and a show at the Appalachian Center for the Arts.  The show tells the story of another famous family from the area. It’s a Radio Stage Play from 1944 about the Hatfield and McCoys.  A photojournalist from Life Magazine was sent to Central Appalachia to record images of the descendants of families connected by the most infamous feud in American history.  He thought he knew the whole story. Turns out, he had a lot to learn and you do too. (B,D)

Day 2 – Pikeville –  Coal Miners Museum w/Lunch & Music – Loretta’s Butcher Holler Home – Dinner & Music

After breakfast, visit the US 23 Country Music Highway Museum with 14 exhibits displaying memorabilia from many of country music stars who call Eastern Kentucky their home. You will see tributes to Loretta Lynn, Chris Stapleton, Dwight Yoakam, Billy Ray Cyrus, Tom T. Hall, Keith Whitley, Larry Cordle, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Gary Stewart, Hylo Brown, Crystal Gayle, Ricky Skaggs, Patty Loveless and The Judds.

Then the Coal Miner’s Museum filled with mining tools, a Veteran’s Wall of Fame,  A documentary of life during the 1930s. Plus, Icky’s 1950s soda fountain, a replica of an old post office and doctor’s office.  Included is a Coal Miner’s Lunch consisting of Homemade Beef Vegetable Soup, 7-Layer Salad and Chicken and Bologna Salad sandwiches.  Plus, more music from local artist for your listening pleasure.

The highlight for many of your travelers will be this afternoon’s visit to Webb’s General Store. Located in Van Lear, KY this store is over 100 years old and is currently owned by Loretta Lynn’s niece, Connie Webb. It was originally known as the Number 5 Store, because of the nearby Number 5 Mine and it has been used on the movie sets of “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” “Let It Be War,” and “Fifth Holler.”

Webb’s Store is also the jumping off place for your shuttle to Butcher Holler, the Loretta Lynn Family Home.  This was her birthplace and childhood home.  It’s nestled between two fog shrouded mountains, up a holler. You’ll see the “well where I drew water,” the room where “Mommy rocked the babies at night, and read the Bible by the coal-oil light” Loretta is the oldest of seven siblings raised in this small remote cabin that included her musical sisters Peggy Sue and Crystal Gayle.  As the guide describes their life here it will be hard not to start humming,

  Well, I was born a coal miner’s daughter
  In a cabin on a hill in Butcher Holler 
  We were poor, but we had love
  That’s the one thing that Daddy made sure of
  He shoveled coal to make a poor man’s dollar.

Tonight, enjoy dinner and entertainment at the new Overlook Event Center. Located at Bob Amos Park, the Event Center overlooks the Pikeville Cut-Through and a portion of downtown.   (B,L,D)

Day 3 – Depart for Home

After breakfast, depart for home. (B)

Tour Map