Kentucky Department of Travel,
Capital Plaza Tower, 22nd Floor,
500 Mero Street, Frankfort KY 40601;
502-564-4930; 800-225-8747; Fax: 502-564-5695. Web:
http://www.kentuckytourism.com.
State Amphitheater: Iroquois Amphitheater
State Arboretum: Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest
State Bird: Kentucky cardinal
State Bluegrass Song: Blue Moon of Kentucky
State Bourbon Festival: Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Bardstown, Kentucky
State Botanical Garden: University of Kentucky Arboretum
State Butterfly: viceroy
State Dog: beagle
State Drink: milk
State Fish: Kentucky bass
State Flower: goldenrod
State Fossil: brachiopod
State Fruit: blackberry
State Gemstone: fresh water pearl
State Horse: thoroughbred
State Mineral: coal
State Motto: United We Stand, Divided We Fall
State Musical Instrument: Appalachian dulcimer
State Nicknames: Bluegrass State
State Outdoor Musical: The Stephen Foster Story
State Quarter:
State Rock: Kentucky agate
State Science Center: Louisville Science Center
State Silverware Pattern: Old Kentucky Blue Grass, the Georgetown Pattern
State Soil: Crider soil series
State Song: My Old Kentucky Home
State Tree: tulip poplar
State Tug-o-War Championship: The Fordsville Tug-of-War Championship
State Wild Animal: grey squirrel
Official Center for Celebration of African American Heritage: Kentucky Center for African American Heritage in Louisville
Official Covered Bridge: Switzer Covered Bridge
Official Pipe Band: Louisville Pipe Band
Official Steam Locomotive: Old 152
State Capitals
Harrodsburg, Kentucky — Old Fort Harrod State Park, P O Box 156,
Harrodsburg KY 40330-0156; 859-734-3314; 800-85-BOONE. Built in 1774, this town was the first permanent English settlement west of the Alleghenies.
Danville, Kentucky — Constitution Square. On June 1, 1792, Kentucky became the
15th state following ten constitutional conventions at this site. Danville was
the capital of Virginia's Kentucky district.
Frankfort, Kentucky — Current state capital.
Bowling Green, Kentucky — Confederate capital of Kentucky during the Civil War.
Songs
Kentucky Woman; My Old Kentucky Home; Blue Moon of Kentucky.
State Specials
The world's largest baseball bat, 120 ft. tall & 68,000lbs, stands at the Louisville Slugger Museum
Cumberland Falls is the only waterfall in the Northern Hemisphere to display a moonbow.
The world's longest cave, Mammoth Cave, was first promoted in 1816, making it the second oldest tourist attraction in
the U.S., preceded only by Niagara Falls. It covers more than 360 miles of mapped trails.
Cheeseburgers were first served in 1934 at Kaelin's in Louisville.
All Chevrolet Corvettes are manufactured in Bowling Green.
The Jif plant in Lexington is the largest peanut butter producing facility in the world.
Post-It Notes are manufactured exclusively in Cynthiana.
The first Civil War Monument was erected in Hart County in 1861. In late December 1861, August Bloedner, a German born
stonemason serving in Company I, 32nd Indiana Volunteer Infantry, erected the first Civil War monument in the nation. The monument was later moved to Cave
Hill Cemetery in Louisville.
More than $6 billion worth of gold is held in the underground vaults of Fort
Knox. This is the largest amount of gold stored anywhere in the world.
The first observance of Mother's Day was in Henderson, Kentucky by teacher Mary S. Wilson in 1887.
The public saw an electric light for the
first time in Louisville. Thomas Edison introduced his incandescent light bulb to crowds at the Southern Exposition in 1883.
