Among the many problems with forcibly peeling resources out of the earth is that, once they're gone, all you've got left is a gigantic hole in the ground (cf. the Mirny diamond mine, which functionally has its own weather patterns). For dozens of poverty-stricken towns across Appalachia, the old coal mines that used to provide economic livelihood have long since been tapped out.

One town in Kentucky, though, is determined to turn their old mine into an economically viable tourist attraction. It's not as chichi as Sweden's luxury silver mine boutique hotel, but in fairness to the Kentucky folks they haven't had since the Middle Ages to dig it out.

The renovated coal mine in Lynch, Kentucky takes passengers on a railcar tour that begins by plunging tourists into the darkness of the mine shaft. From there they go through each of eight different stops with narrations throughout. Each stop is supposed to represent some significant era of the mine's development and the exhibits are populated by animatronic robots of old Italian workers speaking broken, accent-laced English.

Thereby confirming Jaunted tourist attraction rule #72 - if you're going to go for kitsch, go big. There's even a mule involved:]]> Omri 2009-10-29T14:54:18-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/23/214622/781

Here’s a food festival for the person who has seen and eaten everything already. It’s the Anderson County Burgoo Festival in Kentucky, and apparently, the county is also the burgoo capital of the world. In case you didn’t know—and we definitely didn’t—burgoo is a sort of stew like mixture kind of like gumbo or chili but also kind of not. It’s really popular in Kentucky and they love to throw all kinds of meat into it, whether it be pork, chicken, or mutton. We’re thinking if they had some other stuff around—like fresh opossum roadkill—that it probably could and has been included throughout the years.

At this year’s festival, we’re hoping that only the freshest ingredients are used to prepare the celebration’s namesake. This weekend from September 25 to 27, the streets come alive with the sights, smells, and sensations of the mighty burgoo. There will be plenty of music to entertain the crowds, pumpkin painting for the little burgoo fans, and a boniest knee contest. Sorry ladies, but the contest is apparently for gentleman only. So get a warm cup of the stew and grab a good spot for the tractor pull. ]]> kjb 2009-09-25T09:16:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/4/29/204444/449

The Kentucky Derby may not be a huge draw for average joes this year, but it's still reeling in A-listers.

Well, at least the Derby-eve party on Friday night is. The notorious Barnstable Brown bash is hosted by Louisville's locally-famous socialite twin sisters Priscilla Barnstable and Tricia Barnstable Brown, in their opulent mansion in the tony Bonnycastle neighborhood. The 21-year-old fiesta has made enough of a mark on the socialite set that it even draws celebs who don't bother to stick around for the race.

In addition to Hilton, Tom Brady, Brooke Shields, and Kid Rock will be among the boldface names at the twins' house. For the first time this year, the bash will be followed by an after-party at the Sports and Social Club, a brand new downtown club, so there could be a chance to get in some late-night celeb-sightings.

Related Stories:
· Kentucky Derby 2009 Barnstable-Brown gala guest list [Courier-Journal]
· Where to Make Your Own Last-Minute Kentucky Derby Hat [Jaunted]
· Kentucky Derby Tickets Still Available, Compliments of The Recession [Jaunted]

[Photo: casaroger] ]]> BS 2009-04-30T14:34:45-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/4/28/185136/110

With the Kentucky Derby only three days away, we're darn sure that milliners within 100 miles of Churchill Downs are working overtime to craft last minute hats and add extra feathers for optimum flash.

Observing the parade of outrageous headgear at the Derby and downing a few Mint Juleps is as much a part of the spectacle as the horse race itself. In these economic times, noting that a spectacular hat typically ranges from $150 to $500, we fully expect more women to take to crafting their own brims or even redecorating last year's masterpiece. For this, we turn to Dee's Crafts in Louisville.]]> JetSetCD 2009-04-29T08:41:46-05:00 38.2502627 -85.622592 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/4/28/131733/781

Become an informed consumer while still on vacation! Check out Jaunted's newest series of the Best Factory Tours the world over.

You may not walk away with a freebie from the assembly line from this tour, but it may inspire you to take a road trip: The National Corvette Museum and Bowling Green Assembly Plant is a trip back into the heady days of mid-2008 before it became the country's business to worry about GM's health.

The 'Vette Museum just added a new cafe and "Pit Crew Challenge" interactive exhibit to let visitors pretend to be readying a Corvette mid-race, but at the plant you can see robots work on the chassis of cars that will soon be driving off the belt and into the sunset. There are 7 miles of conveyor belts to see on which engines are installed, primer and paint applied and the wheels ultimately attached.

The plant offers guided tours weekdays at 9, 11:30 and 1:15 for ages 7 and up at just $5 a head. Sadly, the economic slowdown means the plant will be closed two weeks in May, 3 in June and 2 this July, so make sure to register to take the tour on their website. (Here's a good list of all the downtime weeks.)

Related Stories:
· GM Corvette Assembly Plant [CorvetteMuseum.com]
· Live From Las Vegas: Do You Want to Win Criss Angel's Car? [HC]
· Like this tour? Check out more factories on our Car Factory Tour map. [Jaunted]

[Photo: Autoblog.com]]]> egw 2009-04-28T13:50:06-05:00 37.0029531 -86.373650 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/4/13/15616/0136

This may not come as much of a shock, but we can add horse racing to the list of things getting battered by the recession.

We're just three weeks away from the Sport of Kings' biggest day, but this year's Kentucky Derby appears to less of a hot commodity than in years past. WHAS Louisville reports:

Normally, you'd have a hard time finding a hotel room in Louisville for Derby. But not this year. Some of the area's most popular hotels still have vacancies….Those who normally shell out thousands of dollars to attend the Kentucky Derby are scaling back their spending. What’s the main reason? The Derby is an event often referred to in the industry as an "incentive event", like the Super Bowl or Final Four, something given as a reward to companies' top employees or customers.