1. Etcetera Coffee House
We arrived in Paducah from Nashville (a 2+ hour drive) late so we checked into a hotel, had a good burger at the hotel restaurant and went to bed. After spending a night at the Holiday Inn Paducah Riverfront, I wanted to start my day at a local coffee shop. I headed to Etcetera Coffee House just a few blocks from the hotel which is considered a neighborhood staple. The coffee shop is the place for fair-trade and organic brews in Paducah. I noticed they offer bubble tea in addition to its range of coffees (I wanted to mention bubble tea because my kid keeps asking for that!).
Etcetera Coffee House Address: 320 North 6th St, Paducah, KY 42001, Phone: 270-443-7760
I actually picked Holiday Inn Paducah Riverfront for us to spend the night because it's right next to the National Quilt Museum museum which I'll write about in a minute.
After Etcetera Coffee House we first headed to Fort Massac State Park just across the river (it's actually in Illinois).
2. Fort Massac State Park
I love the outdoors so Fort Massac State Park was a perfect place! The park spans almost 1,500 acres and is great for hiking, picnics, disc golf, fishing, camping, and boating as well as seasonal hunting programs.
Next time I will definitely bring a picnic lunch because by the time we were done exploring we were starving!
Fort Massac today is a fascinating reminder of the past, an interesting journey through American history, and an ideal place to simply relax surrounded by nature. I was interested to learn that the park is also the first state park of Illinois and has been maintained and preserved since the year 1908.
Address: Fort Massac State Park , 1308 E 5th St, Metropolis, IL 62960, Phone: 615-524-4712
What to do if you are traveling with kids:
3. Dry Ground Brewing Company
As I was saying, after Fort Massac State Park we were starving so we drove to Dry Ground Brewing Company and ordered pizza. Dry Ground Brewing Company offers 28 craft beers on tap, which include more than ten beers brewed in-house.
The brewing company gets its name from the site on which they chose to open the first craft brewery in Paducah.
In 1937, Paducah, as well as the Coca-Cola bottling plant owned by Luther Carson, were submerged by the flooding of the Ohio River.
Floating to safety in a syrup keg, Carson stated “If I ever reach DRY GROUND, it is there that I will build my new bottling plant.” The dry ground where he was off-loaded is now the site of the brewery.
3121 Broadway St, Paducah, Kentucky 24001, Phone: 270-201-2096
4. National Quilt Museum
Next stop was the National Quilt Museum which I mentioned wanting to visit earlier in my post.
I was fascinated by the fact that more than 150,000 art and quilt enthusiasts visit the National Quilt Museum every year to tour the exhibits and facility!
The museum serves as a global destination that welcomes visitors from across the United States as well as other countries.
Three galleries of remarkable fiber and quilt art rotate around seven or eight times per year, offering you something new to see with every visit.
Address: 215 Jefferson St, Paducah, KY 42001, Phone: 270-442-8856
Activities and Attractions for Couples and Singles:
5. The Paducah International Raceway
The Paducah International Raceway, established in 1972, is a clay oval racetrack that is three-eighths of a mile in length.
The raceway has hosted many different race series of UMP divisions.
The Paducah International Raceway has also hosted Demolition Derby and special events like Father's Day. You should check out their website to see what's coming up.
Address: 4445 Shemwell Ln, Paducah, KY 42003, Phone: 270-898-7469
6. Paducah Railroad Museum
The Paducah Railroad Museum was established as a project of the National Railway Historical Society’s local chapter in Paducah.
The museum displays memorabilia and equipment of days gone by, specifically from the railroad era of America.
It highlights the importance and impact of trains in the region’s development as well as in the development of the United States as a whole.
A new simulator at the museum offers you the chance to experience a ride in one of the locomotive cabs.
Memorabilia and artifacts include photographs, maps, tools, books, signals, lights, vintage telephone and telegraph equipment, lanterns, and a hand pump car.
200 Washington St, Paducah, KY 42003, Phone: 270-908-6451
7. Paducah Wall to Wall
The rich heritage of western Kentucky comes to life at Paducah Wall to Wall through the floodwall murals created by Robert Dafford over five seasons of painting.
You can take a leisurely stroll along the site’s floodwall to take in the history of Paducah through pictures. There are interpretive panels present in front of every mural describing the painting.
Guided tours of Paducah Wall to Wall are available upon request. The floodwall overlooks the confluence of the Tennessee and Ohio Rivers and attracts both locals and tourists alike, who come to marvel at the detail and style demonstrated by Dafford in the murals.
200 South Water St, Paducah, KY 42003, Phone: 270-519-1321
8. Purple Toad Winery
You can take a stroll through the vines of the vineyard at Purple Toad Winery and experience what is not only Paducah’s first winery but also its only winery.
Situated on the edge of the town of Paducah, the winery was established on the first of July in 2009.
The tasting room at the winery offers you a chance to try several of the wines produced at Purple Toad.
The winery uses Kentucky grapes to create award-winning wines, from dry to sweet, including fruit wines made from strawberries and blackberries.
You can join one of the tours of the winery which are offered free of charge and last around 20 minutes.
4275 Old US Highway 45, Paducah, KY 42003, Phone: 270-554-0010
This concluded our 2-day trip in Paducah but there's a lot more to see and do here. There is the Waterways Museum, William Clark Market House Museum, a park for kids, an escape room and many places to eat. I plan to go back to check them out because I enjoy writing about Kentucky.
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