We're talking about a vacation this summer so we can plan ahead. My mother (who will pay for it) said she'd love to go to Yellowstone, but it looks like it's about a 24-hour drive for us. Still, I like the idea of going to a national park. We're in Indiana, so this image shows about the limits of where we're willing to drive. Maybe 14-15 hours at most, which puts most of the ones in the image in range.
However-
• We've already been to Indiana Dunes and Gateway Arch.
• My daughter is scared of caves, so Mammoth Cave is out.
Out of the rest, which would you most recommend so I can suggest it to my mother?
Is there anything not in Indiana that is within this area that you think is more worth visiting than a national park that also would take a decent amount of time to visit and see different things? (Not a city, obviously.)
Any advice appreciated. Thanks!
If you wanted to extend a Red River Gorge trip there's some interesting Civil War era stuff in Winchester and Lexington. Fort Boonesborough was rebuilt as a Civil War fort and they do history presentations and era accurate crafting demonstrations. They have a working blacksmith, a soap maker, that kind of thing. The Henry Clay Estate is interesting and the Cassius Clay Estate (the abolitionist, General, and Diplomat not the boxer) is great. There's also the Kentucky Horse Park and Keeneland. You will also be passing through the Bourbon Trail if you're driving down from Indiana and by Big Bone Lick if you're coming down 65.