Quintessentially Kentucky - the Bucket List

You have to live in Kentucky for a few years to really appreciate how beautiful, fascinating and annoying the Bluegrass state can be.

But if you're visiting and want to know the best way to get the flavor of Kentucky, the Herald has some ideas:

What are the things every Kentuckian should do, see or experience while living in our beautiful, often misunderstood state? What are the cultural touchstones that make Kentucky what it is and that would be a shame not to experience? What things go deep into the Kentucky experience?

That's the question the Herald-Leader asked in June, when we came up with The Kentucky Bucket List, which featured 50 great experiences to have.

The list was so popular that we've created an entire section based on it. Here, we have refined the list to be specific to Central Kentucky.

Our list of 38 experiences, in no particular order, was compiled from suggestions offered by readers and staff members.

The list is far from exhaustive, and you can probably easily think of several more to add to your personal list. But it's a start.

Our hope is that you take this list, put it up on your fridge, get out into our gorgeous Kentucky and start checking items off.

I've had 22 of the experiences on the Bluegrass list, the earliest long ago in elementary school and the most recent just a few days ago.

Here's the original list of 50 statewide.

And here are the first three from the Bluegrass List:

1. Take a sip at all the distilleries on the Bourbon Trail. Bourbon is the essence of sophistication and America's only native spirit, and 95 percent of it is produced here.

2. Own a piece of work by a Kentucky craftsman. We are known as an epicenter for folk art. Berea is a good place to start your search for the perfect piece.

3. Walk over Natural Bridge, near Slade. If it's hot, you'll sweat like a pig getting up there, but once you do, the view is so spectacular, you'll be cool as a cucumber.

I would add just this: if you visit only once, and do nothing else here, stay in one of our best-in-the-nation State Resort Parks. Everybody has a favorite, but all 23 cannot be topped elsewhere.