It's a mere two minutes that Louiseville, home of the Kentucky Derby, is best known for, but venture beyond the track and find this flourishing riverside city also plays host to a good range of cultural attractions and a number of natural retreats.
This trip in far Western Kentucky privides sweeping views of the majestic Mississippi River. See Columbus-Belmont State Park, an important Civil War site, and Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge.
Points of Interest
Points of Interest Along The Way
Fort Defiance State Park (KY)
Once known as the "park no one wants" as labeled by the Chicago Tribune, Fort Defiance has made a miraculous recovery from neglect through the efforts of the citizens of Cairo. Fort Defiance, the Civil War post commanded by General U.S. Grant, was once a Union supply base. The southern terminus of the Illinois section of the Great River Road, Fort Defiance State Historic Site lies at the awesome confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. Although they flow down the same channel, the two rivers remain separate, the Ohio blue and the Mississippi a muddy brown for several miles.
Directions
Located at the extreme southern tip of Illinois, about 2 miles from Cairo.
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