Page 50 - DreamScapes Magazine | Winter/Spring 2023

Paducah, Kentucky
Where Creativity Thrives
INSID
ER TIP
PHOTO: PADUCAH CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU
50
BY NANCIE HALL
Here’s a call out to all you snowbirds who drive south. Stop! Whether it’s for a night or a week, Paducah, Kentucky, should be on your itinerary. Located at the juncture of the Ohio and Tennessee rivers, it was founded in 1827 by William Clark of the famed Lewis and Clark Expedition and is a designated UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art, one of only nine UNESCO Creative Cities in the U.S.
You will find a vibrant community brimming
with folk art, quilts and fibre arts, bookbinders
and leather makers, art collectives, and architec-
tural gems—not to mention a thriving culinary
scene and warm southern hospitality. ”
Join visitors from around the world for the American Quilter’s Society’s QuiltWeek, an annual celebration of quilts with classes, lectures and special exhibits from April 26 to 29, 2023.
LOCAL FLAVOURS
Step back in time and indulge in a pastry at Kirchhoff’s Bakery & Deli, a fifth-generation German bakery established in 1873. The Blue- grass State is known for its bourbon so don’t miss Barrel and Bond, named one of the best bars in Bourbon Country by Bourbon Review, with over 1,400 bourbons and American whiskys.
NOT YOUR GRANNY’S QUILTS
Paducah is known as Quilt City USA and you don’t need to be a fibre enthusiast to appre- ciate this time-honoured craft that has evolved into a sophisticated genre and plays a starring role in the town. The National Quilt Museum, rated one of the finest museums in the south, has exhibits that range from antique to contemporary, while Hancock’s of Paducah boasts the world’s largest retail selection of premium cotton fabrics in nearly 6,000 square metres of space. There is even a scenic drive on the McCracken County Quilt Block Trail where over 30 large painted quilt blocks are displayed on the sides of buildings and barns. Civil War-era quilts, including one by Mrs. Robert E. Lee, can be found at the William Clark Market House Museum. DS
i
WALK THIS WAY
Take a stroll along the riverfront and view over 50 massive murals on the floodwalls that detail Paducah’s rich past, learn about local architec- ture and historical treasures on a self-guided audio tour, explore the Dogwood Trail’s 13 kilo- metres of gardens when the namesake trees are blooming in April, or browse the Paducah Farmers’ Market.
AFTER DARK Whether it’s soul music or the symphony, blues or bluegrass, country or punk, there’s a place in Paducah to match your listening style.
TRAVEL PLANNER
For more travel information about Paducah, Kentucky, visit paducah.travel