Ready to go slow? Kentucky's 'Joy Ride' campaign is all about slow travel. What that means

With hectic holiday travel in the rearview mirror, the open road lies ahead. Ready to take the slow road to your next travel destination? You're not alone.

Travel experts are predicting a trend toward "slow travel" in 2024. According to a study from Morning Consult, the pent-up travel demand that exploded at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic is easing up.

Rather than a whirlwind Instagramable tour changing locations every two to three days, slow travel is a more authentic experience. It's a form of travel that leaves you with a feeling that you truly got to know the places and people you’ve encountered on your journey, and the Kentucky Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet has just the ticket.

"People are re-discovering the joy of the open road," said Mary Quinn Ramer, president of VisitLEX. "The Joy Ride campaign encourages people to travel like they used to, in the 50s and 60s, when people took their time to stop at scenic sites along the way, really enjoying the experience of getting to their destination."

Here's more about the Joy Ride campaign and where to spend your next vacation in Kentucky.

How is Kentucky's Joy Ride part of the slow travel trend?

Slow travel is a more sustainable way to travel focused on local communities and less mass-produced and high-volume travel experiences. The "Kentucky Joy Ride" campaign exemplifies this type of nostalgic travel with itineraries to more than a dozen locations within the central Bluegrass region of the state.

"The pandemic laid bare for us a genuine desire for connection," Ramer told the Courier Journal. "The slow travel movement is about taking a moment to exhale and connect with the places we are visiting."

How is The History Channel's Mike Wolfe promoting the Joy Ride?

To give people a better sense of what they'll encounter as they embark on the Joy Ride, Kentucky Tourism created a two-minute short film featuring and narrated by Mike Wolfe from The History Channel TV show "American Pickers." Joining Wolfe on his Kentucky travels is Heritage Tourism Preservationist Leticia Cline. The commercial for Joy Ride showcases the couple's trip exploring idyllic spots in Kentucky’s Bluegrass Region including winding roads with heart-stopping views, wineries, historic homes, nature preserves, small-town restaurants, and yes, horses and bourbon. 

“On the main streets and two-lane backgrounds, rolling hills, places where time stands still. Full of wonder and wildness. There’s no better place to get lost than Kentucky’s bluegrass. Take a joy ride,” Wolfe says in the two-minute video.

Where can I travel on the Kentucky Joy Ride?

From Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in Harrodsburg and the Historic Boone Tavern in Berea to Winchester's Ale-8-One Bottling Company and Beer Cheese Trail to Claiborne Farms in Paris, Kentucky, the Joy Ride campaign encourages travelers to embrace the idea that life is all about the journey and not just the destination.

If a slow travel journey sounds like the way to go, The Kentucky Tourism site at bluegrasskentucky.com has everything you need to plan your vacation or weekend getaway. Along with a map of all the highways in the central Bluegrass region, the site highlights several activities and attractions available in each area. Additionally, the site offers more specific itineraries for the bourbon lover, a girls' weekend, and the outdoor adventurer.

"We love that in the Bluegrass region, there is such stunningly beautiful scenery right out your window, it doesn't matter which country you are in," Ramer said. "And when we slow down we have the chance to meet some of the nicest people in the world because they live right here in Kentucky."

With a nostalgic flair, and some of the most beautiful scenic byways in America, Kentucky’s Joy Ride encourages travelers to take the backroads, and own the idea that life is all about the journey and not just the destination.

"As people plan their next vacation, we encourage them to travel the way Americans used to travel — taking the backroads and enjoying the time spent together and the memories made," added Ramer.

What are the stops along the Kentucky Joy Ride tour?

The Kentucky Joy Ride campaign is supported by nostalgic collectible posters and digital content highlighting iconic spots in the Bluegrass all of which can be found at bluegrasskentucky.com. Here's a list of places featured on the campaign:

• Berea, Kentucky: Historic Boone Tavern

• Carlisle in Nicholas County, Kentucky: Wendt’s Wildlife Adventure

• Cynthiana, Kentucky: Downtown Cynthiana

• Danville, Kentucky - Constitution Square

• Frankfort, Kentucky: Buffalo Trace Distillery

• Georgetown in Scott County, Kentucky: Old Friends Farm

• Harrodsburg, Kentucky: Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill

• Lancaster & Paint Lick, Kentucky: Herrington Lake

• Lawrenceburg, Kentucky: Kentucky River at Young’s High Bridge and Wild Turkey Distillery

• Lexington, Kentucky: Keeneland Race Track

• Nicholasville & Wilmore, Kentucky: First Vineyard and Winery and 1922 House Vineyards and Winery

• Paris - Bourbon County, Kentucky: Claiborne Farms

• Richmond, Kentucky: Battle of Richmond and Fort Boonesborough

• Standford in Lincoln County, Kentucky: William Whitley House and Sportsman’s Hill

• Winchester, Kentucky: Ale-8-One Soda, Beer Cheese Trail, and Beer Cheese Festival

• Woodford County, Kentucky: Woodford Reserve Distillery

For more information on each site, visit bluegrasskentucky.com.

Reach features writer Kirby Adams at kadams@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky's new tourism 'Joy Ride' campaign is all about slow travel