Lake Barkley – CountUp

Music City U.S.A.

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Last week I wrote about Paducah Kentucky, Grand Rivers Kentucky (the actual port-of-call), Kentucky Lake (part of the lower Tennessee River), Kentucky Dam (which creates the artificial lake), Land Between The Lakes, Barkley Canal (which connects the two lakes / rivers), and Lake Barkley (part of the lower Cumberland River).

Continuing upstream for 158 miles on the Cumberland river on my upcoming American Cruise Lines paddlewheeler ship cruise – it’s the final port-of-call – Nashville AKA “Music City U.S.A.” AKA “NashVegas” !

I’ve been to Nashville once before in my life, and that was back in August 1992 for a few hours. (I wrote about that in a recent #TravelThursday). It took me 34 years to get back there.

Actually – for the record – I should mention an incident that occurred on Saturday November 18TH 2017. I took I-65 northward from Montgomery Alabama to south of Louisville Kentucky (Brooks) on that day. In Nashville I was in the wrong lane, and I was forced to exit off of I-65. I ended up driving right through downtown Nashville in what appeared to be an entertainment district with lots of restaurants, bars, and rowdy college kids. (It was a college football day.) I eventually found I-65 further up the road, and I continued my trek northward.

We’ll actually be docked on the downtown riverfront for the final two nights of the cruise. On our full day (after the first night) in Nashville I’ll be on a shore excursion exploring the historic Ryman Auditorium. It was built from 1885 to 1892, and it opened in 1892. It was the home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974, and from 1963 to 1974 it was officially known as the Grand Ole Opry House. I’m looking forward to touring “The Mother Church Of Country Music”. (It was built as a tabernacle by Riverboat Captain Tom Ryman. Its original name – the “Union Gospel Tabernacle”.)

Finally – here’s some Breaking News for you on this publish date of Thursday October 08TH 2026. Yesterday evening I returned home from Nashville (where I was since we arrived on Monday afternoon). My inaugural American Cruise Lines paddlewheeler ship cruise is now in the books. I’m looking forward to sharing as much as I can remember about my 9-day / 8-night experience. I took lots of notes in real-time. I’ll probably be reenacting this cruise in writing through the end of the year, so get ready for that. I’ll get started from the very beginning – next – #TravelThursday. Let’s keep traveling together.

Village Between The Lakes

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Last week I wrote about the other Savannah – the one on the Tennessee River known as the “Catfish Capital Of The World”.

Continuing downstream on the river on my upcoming American Cruise Lines paddlewheeler ship cruise – it’s Grand Rivers Kentucky down in the southwestern corner of the state. It’s about 167 miles downstream from Savannah, and the journey is scheduled to take about 17½ hours, for an average speed of about 9½ MPH. There is no elevation drop between Savannah and Grand Rivers, as the entire journey is actually on Kentucky Lake – created by Kentucky Dam at Grand Rivers. At 160,309 acres it is the largest artificial lake by surface area in the U.S. east of the Mississippi River.

I’ll be part of a 3-hour-plus shore excursion that afternoon in Land Between The Lakes – the federally-protected national recreation area between Kentucky Lake (Tennessee River) and Lake Barkley (Cumberland River). Our first stop will be the Woodlands Nature Station. Our next stop will be the Elk & Bison Prairie.

Paducah Kentucky (“Quilt City U.S.A.”) is another option on this day while docked in Grand Rivers. It’s about a 30-minute luxury coach ride into downtown, and then you’re on your own to do your own thing there for up to 3 hours before the coach returns back to the ship.

That night back on the cruise ship we will officially transfer over from the Tennessee River downstream to the Cumberland River upstream. (Both rivers flow into the Ohio River.) The 1.75-mile Barkley Canal essentially acts as a short-cut between the two rivers near their closest approach to allow vessels to bypass the Ohio River some 22½ (Tennessee) to 30½ (Cumberland) miles downstream. The Barkley Canal was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) from the late-1950s through the mid-1960s. It was completed and filled in 1966. The water depth runs from 11 to 15 feet depending on rainfall.

Once on Lake Barkley our 22-hour journey upstream on the Cumberland River begins. The river narrows into a traditional river and winds its way southeastward towards downtown Nashville, and that’s where I’ll be – next – #TravelThursday. Let’s keep traveling together.