Kentucky – a road trip through the state:- part 6
After spending a few days in Louisville we headed out on the reason for this trip which was a tour of some of the interesting place that Kentucky has to offer. The first section of the trip was to head East on Highway 60 to our next base which was to be the town of Owensboro. This was also well placed to allow us an easy day trip to the town of Rosine. Why head here? Well this is the centre for Bluegrass music on Rosine is the birth place of Bill Monroe
Choosing where to stay in Owensboro is fairly easy as there are only few decent hotels available here in this part of Kentucky. The best option that we found was to stay in Owensboro where the Courtyard Marriott Hotel has comfortable rooms and a location near the International Bluegrass Museum. It offers decent rooms at a reasonable price which the best you can expect away from the larger cities.
If you want to eat in one of the best restaurants in Kentucky then I would recommend The Miller House. It’s actually quite small, being originally a home, but definitely worth a visit. It closed on a Monday but serves lunch and dinner other week days and dinner only on a Saturday. Sunday is brunch day and you need to make a reservation; it’s located at 301 East 5th Street in Downtown Owensboro.
The food is good but the history of the house is even better along with the restored interiors
The story behind the house is that in 1905, Elmer Miller obtained a mould from Sears and Roebuck. He used this to make 1, 800 artificial stone blocks to create his home. As his overall construction cost was low he could spend his money on other things, which he did. He installed bevelled glass windows, woods panels, mantels with tiled hearths, and combined the use of both electric and gas light. The home soon became referred to as the prettiest in the city. Next to the home, stood a carriage house which was built for Elmer’s electric automobile which was the first in town). Elmer was a prominent business man during his time and passed away in 1922, but his wife continued to live in their home for twenty more years.
In the late 1960’s and 1970’s the home was turned into several apartments until The Kentucky Heritage Commission designated the Elmer Miller House as a Kentucky Landmark. Despite this the house started to deteriorate and the carriage house was condemned.
The home was saved in 2006 when Larry and Jeanne Kirk purchased it and began plans for restoring it. Restoration had just started when a tornado stuck Owensboro in October of 2007 causing extensive damage to the home.
The damage was fixable and restoration continued throughout the next two years. So over a 100 years after Elmer Miller built his home, a new chapter in its life started when the restaurant opened.
The next section of our trip continues in part 7
After spending a few days in Louisville we headed out on the reason for this trip which was a tour of some of the interesting place that Kentucky has to offer. The first section of the trip was to head East on Highway 60 to our next base which was to be the town of Owensboro. This was also well placed to allow us an easy day trip to the town of Rosine. Why head here? Well this is the centre for Bluegrass music on Rosine is the birth place of Bill Monroe
Choosing where to stay in Owensboro is fairly easy as there are only few decent hotels available here in this part of Kentucky. The best option that we found was to stay in Owensboro where the Courtyard Marriott Hotel has comfortable rooms and a location near the International Bluegrass Museum. It offers decent rooms at a reasonable price which the best you can expect away from the larger cities.
If you want to eat in one of the best restaurants in Kentucky then I would recommend The Miller House. It’s actually quite small, being originally a home, but definitely worth a visit. It closed on a Monday but serves lunch and dinner other week days and dinner only on a Saturday. Sunday is brunch day and you need to make a reservation; it’s located at 301 East 5th Street in Downtown Owensboro.
The food is good but the history of the house is even better along with the restored interiors
The story behind the house is that in 1905, Elmer Miller obtained a mould from Sears and Roebuck. He used this to make 1, 800 artificial stone blocks to create his home. As his overall construction cost was low he could spend his money on other things, which he did. He installed bevelled glass windows, woods panels, mantels with tiled hearths, and combined the use of both electric and gas light. The home soon became referred to as the prettiest in the city. Next to the home, stood a carriage house which was built for Elmer’s electric automobile which was the first in town). Elmer was a prominent business man during his time and passed away in 1922, but his wife continued to live in their home for twenty more years.
In the late 1960’s and 1970’s the home was turned into several apartments until The Kentucky Heritage Commission designated the Elmer Miller House as a Kentucky Landmark. Despite this the house started to deteriorate and the carriage house was condemned.
The home was saved in 2006 when Larry and Jeanne Kirk purchased it and began plans for restoring it. Restoration had just started when a tornado stuck Owensboro in October of 2007 causing extensive damage to the home.
The damage was fixable and restoration continued throughout the next two years. So over a 100 years after Elmer Miller built his home, a new chapter in its life started when the restaurant opened.
The next section of our trip continues in part 7