Lexington, KY - The sign on Highway 281 below the CSX tracks says "The Best Town on Earth." Madisonville, Ky., is the seat of Hopkins County, and with its brick sidewalks, historic shops, courthouse square and pleasant countryside, it could very well be the best town on Earth. I enjoyed a drive out the Western Kentucky Parkway to Madisonville to stay at a lovely log cabin bed and breakfast called Fox Ridge, just outside the center of town.
I met owners Roger and Linda Long, whose house is adjacent to the Fox Ridge Cabin. The ambiance is very nice, as they live on an east-facing hill overlooking a broad field with a pond at the foot of the hill. On the other side of the road is their second log structure, called the Cardwell Cabin; both cabins are put together from reclaimed 19th century buildings, cut and refitted as cozy guest homes. Fox Ridge was constructed from the logs of an 1860s-era barn and Cardwell was one pen of an 1890s dogtrot cabin moved from Anton (in Hopkins County). Each cabin has a loft, although the Cardwell Cabin is larger in both overall dimension and with a full upstairs loft. It has a wood burning fireplace and wireless Internet.
Millie, the cat, quickly came over to welcome me at the Fox Ridge Cabin porch. I felt at home in the warm sunshine, petting her and taking in the rustic dÈcor both inside and out. Inside there is a gas fireplace, rocking chair, feather bed, small dining table and separate small bathroom with antique claw foot bathtub. The modern amenities are hidden behind curtains - satellite TV, microwave and small fridge. The innkeepers bring guests a continental breakfast.
Linda puts out a chilled bottle of bubbly apple cider or champagne and I supped on my drink in a tall glass while noticing the unique furnishings and family heirlooms - there are antler racks for towels in the bathroom. I loved the wide pine floorboards at Fox Ridge, which were cut and milled on site. Fox Ridge has a brick chimney made from antique bricks. Roger brought sandstone blocks for the foundation and actually had an old chimney moved from Muhlenberg County to the Cardwell Cabin to be reconstructed there. Ever creative and efficient, he also arranged to have windows brought from the old German War Camp Breckenridge in Union County which were built into the Cardwell Cabin.
I sat out on the porch swing in the sunlight and enjoyed peace and quiet. I imagined returning to enjoy other sounds or sights of natural ambiance like rain or snow. Fox Ridge would make an excellent writer's retreat. My evening was wonderfully quiet after I read some of the guest book entries complete with photos of happy couples. I blew out the oil lamp and slept soundly.
In the morning I got out the guest register and wrote a short ditty to describe how I enjoyed staying at Fox Ridge; look for it if you take a visit.
You can view photos of Fox Ridge at the Web site www.bbonline.com/ky/foxridge. For reservations, call (270) 821-7576 or e-mail rlclong@bellsouth.net. Travel safely on your outings and adventures and take a friend or family to go with you somewhere new.
TO GET THERE
To get there from Lexington, go out Versailles Road to the Bluegrass Parkway. Drive for about 71 miles to Exit 1B to Interstate 65 south. Keep right since you'll exit off I-65 after just over a mile onto the Western Kentucky Parkway (Exit 91). Signs will say "Paducah/Owensboro." Keep on the parkway for 98 miles, and then exit onto the Pennyrile Parkway north to Madisonville (Exit 38B). After 10 miles take Exit 44 for KY-281, turn right on 281, which in that direction is called Island Ford Road. After driving for 1.8 miles on Island Ford Road, turn right on Carroll Gentry Road. Follow the winding turns and just over a small hilltop look for the log cabins on both sides of the road at 1130 Carroll Gentry Road, Madisonville, Ky. The one-way trip from Lexington is a bit short of 200 miles and approximately a little over a three-hour drive.