Wednesday, 16 April
Journey from Knoxville to Calvert City
We left my sister’s house near Knoxville after a wonderful two-night visit and began heading west toward Paducah, traveling through the rolling hills of the Cumberland Plateau.
About an hour into the drive, we stopped at Buc-ee’s—a wildly popular Texas-based chain of massive travel centers. Known for their spotless restrooms, fresh food, and enormous selection of merchandise, Buc-ee’s locations are packed with gas pumps, convenience-store-sized interiors, and a variety of signature treats like brisket sandwiches, fudge, kolaches, and their famous Beaver Nuggets.
To avoid downtown Nashville, we took TN-155 (Briley Parkway) and merged onto I-24, continuing west through Middle Tennessee into Western Kentucky.
Between April 3 and 6, Western Kentucky experienced record-breaking rainfall, with areas like Hopkinsville, Mayfield, and Paducah receiving up to 15 inches of rain. The resulting floods caused river overflows, road closures, and widespread property damage. The region is still recovering from the storms, which followed just six months after Hurricane Helene brought heavy rain and high winds in late September 2024. As we drove through the area, we saw clear signs of the recent flooding.
Paducah / I-24 / Kentucky Lake KOA Journey
Located just 1.25 miles from I-24, this campground had about 40 RV sites. We were assigned site D-1, which was a full-hookup, pull-through, loose-gravel site. It took three leveling blocks to get to the level. We quickly set up and headed out to see the Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden and Toyland.
Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden and Toyland
The Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden and Toyland is a whimsical roadside attraction in Calvert City, Kentucky—a quirky blend of folk art installations and vintage toy displays that defies easy explanation.
As we pulled into the gravel driveway, we were met by Keith Holt, the creator of the attraction. He was busy working on some electrical issues caused by recent severe storms but still greeted us warmly. He gave a brief overview of the site before introducing us to his wife, Diane, who offered to guide us through the folk art garden and answer any questions. Both were incredibly welcoming and enthusiastic.
The history behind the place is as colorful as the displays themselves. In 1928, Keith’s grandfather, Oral Wallace, purchased an apple orchard with a modest two-room house. He sold apple cider at a roadside stand called “Shady Nock” before eventually building an underground still to produce hard cider. In 1931, anticipating the paving of Highway 68, Oral expanded the house and constructed a small store using leftover wood, naming it Apple Valley. The property soon featured an auto camp with a small zoo, musical performances, a four-seat diner serving chicken dinners, and even a barber’s chair for cutting hair. According to family lore, Bonnie and Clyde once stayed there in 1932, leaving behind a shotgun. Gulf gas was added in 1939. During the Jim Crow era, the store and station served all customers equally, which led to conflicts with the local county. The business closed when Oral died in 1964, and his wife Myrtle resumed selling produce until 1988.
In 2005, Keith—an actor and former circus clown—returned to the homestead with two truckloads of toys and a vision. After being warned by the sheriff about the yard’s clutter, he leaned into his love of wordplay and whimsy, transforming the site into a folk art environment using the very “junk” that others saw as debris. Thus, the Hillbilly Garden was born, a patchwork of recycled materials infused with cleverness and humor.
Diane first led us into the small store, now packed wall-to-wall with beer can art, nostalgic toys, and oddball memorabilia. From there, we entered the Hillbilly Garden—a self-guided maze of installations that transformed discarded household objects into visual puns. We wandered through more than 50 installations made from rusted tools, toys, broken signs, and everyday items. Old televisions formed a “TV Graveyard.” A patch of toilets was hilariously rebranded as a “Commode Ode.” A line of lawnmowers with their noses stuck into the ground recreated Cadillac Ranch. A cross surrounded by painted flowing concrete recreated Resurrection Mountain. A display called “Brake Dancing” featured brake pads posed like tiny dancers. There were shoe trees, bottle trees, Gatorade trees, flip-flop trees. Some items were hung high in the trees to include a washing machine. There was a rusted car that Diane claimed ran moonshine and now was full of large Christmas Wise Men figures, driven by Santa Claus. Every turn revealed something new and absurd, making us laugh, scratch our heads, and reach for our cameras.
We then stepped into their Toyland—a floor-to-ceiling explosion of vintage toys, lunchboxes, and pop culture relics. The tightly packed displays spanned decades, with everything from Barbies and GI Joes to classic board games and lunch boxes from Saturday morning cartoons. The toys were often arranged in humorous dioramas, mixing characters from various shows. Diane gleefully pointed out obscure figures and challenged us to stump her by naming a character they didn’t have. She said kids were welcome to play with the toys on the floor.
As we stepped outside, Keith rejoined us, cracking jokes and sharing more backstories behind the collection. His enthusiasm was contagious, and their passion for the displays added heartfelt depth to the experience. There’s no admission fee; they rely on donations, which we were happy to give. We found it hard to leave, as they seemed to want to continue the conversation as we tried to walk away.
Kentucky Dam
After leaving the Hillbilly Garden, we headed over to the nearby Kentucky Dam. Built by the Tennessee Valley Authority between 1938 and 1944 as part of the New Deal, it was designed to control flooding, improve navigation, and generate hydroelectric power in the Tennessee Valley. The dam required relocating over 2,000 families and reshaping the region’s infrastructure. It created Kentucky Lake—one of the largest man-made lakes in the eastern U.S.—which became vital for transportation, energy, and recreation.
Nearby, the Barkley Dam on the Cumberland River, completed in 1966, isolated a narrow strip of land between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. In 1963, President Kennedy authorized the creation of Land Between the Lakes (LBL), displacing more than 800 families and small towns. Initially managed by the TVA, LBL became a demonstration area for conservation and public recreation. Since 1999, it has been overseen by the U.S. Forest Service. Attractions include the Elk & Bison Prairie, an 1850s Homeplace Living History Farm, and a planetarium at the Woodlands Nature Station. The region preserves a mix of natural beauty and echoes of the communities that once lived there.
When we arrived at the dam, we saw a lot of construction taking place which we learned later was part of an ongoing project to build a 1,200-foot-long, 110-foot-wide lock to handle modern commercial barge traffic, with completion expected by 2030.
We drove around behind the dam, where we watched water being released and took a closer look at an old turbine propeller on display. Unfortunately, the visitor center had just closed when we arrived. From there, we headed up to a couple of viewing areas along the top of the dam and took in the scenic views of the lake. After that, we decided it was time to find some dinner.
Bob’s Drive-In
We first considered a nearby Dairy Queen, but the lobby was closed. A quick Google search pointed us to Bob’s Drive-In, a nearby no-frills joint that looked promising. It offered drive-through, window service, or stall-side delivery—classic drive-in style. The place advertised its “Fiesta Burger,” so we both ordered one along with shakes: a Hot Fudge Brownie Blast for me and a Butterscotch shake for Lisa. We added a side of tater tots and crinkle-cut fries.
While waiting, we looked up what exactly a Fiesta Burger was (which we should have done first) and learned it’s a stuffed burger packed with Mexican-inspired ingredients. A mixture of shredded Mexican-style cheese, finely chopped tomatoes, seeded jalapeños, cilantro, and sliced green onions is sealed between two beef patties. As it cooks, the cheese melts and the spices infuse the meat with bold, zesty flavor.
Dinner hit the spot. After finishing our meal, we topped off the gas tank nearby and returned to the campground, full and happy after a day of unexpected discoveries and local charm..
Wednesday, 16 April
The next morning, we made some pancakes and headed north toward St Louis.