Kentucky Life

Lucian Bartosik, an ultralight airplane pilot and instructor from Hopkinsville; Dobree Adams, a fiber artist and photographer who raises her own sheep for her woven creations; and a collection of toy tractors and other nostalgic miniatures in Paris.

At GlitterBug Glass and Handmade Beads in Lexington, artist Ashley Watson blows her own beads. Host Dave Shuffett canoes Tygarts Creek in Carter County with wildlife writer and photographer Soc Clay and visits the Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum to see a Babe Ruth baseball bat found in a closet.

University of Kentucky graduate Sam Abell, a photojournalist for National Geographic, has lived what he calls the "photographic life"—and has nine books and thousands of arresting images to show for it. In Somerset, thousands of car enthusiasts from around the country regularly converge on the town square for some of the largest cruise-ins anywhere.

A remembrance of early Louisville blues history, when performers like Sylvester Weaver and Sara Martin were beginning to hone their sound; father-and-son bull riders Rick and Rod Dizney of Knox County, founders of the Appalachian Pro Bull Rider's Association; and University of Kentucky art professor and sculptor Garry Bibbs.

Explore the origins of Liberia, a country founded by African-American slaves who were offered their freedom if they were willing to leave America and start a new nation in West Africa. In an area still referred to as "Kentucky in Africa," the principal town, Clay-Ashland, was named to honor Henry Clay, U.S. senator from Kentucky in the 1800s.

The creamy combination of marshmallow and caramel called the Modjeska, made for more than 100 years by Bauer's Candy; folk art and craft work at the Kentucky Appalachian Artisan Center in Hindman; and Wheeler's Pharmacy in Lexington, where meals are still served at an old-fashioned lunch counter.

The Juggernaut Jug Band preserves a distinct musical style originating in its hometown of Louisville back in the 1920s; knifemaker Gil Hibben of La Grange, whose clients have ranged from the White House to Elvis Presley to the movies; the distinctive ceiling clock and pendulum adorning the lobby of the Lexington Public Library; and a photographic preview of the Wild and Scenic Kentucky special.

The Floracliff nature preserve in southern Fayette County, which offers an incredible spring wildflower display and the largest travertine (petrified waterfall) in Kentucky; the Howard Steamboat Museum in southern Indiana; and self-taught stone carver Tim Lewis of Isonville.

Dave Shuffett rafts, canoes, sails, kayaks, rides, hikes, and bikes his way around Kentucky, enjoying wildlife and outdoor adventure across the state. Sights include the Russell Fork of the Big Sandy River, Breaks Interstate Park, the Pine Mountain Trail, black bears at Kingdom Come State Park, Daniel Boone National Forest, Cave Run Lake, the Red River and its surrounding natural arches, and more.

Staff members at Mammoth Cave National Park learn to use fire as a catalyst for growth and change, and Lexington's Citizen Police Academy offers students the chance to ride in a cruiser, watch officers on the job, and learn about the many aspects of police work. Also, a visit to It's a Jungle Clayworks in Ohio County.

The Kentucky Military History Museum in Frankfort preserves artifacts of volunteer military organizations from the Revolution through the Gulf War, and the work of Louisville quilter Willie Pride reveals secrets from African-American history. Author Johnny Molloy canoes the Green River, and nearby Homeplace, a "working timeline farm," gives visitors a taste of farm life from past to present.

Pinecliffe Gardens, a family-run flower farm in Philpot, offers more than 1,000 varieties of daylily cultivars and 300 hostas. At Bybee Pottery in Madison County, the fifth and sixth generations of the Cornelison family turn out sought-after wares. And at Camp Nelson, reenactors dramatize Kentucky's role in enlisting African-American troops in the Civil War, and a tinsmith demonstrates his craft.

Lacey Griffey, an Appalachian cook from Benham, prepares fried chicken for a big church supper; Simpsonville photographer Bruce McElya shows his pictures of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon; and Louisville's River City Drum Corp trains children and young adults in African drumming—and in life.

Artist Dan Barnes, who owns an upholstery and furniture design business and creates functional art pieces with stained glass; photographer Charline Marrinan, who doesn't let a mental disability stop her from capturing beautiful nature photos; Pat Harned, who trains and handles elephants for the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus; and chainsaw artist Carroll Sanders of Hancock County.

Soc Clay of South Shore, who has been writing about and photographing outdoor subjects for more than 30 years; agate hunting in the streams of Eastern Kentucky; an international dinner representing 22 countries; and a lesson in tamale making at Somerset's newly opened Hacienda Restaurant.

The luxurious vessels manufactured at Sharpe's Houseboats in Somerset; music by the Junkman, a native Louisvillian who makes music with found objects; and husband-and-wife folk artists Jessie and Ronald Cooper of Flemingsburg.

The Garden of Hope in Covington is a re-creation of the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, one of several sites claiming to be the burial place of Jesus. Louisville's Frazier Historical Arms Museum (now the Frazier International History Museum) displays weaponry from throughout history.

The Garden of Hope in Covington is a re-creation of the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, one of several sites claiming to be the burial place of Jesus. Louisville's Frazier Historical Arms Museum (now the Frazier International History Museum) displays weaponry from throughout history.

Near Bardstown, volunteers set out to preserve the 1795 log house that was home to the first bishop of the Bardstown Diocese, the forerunner to the Archdiocese of Louisville, and a wellspring of Catholic history in Kentucky. Host Dave Shuffett hikes and fishes in Elliott County's spectacular Laurel Gorge and visits the nearby Laurel Gorge Cultural Heritage Center.

Clifty Falls State Park near Madison, IN and a controlled burn at Raymond Athey State Nature Preserve in Logan County.

The Festival of Trees at Ashland's Paramount Arts Center, the Winter Wonderland of Lights in Ashland's Central Park, and a scuba-diving Santa at the Newport Aquarium.