My Kentucky Bucket List

By Macy Waddle

    I first picked up Jayber Crow two years ago, when my scholarship program began to explore the writings of environmentalist and poet Wendell Berry. The novel on its surface follows a man throughout his life in rural Kentucky, as he builds relationships and creates connections with his community and environment. As we dove deeper however, Berry’s perspective on place, fellowship, and nature began to mean something more. For Berry, community is deeply rooted in history, the history of those who made the place, and the physical history of the land itself. One must work to preserve both the abstract and physical history as well as cultivate a future where the local culture can continue to thrive. My study of Jayber Crow pushed me to explore other works of Berry’s, which led me to develop a connection with the place I’ve called home my entire life, and that has profoundly shaped the way I view the world, Kentucky.  

“Without a complex knowledge of one's place and without the faithfulness to one's place on which such knowledge depends, it is inevitable that the place will be used carelessly, and eventually destroyed,” - Wendell Berry, A Continuous Harmony: Essays Cultural and Agricultural. 

 I had never viewed myself as a “good” Kentuckian. I felt a sense of belonging within Louisville, its largest city, and my small town just outside of it, but the rest of it seemed distant. My state did not become an integral part of my identity until college, when I was immersed in the ideas of authors like Bell Hooks, and of course, Wendell Berry, and was tasked with representing students across the Commonwealth in my leadership roles. I quickly developed the knowledge and faithfulness to my state that Berry discusses and gained a new perspective on not just the physical characteristics of Kentucky, but the characteristics of its people.  

Kentuckians are often misunderstood by outsiders. We are known for our contributions to horse racing and fried chicken; however, we often rank low in many national statistics, and we do have our share of issues. But in reading Berry, I’ve been taught that loving a place means recognizing its faults but choosing to stay committed to its success. Growing up in Kentucky, I have learned to listen before speaking and how important it is to invest in communities that are often overlooked. In A Long Legged House, Berry writes “A community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared, and that the people who share the place define and limit the possibilities of each other's lives.” Kentucky has shown me what it means to care for a place, even when others fail to see its worth. As a senior, I have begun planning my next steps, and although I am unsure where my journey will take me next, I do know I will carry out the lessons Kentucky has taught me forever.  

As I gear up for my potential last semester and last summer after 22 years in this state, I have created what I like to call my “Kentucky Bucket List” of places in our state I have never visited, but want to as a part of my “victory lap.”  

1. Red River Gorge  
2. Miguels Pizza at Natural Bridge  
3. Kentucky Bourbon Trail  
4. Ale 8 Factory  
5. Pine Mountain  
6. Ark Encounter  
7. Lookout in Pike County  
8. Lost River Cave  
9. Harland Sanders Cafe and Museum  
10. Loretta Lynn’s House  
11. Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame 

Macy is a McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville in the class of 2026. She is studying political science, Spanish, and political marketing.