We usually break up long drives with an overnight stop, but this time we set a record for the shortest stay where we actually did something. Despite only being in Corbin between 6 PM to 8 AM, we managed to cram in a quick adventure before heading on to our final destination.
Corbin, for the uninitiated, is where Harland Sanders (aka Colonel Sanders) developed and sold his fried chicken from his roadside gas station and motel. Both are long gone but in their place is the Sanders Cafe, containing a KFC and museum. There was more to the museum than we expected, both about the Colonel and KFC’s history.
We were both surprised to learn Colonel Sanders was a serial entrepreneur, selling life insurance, practicing law, operating a ferry boat, and working as a railroad worker before later operating the filling station and motel. Despite dropping out of school in the 6th grade, he was an outstanding marketer. At the time, roadside motels were a less desirable choice than more full featured hotels. Harland knew mothers often made the choice where to spend the night so he placed a full model motel room in his cafe which women had to walk past to access the restroom or pay phone. Both the model motel room and a replica of the Colonel’s kitchen are on display at the museum. While it was not very large, there were quite a lot of items on display. Overall, we thought it was a great homage to Harland and KFC’s past.
Where We Stayed:
Corbin / Laurel Lake KOA – Options in the area are limited, especially since the state park campgrounds had not opened yet. We were unsure after consulting Google Earth whether the RV could fit in the Sanders Cafe parking lot so we opted to stay at a campground rather than just stopping for dinner. They have one space for big rig parking, which was unoccupied when we visited.
The KOA is an older park with dusty, hilly roads that look like dead ends and are far too narrow to be considered big rig friendly. Our escort took us down what definitely didn’t look like a road, leading us to a field of gravel that passed for pull thru spots.
Where We Ate:
KFC – we don’t eat much fast food, but how could you not eat fried chicken where it all started?