Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and TripAdvisor Lovers….I don’t know about you but I don’t book a thing when I am traveling without checking my TripAdvisor.  What a wonderful resource.  I love rating and reviewing where we have been and I always review with my main objective…DOG FRIENDLY OR NOT?  I depend on these reviews and I read every one of the reviews about the Dupont Lodge in Cumberland Falls Resort State Park in Kentucky.

My review is very, very long winded but I wanted to cover it all!

I would have provided a link but TripAdvisor reviews all reviews before they post them. I will add a link when it is up on their site.

REVIEW

The Dupont Lodge is a dog lovers dream!  It is not often you can find a hotel with no restrictions on the number or weight of your dogs.  The Dupont Lodge welcomes all dogs regardless of size or weight.  I cannot stress howl rare that is.

The Dupont Lodge is a KY state run lodge nestled within 3 minutes of the magnificent Cumberland Falls which is also VERY DOG FRIENDLY.  This is a very old lodge and the rooms, hallways, and decor reflect it’s age.  Howl ever….The place is extremely clean and the beds are soft and the sheets are bright white.  It seemed to me that this place is really taken care of.  The Lodge has 2 dog friendly rooms out of 52.  My room 216, overlooked the patio and the stunning sunrises you are sure to see if you get up early.

In my opinion it was one of the best rooms in the place.  I was also told if both dog rooms are taken the staff will work to find you another one with the extra dog charges that come with traveling with hounds.  Speaking of the staff they are warm and very friendly.  So friendly that I think they found it hard to correct the guests with small children.  At one point a group with small kids over took the lobby right by my room and it sounded like I was in the middle of a prank gone wrong.  I cannot believe howl some parents let their kids run rough shot over them. Anyway, it is a noisy place and the doors slam hard but for the most part it all settled down after about 9:00ish.

While we are on the topic of noise….my AC sounded like I was back at GE aircraft engines in the test facility.  No kidding.  This thing will turn your room into a blast freezer in about 5 minutes.  So the good news is you don’t need it on very long.  It came in handy for my storm phobic hound because I just turned that sucker on and we couldn’t hear a bomb go off.  It also came in handy when the kids were torturing each other in the lobby.  So, all in all, it worked for us.

If you want your room cleaned by the maid staff you must inform them that the dogs are not in the room.  I am of the ilk that I just don’t want maid service at all.  I have them put on their sheet that my room requires and demands no one enter the room at all.  I hang my do not disturb sign up the entire time.  The only time my hounds were in the room alone was for meals which we ate at the Lodge.  The Riverview restaurant.  OK, here is where I disagree with almost every reviewer of this dining experience.  WE ABSOLUTELY LOVED THE FOOD!  All I can say is that maybe the Dupont read these reviews and did something about it.  The food was magnificent!  My only complaint is one that I have in every restaurant I go to.  TOO MUCH SALT.  But that is just me.  The food here was delicious.  The buffet looked wonderful but we always ordered off the menu.  I am a KY girl and I like me some hot browns!  Let me tell you what, the Riverview’s hot brown rivaled the Brown’s hot brown and gave it a run for it’s money.  (The Brown in Louisville invented the hot brown).  One big difference was the size!  The Riverview’s hot brown was twice the size and had that wonderful country ham included.  Oh, it was so good.

I saw a very popular dish at most tables and it was the black eyed peas with sweet corn bread.  Everyone was raving over it. I heard that the banana pudding is the favorite dessert. I saw that coming out of the kitchen by the tray fulls.  I am kicking myself for not trying it.   The breakfast was worth waking up for.  Again, we ordered from the menu but the buffet looked sooo good.  Just too much food and I know I would have over done it.  The wait staff was excellent and the view!  Howl did I leave the view for last?  The view is smack dab of the Cumberland River.

The only thing blocking the view are the families of racoons that come up to the windows and beg for that last bite.  Their eyes so pleading.  It is very cute.  The Dupont Lodge of Cumberland Falls made our mini leaf viewing trip a pleasure.  I would suggest, that if you have a choice, go during the week and not on the weekend.  I could tell from the parking lots that this is a big time attraction.  We checked in on a Monday and left on a Wednesday.  Cumberland Falls is most certainly a 2 day experience at the least.  A huge attraction is the Moon Bow.  A Moon rainbow that you can see during a clear night and a full moon.  If you want to see another one you must go to Zimbabwe Africa.  This rare phenomena did not really make a difference to us.  We usually don’t venture out after dark.  If you do want to see the Moon Bow check out the schedule on the Cumberland Falls website.

Check the sunrise weather before you go to bed to see if you will have a jaw dropping experience on the patio.  This is not to be missed.  The lodge was obviously designed around this experience back when these parks were being forged.  This lodge was built in 1933.  I have learned from researching other parks that the architects, designers and visionaries would camp for years or more in the area to find the exact spot to build a lodge such as the Dupont.  This proves true to form with the Dupont.  The lodge patio faces the east and is nestled between the Cumberland River and the two mountains that frame the sunrise.  The patio is a viewing area for the most magnificent show on earth.  Just breath taking.

The entire time we spent in this area we thought about the Native Americans that called this area home.  We could just picture their dwellings and their horses drinking from the cool pools at the base of the falls.  I pictured the families gathered around telling stories.  It was really very real.  I suggest you take your family and make your own stories.  There will be plenty.

Cat Rudert
TripAdvisor reviewer with you dog friendly destinations.

END OF REVIEW

More Dog friendly destinations later…..Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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