Why Windy Hollow Was My Favorite Kentucky Restaurant Growing Up

Since today is my birthday, I thought I'd take an opportunity to celebrate my favorite restaurant when I was a kid. More often than not, Mom would prepare my favorite meal (fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and peas), but when I got to pick, it was Windy Hollow Restaurant, and back it was up on the hill by the lake.

Windy Hollow

Honestly, the whole birthday thing is really just an excuse to reminisce about a place I always looked forward to visiting when I was growing up. I'm sure there are those of you who remember it like I do. In case you're wondering, the original Windy Hollow Restaurant burned to the ground in 1972 and was quickly rebuilt. It was the second fire that led to its move to the current location on Highway 81. The thing is, I thought that second fire happened much earlier than it did. This Windy Hollow post straightened out the history for me.

But as for why Windy Hollow was my favorite in my youth? Well, we must begin with the food. It was open nightly and featured a massive and delectable buffet. I've never had turnips like Windy Hollow had turnips. Yeah, I know, we're talking about turnips. But I am not exaggerating. Yes, everything else was next level, but how many times do you get to praise turnips?

Windy Hollow...Dinner and a Movie

Windy Hollow also figured out a way for my sister and I to enjoy old B-movie westerns. They weren't our favorites, to say the least, but the late, great Hal Miller (the owner) had a huge library full of them, and he'd play one on an old reel-to-reel machine. It was so cool to enjoy "dinner and a movie." In that setting, we didn't care what the movie was.

Of course, the atmosphere was a home run. All those wonderful museum pieces, some of which survived the second fire, were terrific companion pieces to our meal. They also impressed the American Pickers.

And then there was the movie The Marshal of Windy Hollow which was filmed right around the property but never released. My sister and I were extras.

I hope you've enjoyed this trip down memory lane that led us to the original Windy Hollow. There's nothing wrong with a little indulgent nostalgia.