Life is Poppin'

I believe in sharing my life so I can save you time, money and a few headaches! Always learning from my screw-ups.

  • Drives With Girls
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • DIY
  • Kid Stuff
  • Reviews
    • Giveaways

2015 Chevy Silverado – An American weekend

Jul 6 by 3 Comments

“We traveled south to the state of Kentucky to celebrate America’s birthday in style. Bbq, fireworks, American V8 muscle, and a cabin deep in the woods were the ingredients for a 4th of July our family will never forget”

IMG_5517

Most of our 4th of July family celebrations have consisted of grilling steaks, burning some sparklers with the kids, followed by bed time. So this time we set out to do something special, something everyone would cherish, but most of all — something with American flair.

Hoping to check a few boxes off our travel and car-nerd bucket lists, we chose to head south on Interstate-65 to Kentucky — home to American landmarks like the Louisville Slugger and Makers Mark Whiskey. Although the only landmark I was interested in, was one much more exciting. The Bowling Green GM Assembly Plant, home to America’s sports car, the poor man’s Ferrari — the Chevy Corvette.

chevy-corvette-bowling-green

We had chosen our destination, now it was time to find a place to stay, and because we set out to make this a truly memorable trip we knew a hotel room just wouldn’t cut it. We quickly deployed our Airbnb app and found the perfect place, a barn-apartment (yes, such thing exists) on a 225 acre lot just fifteen miles outside of Bowling Green.

  • Destination – Check
  • Place to stay – Check
  • Attractions – Check
  • Transportation – ???

As the trip started taking shape, transportation was the last piece of the puzzle yet to be figured out, and because of our American theme, my Honda Civic and Missi’s VW Beetle just wouldn’t fit the bill. So…

IMG_5493

Chevrolet came to the rescue and offered us a brand new (2,000 miles old) 2015 Silverado LT Z71 Crew Cab! Sure it would’ve been great to drive a hot Corvette to celebrate America’s birthday, but this was a family trip, and the Silverado set out to play protagonist of our weekend story.

First, let’s travel back in time to establish the the legacy of the American pick up truck. Chevrolet was the first company to roll out a fully factory assembled pick-up truck in 1930, as all trucks were sold as chassis only prior to that, giving patrons a chance to fit their own cargo containers in the rear. By the 1950’s the pick-up truck had become an icon of the American working class, but surprisingly so, the pick-up made its way into the middle class, where owners bought them for their convenience, reliability and overall functionality to haul people and cargo.

Our stay

It was our first time in Kentucky and we didn’t really know what to expect, specially in a city/town like Bowling Green, as we weren’t sure if there was much more to it than the GM plant, but everything turned out perfect.

Our Airbnb host was an extremely nice and caring lady that not only welcomed us with lots of farm fresh goodies, but even took time to show us around the massive property in a golf-cart — which the kids were dying to drive. The barn-apartment was exactly that, a real farm barn with room for animals below, and a country-rustic apartment with a loft, balcony, and even a suspension bridge that shuttled you over a creek and deep into the woods. It was incredible!

After spending almost all of Friday at the grounds, everything looked to be lining up for a sweet weekend. Except for the weather…

airbnb-kentucky-cabin

IMG_5486

4th of July

Being on Central time but our internal clocks still on Eastern time meant we woke up just a tad ahead of schedule, but we used our time wisely and enjoyed a tasty breakfast in the balcony overlooking the trees and wildlife.

My son Ryan and I left the girls behind as they chose to enjoy the peaceful country, so we could do something a bit more — thrilling.

Travel along I-65 and you’ll see signs to the National Corvette Museum everywhere, but just in case you miss them, follow the caravans of Corvette owners driving their beloved Vette’s. You can’t get lost.

We spent some time taking photos at the General Motors Assembly plant where every single Corvette in the entire world has been built (except for the 1953 first-gen). We had the chance to see some impressive Z06 test cars, and even drive on a Corvette test track, both Ryan and I were like kids in a candy store.

After checking out the assembly plant we drove next door to the National Corvette Museum, checked out the amazing displays, and even had lunch at the Corvette Cafe. And by the way, their grilled cheese sandwich is delicious!

11666214_1094444380569116_1211017471317228465_n

IMG_5476

The Truck

My very first car was a Silverado, a gorgeous dark blue 4WD-Z71 LT extended cab cleverly named — Blue. But things have changed radically for the Silverado since then, it’s now much more refined and grown up, the interior is more sophisticated, the ride is like that of a sedan than a work truck.

Get on the highway and you will quickly realize that you have to watch the speedo, as with its firm suspension and quiet cabin you can quickly crack 90-mph or more. Imagine explaining to the Police that you were speeding because your truck is just too quite and comfortable. LOL

Using the never-ending storms throughout our stay as an excuse, I had the chance to put the Silverado’s off-roading capabilities, which just like my old truck — didn’t disappoint. But this Silverado deploys all-new technology that I’ve never used before. One of those cool new gadgets is Hill Descent Control.

Luckily, I found a big hill to show how it works 🙂

I was pleased to see features like: storage compartments under the rear bench, which were perfect for throwing the kids’s muddy shoes after the farm, power sliding rear window which kids think is the coolest thing ever, plenty of USB charging plugs, and even a household 120-volt plug. Although collectively our most favorite feature is the 4G LTE Hot-Spot, not only did this allow Missi to knock out a few work things on her laptop, but the kids connected their iPads and enjoyed a few games and movies! (Yes, they live a rough life)

More importantly, the Silverado has become a more convenient and family friendly truck, which succeeds at bridging the gap between work truck and family vehicle.

2015-silverado-hotspot-wifi-4glte

2015-chevy-silverado-interior-kids

Overall, our trip was incredible. We played in our 225-acre playground until exhaustion, we witnessed incredible fireworks atop Cherry Hall at Western Kentucky University, we witnessed grown and baby wild turkeys, and we did all of that on the truck that helped shape modern America. We originally set out to enjoy a cool 4th of July trip, but without realizing it, we did so much more. We grabbed everything that is amazing and cool about America, pieced it together, and made it happen. Mission Accomplished.

2015 Chevy Silverado 1500 Z71 4wd LT Crew

Base Price: $26,105 (Base Model 2wd)

Price as tested: $51,805

Click here to check out this awesome Airbnb property.

(Disclosure: We did not receive any discount or hospitality on behalf of the property host or Airbnb)

 

More photos:

FullSizeRender

IMG_5363

IMG_5456

IMG_0620

IMG_5500

 

 

Related Posts

  • 2016 RAM 1500 Rebel – The Bold, Cool & Capable Family Truck2016 RAM 1500 Rebel – The Bold, Cool & Capable Family Truck
  • Chevy Silverado, Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra – Family Friendly PickupsChevy Silverado, Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra – Family Friendly Pickups
  • Should the 2016 Chevy Malibu be on Your Family Car Short-List?Should the 2016 Chevy Malibu be on Your Family Car Short-List?
  • Destination California: A Sweet Sixteen to RememberDestination California: A Sweet Sixteen to Remember
  • Texas 86 Day – Celebrating the ToyobaruTexas 86 Day – Celebrating the Toyobaru
  • Traveling Onboard the 2014 Chevy Impala LTZTraveling Onboard the 2014 Chevy Impala LTZ
  • Honda Road Readers – App ReviewHonda Road Readers – App Review
  • Living with a Scion FR-SLiving with a Scion FR-S

Don’t Miss the Latest

Celebrating the New Year in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

We drive the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 to the Great White North, where we say goodbye to a rather tumultuous 2020. 2020 has been a year for most of us, huh? So happy to get rid of it and here’s to hoping 2021 is better in every way! Of course, we say this with the […]

Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Family Road Trip In the 2021 Chevy Tahoe

A large and rugged country requires a large and rugged vehicle. With COVID-19 shutting down most things around us or at least applying rigorous restrictions to help slow the spread of the virus, a lot of activities we would normally do with our family are off the table. Luckily, we’ve always loved family road trips, […]

Explore Chicago: The Four Seasons With Kids

We head to the Windy City in the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime Once upon a time, we could get away as a couple whenever we wanted wherever we wanted. Early mornings, late nights, breakfast in bed, shows, clubs, parties—you name it, we enjoyed it. But for a while now, we’ve had to play by a […]

2020 Hyundai Sonata: A Tech-Packed, Versatile Sedan

Yes, it can drive forward and backward without a driver, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg of this stylish sedan. Sedans are dying a slow death. No, it’s not just me being negative, but a factual representation of the automotive industry, which in turn, is a direct reflection of customer’s buying habits. People […]

Filed Under: Pit Stop

Comments

  1. Jim Leo says

    July 17, 2015 at 1:03 am

    Great article! Makes me want to buy a truck!

  2. Jerry Perez says

    July 22, 2015 at 11:11 am

    haha. Keep your Volvo. Thanks Jim!

Trackbacks

  1. Chevy Silverado, Ford F150, Toyota Tundra - Family Friendly Pickups - Life is Poppin' says:
    October 3, 2015 at 9:32 pm

    […] 2015 Chevy Silverado Z71 LT […]

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

follow-me-on-pinterest

Get to know Drives with Girls!

Drives with girls, lifeispoppin.com

Gifts for Dads

Fox 59 Segment

drives-with-girls

Popular posts you will love:

Fairy in a Jar Night Lights

Fairy in a Jar Night-Lights

4C Spider

Alfa Romeo 4C Spider

gala

Womens Daily contributor transTODAY.com Parenting Team FC Contributor

TODAY.com Parenting Team Parenting Contributor

Everywhere

This post may contain affiliate links

Copyright ©2023, Life is Poppin'. All Rights Reserved. Custom design by Pixel Me Designs