It is well worth the trip and you will want to stay at least 2 full days to see everything--the show, museum, shops, etc. The first time I went, we stayed at a Knights Inn on the south side of town. There are available hotels/motels away from the downtown area and Paducah isn't that big so it's only a matter of 10-20 minutes or so to drive downtown. Even Metropolis, IL isn't that much of a drive. Friends of mine stayed in Charleston, Missouri which is an hour away but it is such a pretty drive in the spring time that they enjoyed it.