The Official Kentucky Visitor's Guide - The Official Kentucky Visitor's Guide 2023
Southern Kentucky Vacations
2022-12-22 12:33:04
A gleaming houseboat. Forested shorelines with secret coves and lazy waters. A family lounging on the sundeck and splashing about in the lake below – all having a wonderful time. Don’t you wish you were here?
Lake Cumberland, “Houseboat Capital of the World,” combines with Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park, Lake Cumberland State Resort Park and Green River Lake State Park to create vacation heaven. Boating, beaching, caving, fishing, golfing, horseback riding – each is a snapshot on a postcard inspiring a camping, cabin or houseboating getaway.
Need a bigger playground? Like the entire Cumberland Plateau? Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area in in Whitley City and Stearns beckons with hiking, horseback riding, rock climbing, whitewater paddling and all the free scenic splendor your eyes can drink in – from Yahoo Falls cascading 113 feet into a pool below to the Twin Arches and other geologic wonders.
Experience life at the 1902 Barthell Coal Mining Camp in a “company house” reconstructed from Stearns Coal & Lumber Company’s original floor plans on actual sites. Explore Blue Heron Mining Community, an abandoned coal-mining town of ghost structures.
The first decisive victory for the Union Army in the Western Theater of the Civil War is recounted at Nancy’s Mills Springs Battlefield National Monument. Pilgrimage from site to site to see the remains of the Confederate Field Hospital and Last Stand Hill.
Restored in 1994 after years of sitting vacant, the historic Star Theater in Russell Springs has sprung back to life with a lineup of touring Broadway shows and other performances throughout the year.
REGIONAL ART HIGHLIGHTS
Follow the Downtown Somerset Mural Trail and spot secret images (aka Easter eggs) hidden in five murals – with more on the way – throughout the area.
Artistic treasures come in many forms at the Amish and Mennonite shops in Liberty. Browse handcrafted furniture, hunt for rare antiques, pick up fresh plants and produce – then dig into delicious baked goods.
In November, dozens of eastern and southern Kentucky’s finest artists gather at Somerset’s Center for Rural Development to show off their baskets, pottery, quilts, musical instruments and more during the Sheltowee Artisans Art Fair.
Artists line the streets and exhibit their work. Musicians of every stripe perform. Add food truck fare, a signature drink and plenty of outdoor fun: It’s Pulaski County’s Moonlight Festival and it all takes place each October.
REGIONAL ITINERARY
DAY 1
1 Historic Greensburg Courthouse, Greensburg
If these walls could talk, they would tell stories of one of Kentucky’s oldest public buildings, built between 1802-1804 and the oldest courthouse west of the Allegheny Mountains. And they would speak of Abraham Lincoln’s future law partner and biographer, William H. Herndon, born in this town in 1818.
2 Homeplace on Green River, Campbellsville
Get back to nature at this 227-acre historical farm – “part living time capsule, part laboratory for forward-thinking ideas” – with open jams in the barn, miles of hiking trails and a nature area with blue heron wetlands, forests and plenty of wildlife.
3 Columbia Trail Town, Columbia
Small-town pleasures, big scenic splendors – thanks to gorgeous Green River Lake, a waterway wonderland for boaters, paddlers and fishers. Outdoor lovers flock to this historic burg on the banks of Russell Creek, home of Holmes Bend Marina and its many houseboat and cabin rentals.
DAY 2
4 Big South Fork Scenic Railway, Stearns
Immerse yourself in Kentucky history as you trundle along the rails and roaring rivers into what was once the hub of a logging and mining empire. Walk the grounds of Barthell Coal Mining Camp, where the Stearns Company produced its first load of coal. Explore Mine 1, then enjoy a coal miner’s lunch.
5 Dairy Bar, Whitley City
The 1950s called and they want you to time-travel back to an era of drive-in diners and car hops, milkshakes and burgers. It’s all ’50s all the time, inside and out.
6 Natural Arch Scenic Area, Parkers Lake
In Daniel Boone National Forest, follow the paved pathway to the base of this spectacular sandstone arch, which spans nearly 100 feet, and enjoy the view from two scenic (and accessible) overlooks.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
Burnside 800-240-2531, visitburnside.com
Clinton County 606-387-2051, clintoncoky.com
Columbia/Adair County 270-384-6020, visitcolumbiaky.com
Cumberland County 270-864-5890 cumberlandcounty.com
Green County 270-932-4298
Lake Cumberland/Russell County 270-866-4333 lakecumberlandvacation.com
Liberty 606-706-7777, explorelibertyky.com
McCreary County 606-376-3008, mccrearytourism.com
Pulaski County/Lake Cumberland 606-679-6394, lctourism.com
Somerset 606-679-6366, seesomerset.com
Taylor County 270-465-3786, campbellsvilleky.com
Wayne County 606-348-4241, heartoflakecumberland.com
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