2023-12-29 09:36:37
Lazy-crazy days at Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake are as easy-breezy as the interconnecting canal that flows between these two freshwater recreational playgrounds on either side of Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area near Golden Pond.
A Civil War Earthworks Trail. Civil War Museum. Giant anchor and chain. Columbus-Belmont State Park presents a history lesson about the 1861 Battle of Belmont and General Ulysses S. Grant’s Union Army invasion.
Within the vast Pennyrile State Forest near Dawson Springs are Pennyrile State Resort Park and Pennyrile Lake — all named for a tiny lavender-hued fluff of a flower called pennyroyal. Golf, boat, bike, swim, sun, stroll a path encircling the lake, play horseshoes, spread a picnic — and relish every peaceful minute.
Take a respite from the workaday world at Murray’s Arboretum at Murray State University, a burgeoning collection of primarily native plants, trees and flowers, a butterfly garden, a walking path, a Play Pocket and water cascading down rocky steps.
Black buggies rolling along rural roads near Marion signal Kentucky Amish Country, where visitors can buy handcrafted furniture and home-baked goods directly from individual Amish families, plus cross the Ohio River via the free Cave-In- Rock Ferry.
It’s all quilts all the time during Paducah’s AQS QuiltWeek® in April, a week of quilts, quilt workshops, quilt lectures, quilt shopping and quilt exhibits. Pencil in a pilgrimage to the National Quilt Museum to see its special quilt exhibits and permanent collection.
High energy and high-caliber talent headline an ambitious lineup at the Badgett Playhouse in Grand Rivers. Fifteen family-friendly variety shows are staged each year, filling the seats of this state-of-the-art theater known for outstanding acoustics.
Drop by Hopkinsville’s Casey Jones Distillery for a tour and tasting, with a side of family history involving a visionary copper pot stillmaker ancestor, gangster Al Capone and axewielding revenuers. Catch live music and food truck nights, too.
Play and stay at Oak Grove Gaming, home to live horse racing, simulcast betting, over 1,200 games, rocking entertainment at the Moonshine Amphitheater, a sports bar, a classic steakhouse and an onsite RV park.
Banana Capital of the World? That would be Fulton, whose annual September Banana Festival — marking its 62nd year in 2024 — culminates with a one-ton banana pudding, the largest in the world.
Perfect Playdate
In the Great River Road Region, comprising Kentucky’s westernmost counties bordering the mighty Mississippi River, find a wildlife refuge, one of the country’s few remaining riverboat ferries and plenty of outdoor recreation.
Hallowed Ground
See hairy lipfern among glade species growing within the Nature Conservancy’s Mantle Rock Nature Preserve in Smithland. A natural refuge anchored by a 30-foot-high sandstone bridge, it bears history’s imprint as the path the Cherokee Nation trod — a certified site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.
To the Moon!
Journey through the solar system. Wish upon a shooting star. Meet Greek Mythology’s dragon of the sea — the constellation, Cetus. Experience these immersive programs and others projected on the 360-degree, 40-foot domed theater with surround sound at Golden Pond Planetarium and Observatory within Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area.
Living History Museum
Step into the Victorian splendor of the Smith- Garrett manse at Princeton’s Adsmore Museum and into a time capsule of top hats and tatting. Peek into the lifestyle and legacy of a prominent Kentucky family through original furnishings and four different annual exhibits, each creating a unique interactive experience.
Hey, Batter, Batter
Batter Capital of the World? Yes! Hopkinsville celebrates its proclamation with giant sculptures — wheat stalk, pancake stack, batter bowl (all irresistible selfie stops) — as well as Batter Capital Field to Fork farm tours, a pancake art experience, a September cornbread competition and restaurants whipping up wheat-based specialty recipes.
A Flutter of Butterflies
Kick back with a kaleidoscope of butterflies at Oak Grove’s Viceroy Butterfly Garden, a hidden treasure that is a Certified Monarch Waystation as well as a place of refuge for both winged and wingless creatures. See more than 2,000 butterflies take flight at Oak Grove’s Annual Butterfly Festival in September.
Cadiz/Trigg County: 888-446-6402, gocadiz.com
Calloway County: 270-713-0110, experiencekylake.com
Grand Rivers: 270-362-0152, grandrivers.org
Hickman: 270-653-4369, kygrro.com
Hopkinsville/Christian County: 270-887-2300, visithopkinsville.com
Kentucky Lake/Marshall County: 270-527-3128, visitkylake.com
Kentucky’s Great River Road (Ballard, Carlisle, Hickmanand Fulton counties): 573-427-8348, kygrro.com
Kuttawa/Lyon County: 270-601-6885, visitkuttawaky.com
Lake Barkley: 270-388-5300, lakebarkley.org
Livingston County: 270-557-9835, kentuckylakegateway.com
Marion: 270-965-5015, discovermarion.com
Mayfield/Graves County: 270-247-6106, visitmayfieldgraves.org
Murray: 270-759-2199, tourmurray.com
Oak Grove: 270-439-5675, visitoakgroveky.com
Paducah: 270-443-8783, paducah.travel
Princeton: 270-365-9575, tourprincetonky.com
Plan your regional road trip!
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