- Barren River Lake State Resort Park (Lucas) hosts Glasgow Highland Games on the first weekend in June. The festival celebrates Scottish heritage and attracts thousands each year.
- World famous Mammoth National Cave Park (with the longest recorded cave system in the world) is located just 27 miles north of Barren River Lake State Resort Park (Lucas).
- In 1991, the Historic Boone Station Site (established by Daniel Boone and his family) was willed to the Kentucky Park System by Robert C. Straden. It was his wish for the site to become part of the Kentucky Park System. In 1992, his wish was granted as Boone Station State Historic Site became a reality.
- Nolin Lake State Park (Bee Spring) is located along the edge of Mammoth Cave National Park. Bass, catfish, crappie, and walleye are in Nolin Lake. The park is about 30 minutes north of Mammoth Cave National Park.
- Lake Barkley State Resort Park (Cadiz) has one of the most beautiful lodges in the entire Kentucky State Park System. Lake Barkley Lodge was designed by Edward Durell Stone, the same man who designed Busch Stadium, the home of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team from 1966-2005 and the St. Louis Cardinals football team from 1966-1987. Read more about Lake Barkley Lodge, Lake Barkley State Resort Park, and even Edward Durell Stone by clicking the link!
- Fort Harrod was the first permanent white settlement in Kentucky, established by James Harrod in 1774. Harrod actually created a settlement before Daniel Boone – although Boone (and Fort Boonesborough) get all of the recognition? What’s up with that?? One reason may be the fact that Harrod lived a particularly tragic life and had a great deal of mystery surrounding his death. Several members of his family were killed in American Indian raids. Harrod actually knew several Indian languages (in addition to French) which enhanced his leadership qualities. Harrod acquired a lot of land and became quite wealthy. He began to go off on long hunting trips and his whereabouts were often unknown. When his stepson was abducted by Indians and burned at the stake (can’t believe I just typed those words), Harrod became almost entirely unhinged. Soon after (1792) he went on one of his infamous, long hunting expeditions and never returned. He was never seen or heard from again. At Old Fort Harrod State Park (Harrodsburg), you can see a full-scale replica of the fort James Harrod built in 1774.
- Lake Cumberland State Resort Park (Jamestown) is situated on beautiful Lake Cumberland. This lake has a certain distinction that it wears like a badge of honor: Lake Cumberland is the Houseboat Capital of the World.
- Lake Cumberland State Resort Park (Jamestown) has the only Disc Golf Course in the Kentucky State Park System. The 18-hole Disc Golf Course, set on beautiful rolling hills, is a converted 9-hole golf course.
- General Burnside State Park (Burnside) is the only island park in the Kentucky State Park system. Like the rest of our state parks, General Burnside has a fascinating history. Read about it here!
- You can see the majestic beauty of eagles as they make a comeback in numbers at Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park (Gilbertsville)! KY Department of Parks holds three Eagle Weekends during the year. Click here for more information.
Picture of the Day: Boots Randolph Golf Course
Lake Barkley State Resort Park’s Boots Randolph Golf Course is a challenging 18-hole course surrounded by Kentucky’s natural beauty. Whether you’re new to the game or have been golfing for years, Boots Randolph will give you all you can handle.
Be sure to eat lunch or dinner at Lake Barkley Lodge’s Windows on the Water Restaurant. You’ll see pictures here that’ll make you see why this is such a delicious idea (and, yes, the Tuxedo Cake is EVEN more delicious than it looks). Their iced sweet tea is absolutely perfect after a day on the golf course. Of course, you can order it unsweet if you must…
I’ll try not to judge you too harshly.
I just finished a new page all about Lake Barkley State Resort Park. Click the link to learn more about this uncommonly beautiful Kentucky State Park and find out why I’m so head over heels in love with Barkley Lodge.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words and, in the case of Kentucky, I’d say that’s 100 percent true. We could use up all the words in the English language (and even borrow some from other languages), but we could never truly describe how beautiful or special our beloved state is.
You’ll have to just see for yourself in our growing collection of pictures of Kentucky! Also, be sure to check out our Pictures of the Day.
Junior Fishing Tournament at Greenbo Lake State Resort Park
Greenbo Lake
Beautiful Greenbo Lake State Resort Park will host its Junior Fishing Tournament July 28 for ages 3-15.
Prizes will be awarded in each age group for the biggest fish caught and the most fish caught. Age groups are 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 and 13-15, both boys and girls. � Registration starts at 8 a.m. and the fishing tournament starts at 10 and goes to noon. No registration fee. No fishing in boats. This event is sponsored by Great Outdoors, Distinctive Specialtees, Evans Funeral Home and Pressure Tech.
What a great, great, great way to get the kids outside and spend quality time together.Ã? Personally I don’t think nearly enough kids spend time in the great outdoors these days. Frankly, I don’t think staying inside playing games 24/7 is doing them any favors.Ã? I LOVE events like this that encourage family fun while exposing kids to the fun and wonders of the great outdoors.
Greenbo Lake State Resort Park is on KY 1, 18 miles north of Interstate 64 from the Grayson exit, or 8 miles south of U.S. 23, the Country Music Highway on KY 1.
Greenbo Lake features the Jesse Stuart Lodge with 36 rooms, convention center and Anglers� Cove Restaurant.
The park has a 225-acre lake for boating and fishing, tennis courts, and 25 miles of multi-use trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding. The campground is open April 1 through Oct. 31. Greenbo�s amphitheater features musical concerts and plays during the summer and fall.
Most (not all) of the State Resort Parks have swimming pools for guests only.Ã? Greenbo Lake State Resort Park has a very active community pool with water slide that sits near the lake. There’s a separate swimming pool that’s available for guests of the lodge.
Speaking of Greenbo Lake State Resort Park lodging, there’s currently a Fishermanââ?¬â?¢s Special that’ll… excuse the pun… float your boat.Ã? Stay one night get the second night half price Sunday – Thursday. Valid through September 3, 2012.Ã? Call 800-325-0083 for reservations.
Visit Greenbo Lake State Resort Park for a lot more information, pictures, and events.
10 Random Facts About Kentucky State Parks
Just when you think you know how fascinating our Kentucky State Parks are, you dig a little deeper and realize there’s even more to them than meets the eye. We’re launching a new category on Genuine Kentucky called Random Facts About Kentucky State Parks. Each addition to the category will include 10 facts you probably didn’t know about our wonderful Kentucky State Park System. For example, did you know that the Kentucky State Park System has been referred to as “the nation’s finest” and experiences more repeat business annually than those of any other U.S. State?
Now that’s something to be proud of!
Below are the first 10 random facts. Watch each Wednesday for more. Each state park will be linked to more information and will be followed by the city that state park calls home.
It’s our fervent hope that more people will make their way to each of these amazing state parks and fall in love with them the way we have.
- Kentucky Dam was almost named Gilbertsville Dam. Meaning one of our own personal favorite Kentucky State Parks could’ve been Gilbertsville Dam Village State Resort Park instead of Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park (Gilbertsville)! Perish the thought.
- Blue Licks Battlefield (Carlisle) is one of the few places in the world where the federally endangered Short’s Goldenrod grows. IN THE WORLD! See it growing alongside an old bison trace in the Kentucky State Nature Preserve within the park. Short’s Goldenrod Festival is held each September.
- Columbus-Belmont State Park (Columbus)will become a favorite spot for Civil War enthusiasts. You can FEEL the history! The site was a strategic location as the North and the South fought for control of the Mississippi River. This struggle led to the Battle of Belmont on November 7, 1861. Today, you can see the massive anchor used by the South to block Union gunboats. You can also see earthen trenches dug to protect over 19,000 confederate troops. My favorite part? A farmhouse that served as a Civil War hospital is now a museum.
- Grayson Lake State Park‘s (Olive Hill) 18-Hole Hidden Cove Golf Course was ranked #4 by Golf Digest in 2005.
- Carr Creek State Park (Sassafras) has the longest sand beach in Kentucky’s State Park System. Carr Creek Lake was once home to some of the area’s earliest pioneer settlements as early as the 1770’s.
- Pine Mountain State Resort Park (Pineville) was the first Kentucky State Park, created in 1924.
- The upper lobby of the Pine Mountain State Resort Park (Pineville) lodge was built in the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a federally-funded program designed to put young men to work during the years of the great depression.
- Big Bone Lick State Park (Union) has been named by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as a National Natural Landmark.
- E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park (Louisville) was named in honor of Jefferson County Judge/Executive Erbon Powers “Tom” Sawyer who was killed in a car accident on Louisville’s Interstate 64 in 1969 while still in office. If you haven’t heard of E.P. Sawyer, you have undoubtedly heard of his beautiful and intelligent daughter, journalist Diane Sawyer.
- Mineral Mound State Park (Eddyville) has a fascinating history. The beautiful property was once the farm of Willis B. Machen. Machen wore many hats – he was a road builder, bridge builder, lawyer, member of the Kentucky General Assembly, and U.S. Congressman. He was also what you’d call a polarizing figure, but more on that in a minute. Mineral Mound State Park is named for his mansion – a stately home he built overlooking the Cumberland River. His granddaughter, Zelda Sayre spent a lot of time at her grandfather’s place while she was growing up. Zelda would go on to become one of the best known figures of the Jazz age as a short story writer. You may have heard of her husband…. F. Scott Fitzgerald. Willis Machen was a supporter of the Confederacy during the Civil War and even flew a large Confederate flag on his property. This blatant show of support for the Confederacy drew cannon fire from a Union gunboat passing along the Cumberland and damaged his mansion. After the war, Machen and his family laid low in Canada until he was pardoned by President Andrew Jackson. They then returned to Kentucky.
Rough River Dam State Resort Park Picture Gallery Has Been Added
First of all, I’ve added a galley of Rough River Dam State Resort Park Pictures to the Kentucky Pictures (Picture Yourself in Kentucky) section of the website.Ã? I hope you’ll check out the pictures of all the beautiful and fun things to see and do at this wonderfully charming Kentucky State Park.Ã? It’s not as big, flashy, or famous as some of our other state parks, but between you and me, aside from home, I’d just as soon be at Rough River Lake as anywhere in the world.
Second of all, I get a lot of e-mails and contact form entries with questions and comments. I always love to get e-mails and am more than happy (even excited!) to answer questions about Kentucky, Kentucky restaurants, Owensboro, Kentucky State Parks, etc.Ã? It’s a real thrill to recommend a restaurant or park to someone – especially when they respond, afterwards, thanking me for the tip!
Some questions are kind of frequently asked or mentioned, so I thought maybe the best way to clear these up would be in a post. So, here we go!
About Genuine Kentucky
While 98 percent of the people I hear from through Genuine Kentucky are incredibly friendly, courteous, and gracious – there’s the occasional character that comes across as something between rude and jerk.Ã? Genuine Kentucky is not a big wheeling company run by a team of photographers, writers, publishers, and editors. It’s a family operated web publishing business operated right out of our home here in Owensboro. I do the writing, my husband, daughters, and I do the photography, and our cats approve everything before it’s published. They work cheap, so it’s all good.
I LOVE to hear from people who tell me about events or activities going on in their community.Ã? I rely on word of mouth for a lot of my information.Ã? Almost always the people I hear from are polite and gracious, but there have been a few people that came across as “rascals.”
A gentleman once contacted me – aghast that I hadn’t reviewed his restaurant.Ã? He pointed out that I HAD reviewed restaurants in the area, but not his.Ã? He just seemed indignant.
A.Ã? If he was looking for a review, why not be hospitable and gracious enough to say, “I’d love for you to write a review for ___________. Give me your mailing address and I’ll send you a gift card!”
B.Ã? Even though he didn’t ask nicely OR arrange a gift card, I told my husband I’d like to review the restaurant anyway.Ã? We went.Ã? I wrote the review. You’d think that if he could send a snippy message, he could have sent a follow-up thank you, wouldn’t you?Ã? He did not.
I can’t be everywhere all the time, if I could, I’d be eating catfish at this minute in about 10 different places.
There have been a few like this gentleman, but, for the most part, people I hear from are great.� Super great, in fact.
I get a lot of questions about Kentucky State Parks, which is expected since I write about them so often. Below are a few questions I’ve been asked about Kentucky State Parks more than once.
- How much does it cost to get into a Kentucky State Park?Ã? The only thing it costs is a smile – and they don’t even enforce that. Kentucky State Parks are completely free to visit.Ã? They often have events and activities that may, or may not, cost money. Call the park you’re interested in for information about activities and events.Ã? Lodging, of course, costs money – with rates comparable to hotels in the park’s area.Ã? Naturally, if the park has a restaurant, gift shop, golf course, or miniature golf course – you can expect to pay for these.Ã? Rates are unbelievably fair at state parks.
- Do all state parks have a restaurant?Ã? Only parks that are called “Resort Parks” have restaurants. Always eat at a Kentucky State Resort Park’s restaurant when you have the chance to!
- Can you swim in the swimming pools at state resort parks?Ã? The swimming pools are for lodge or cabin guests only. I have learned (just this morning, in fact!) that several resorts have separate community pools as well.Ã? Greenbo Lake has a very active community pool with water slide that sits near the lake; Natural Bridge has a community pool with jets & floor bubblers in a peaceful setting; Cumberland Falls, Blue Licks Battlefield, and Dale Hollow Lake all have community pools for general public/campers as well.Ã? Ã? There is a small entrance fee for those pools, of course.Ã? They sound pretty amazing, don’t they?!
- Why are so many state park beaches closed? I’m afraid we’ll have to take this one up with Mother Nature! Lack of rain has led to a great number of beaches being temporarily closed (as of July 11, 2012).Ã? Visit Kentucky State Park’s Official Website for the phone numbers of individual parks for more information about the beaches.
- Do you have to stay as a guest in a state resort park to eat in the restaurant? I get asked this one often, and that’s a bummer. I love, love, love the restaurants in our Kentucky State Resort Parks and I hate to think that some people are missing out on them because they think they have to be a lodge or cottage guest to enjoy them.Ã? I always tell people that you don’t have to be a guest AT ALL to dine in the restaurant – then I make them promise me that they’ll go as soon as possible!Ã? You can enjoy everything at a State Resort Park (restaurant, tennis courts, golf course, mini golf, boating, fishing, gift shop) without being a guest except for the swimming pool.
I love getting questions and comments about Kentucky State Parks because that means YOU’RE interested – as a huge fan and supporter of our State Park System, that means a whole, whole, whole lot to me – so keep the questions and comments coming.
And remember, be sure to check out the Rough River Dam State Resort Park Pictures!Ã? I’ll be adding more over the next few days, but you can see what I have done so far.Ã? Better still, point your car in the direction of Rough River Dam State Resort Park and see why we love it so much.