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2017 Family Adventure Quest at Kentucky State Parks

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Carter Caves State Resort Park

Carter Caves State Resort Park

Although a lot of us Kentuckians woke up to snow on the ground (gotta love that Kentucky weather!), beautiful weather is just around the corner. I know you’re as anxious as I am to get outside and feel the warmth of the sun on your skin.

The Kentucky State Parks always offer perfect opportunities to do just that.

The Kentucky State Parks’ Family Adventure Quest is gearing up for its 12th year and will be offering a convenient online registration (available for the first time).

From the Kentucky State Parks:

Family Adventure Quest is a digital photo scavenger hunt for families or friends that features “quests” at state parks across the state. By correctly answering these quests, your team can qualify for prizes while at the same time experiencing great adventures!

“Thank you, Parks! We love the quest. We enjoy the prizes, but we enjoy the memories even more. I scrapbook our park adventures every year, and those albums are such fun to look back on,” said Kelly May of the May Team in Versailles. They’ve signed up for the fifth year.

Many of this year’s quests are in the form of riddles. Most of them lead teams along to multiple points of interest throughout the park. About one-third of the 28 quests are park-specific, while the remaining can be completed at whatever park you choose.

Teams have until Dec. 1, 2017, to complete as many quests as they can. A digital camera or a camera phone of a minimum of 8 MP is needed to capture your team’s fun along your journey, and your photos just might show up on the park website or Facebook page.

Participants from 6 months old to 78 years young enjoyed the quest in 2016, and once they start, many teams repeat year after year. Thirty-nine teams that signed up in 2016 were repeat participants.

By correctly completing 10 quests, a team will receive a certificate for a one-night stay at a park lodge or campground (Sunday through Thursday) and free passes to park museums or forts. Complete 20 quests and receive the lodge stay and passes, plus a $35 Kentucky State Parks gift card. Complete 25 quests and get the lodge stay, passes and a $60 gift card. If planned properly, the first prize level can be attained by visiting as few as four parks.

A $15 registration fee gets you the quest booklet, a commemorative fishing hat, a flying disc (to be used for a quest), bonus coupons for some of the destinations involved, and informational materials to help you along your way.

More details and registration forms can be found at www.parks.ky.gov (look for the “Family Adventure Quest” button) with a mail-in or online registration option this year. While there, visit the photo gallery of past participants and feedback. You can also pick up a registration form at any Kentucky State Park. Expect to receive your quest kit within 2 weeks of registering.

Early March Events at Woodlands Nature Station in the Land Between the Lakes

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 Red-Tailed Hawk, Nature Station
It’s finally that time of year…. The Nature Station will soon be opening its doors for company!
Without a doubt, one of my favorite places to visit in Kentucky is the Nature Station in the beautiful Land Between the Lakes.  Must have something to do with being a HUGE animal and bird lover.
The entire Land Between the Lakes region is, simply put, a perfectly wonderful place to escape the realities of life. A place you can relax and enjoy the beauty of the great outdoors, while learning a thing or two or fifty. The Nature Station allows you to do all of these while in the company of birds, wolves, deer, turkeys, reptiles, and a host of other furry, scaly, or feathered lovelies who are lucky enough to call The Nature Station HOME.
Below are some upcoming events I know you and your entire family will love.  Any program ever put on by The Nature Station is outstanding – for people of all ages. Just be sure to bring your camera – you’ll want to capture the moments.
Trust Me!
Alligator Snapping Turtle Nature Station, Land Between the Lakes
Thurs, March 2

 

Fri, March 3

 

Sat, March 4

 

Sun, March 5
11:30am-12pm | Snake Feeding Sundays

 

Wed, March 8
Turkeys at the Nature Station

Four Western Kentucky State Parks Getting Some TLC….

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Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park Lodge
Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park’s Beautiful Lodge
If you love the Kentucky State Parks as much as we do, the following press release will excite you as much as it does us. I am SO thankful to Governor Matt Bevin and the General Assembly for looking out for the State Park System. Obviously they recognize what we’ve been saying all along – the state parks in Kentucky are something to be exceptionally proud of.

I hope you’ll see as many as you possibly can this year. And the next… and the next… and the next…

Press Release:

Secretary of Tourism, Arts and Heritage Don Parkinson and Commissioner of Kentucky State Parks Donnie Holland announced today that four western Kentucky State Park resorts will receive an estimated $3.7 million in safety and aesthetic improvements over the next two years. A video of the event is available here.

The funding is part of the $18 million approved this year by Gov. Matt Bevin and the General Assembly. The improvements include structural repairs, painting and interior and exterior upgrades. The work for the “Refreshing the Finest” campaign will be carried out through 2017.

“Kentucky State Parks have an $889 million impact on the economy of Kentucky,” said Sec. Parkinson. “This funding will ensure that these parks receive much needed upgrades.”

(Continued Below…)

Colorful Kenlake Marina

A Colorful Part of Kenlake’s Marina

Planned upgrades at the four resort parks include painting and repairing the exterior of the lodge and convention center at Lake Barkley State Resort Park; lodge repairs and painting at Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park; painting the tennis center and lodge at Kenlake State Resort Park; and repairing and painting some cottages at Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park.

Much of the work currently underway is being carried out by Kentucky State Park crews, Holland said. Additional projects will be put out for bid.

“We’re glad to have this funding to start addressing some of the needs at our state parks,” Holland said. “It won’t cover all of our needs, but it’s a good start.”

Local leaders in attendance were glad to hear the news.

“The South West Kentucky Economic Development Council applauds this funding effort for our state parks system. Tourism is an essential component to economic growth in the Commonwealth.” – Liana Mitchell Wallace (Executive Director)

“The local communities are proud to see the investment in our state parks. The parks are economic catalysts for these communities,” said Bill Stevens, executive director of the Cadiz-Trigg County Tourist Commission.

For more information about Kentucky State Parks, visit www.parks.ky.gov

An Old Kentucky Garden Party at My Old Kentucky Home State Park

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If you’ve ever been to Bardstown, you know what I mean when I say this is a very special Kentucky town. If you’ve never visited Bardstown, here’s your chance!

Enjoy an evening full of Kentucky history in the newly landscaped gardens at Federal Hill by Jon Carloftis at “An Old Kentucky Garden Party” on April 28 from 5:30-8 p.m., at My Old Kentucky Home State Park in Bardstown.

The event will feature photographs from Linda Bruckheimer’s “Local Color: Scenes from the Kentucky Roadside” collection, the Stephen Foster Story Singers, southern hors d’oeuvres, mint juleps and Kentucky spirits.

Bruckheimer, a Kentucky native, has been recognized for her preservation and philanthropic work across the country. She has restored numerous buildings in Bloomfield and in 2012, Preservation Kentucky established the Linda Bruckheimer Excellence in Rural Preservation Award.  Her photography is inspired by a road trip from Kentucky to Hollywood. An Old Kentucky Garden Party

Carloftis, also a Kentucky native, is an award-winning garden designer, writer, author and lecturer. His 25-year career in gardening began in New York City where he designed and installed rooftop gardens in Manhattan.

The event will benefit Preservation Kentucky and the Kentucky State Park Foundation. Tickets are $75 per person. For more information, call 502-871-4570 or visit preservationkentucky.org.

 

Kentucky News: New Boat Ramp Open at Kentucky Dam Village

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New Boat Ramp at Kentucky Dam Village

Kentucky Department of Parks News Release:

The boat ramp at Kentucky Dam Marina on Kentucky Lake has reopened to boat launching following a reconstruction project.

The ramp, located within Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park in Marshall County, closed Nov. 30, 2015. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ Engineering Division, working on behalf of the state’s Department of Parks, replaced the old ramp with a new five-lane ramp featuring 14-foot wide lanes.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife maintains a database of fishing and boating access sites on its website at fw.ky.gov. On the department’s homepage, click the “Fish” tab and choose “Where to Fish” from the dropdown menu.

Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park has a lodge, cottages, campground, restaurant, 18-hole golf course, marina, gift shop and many other recreational opportunities. The resort is 21 miles southeast of Paducah. Take Interstate 24 to Exit 27. For information, call 270-362-4271 or visit the park webpage.

"When reading about a Kentucky event, please be sure you check the date. Old events are not always deleted from the website. If you have an event you'd like to see on Genuine Kentucky or a 'Made in Kentucky' food or product you'd like reviewed, please contact us! " ~ Joi ("Joy")

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