Kentucky State Resort Parks | Genuine Kentucky

2018 Easter Buffets at Kentucky State Resort Parks

March 7, 2018 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Kenlake State Resort Park’s Lodge

As I’m typing this information about Easter Buffets at Kentucky State Parks, I am seriously (I mean SERIOUSLY) wishing I was sitting in one of the Park’s restaurants with my husband enjoying a cup of their wonderful coffee. Their coffee is the stuff legends are made of.

I am unable to eat very often at the restaurants any longer because, for health reasons, I have to eat gluten-free. Unfortunately (as of now), the restaurants do not offer gluten-free menus or information. I have, however, gotten their hamburgers (off bun, of course) and had ZERO problems. I’ve also eaten salads off of their salad buffets.

I really, really, really hope that sometime in the near future the wonderful Parks will offer more in the way of gluten-free options and information because, quite frankly, I miss dining with them!

The 2018 Easter Buffet

Kentucky State Parks will be serving the annual Easter buffet April 1 at 15 resort park restaurants.

The menu includes beef carved on the line, baked country ham and local favorites. The meal will also include fresh fruit, a cheese bar, garden vegetables, salad and desserts.

The price for adults is $19.50, and children (12 and under) are $9.50, not including tax. The price does not include a beverage. The buffet will be served starting at noon with various ending times.

Buckhorn Lake and Kenlake state resort parks will not be serving the Easter buffet. All other resort parks will host the buffet.

Several parks are planning egg hunts and other activities for guests. For more information, or to make lodging reservations, visit www.parks.ky.gov.

NOTE: When you get a chance to support our State Parks in any way, shape or form, please do so. Eat at their restaurants, shop in their gift shops, and partake in all they have to offer. I want them to be available for our children and grand-children for years and years to come!

Kentucky State Resort Parks: Coffeehouses Can’t Compare When it Comes to Scenery!

March 29, 2017 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

My husband, Michael, and I are known to eat at Kentucky State Resort Parks pretty often. We ate at the parks more frequently before I had to stop eating gluten/wheat – but, as it is, I pretty much just order food I’m sure are “safe” for me to eat. For example, I feel completely confident ordering one of their delicious burgers off of a bun and I have no qualms whatsoever about making a salad off of their always colorful and delicious salad bars.

Whenever we DO eat at a Kentucky State Resort Park, we always, always, always enjoy a cup of coffee after our meal. The Kentucky State Parks have some of the most consistently delicious coffee you ever tasted. Whereas Starbucks coffee is generally a 6, Ky State Park coffee is a perfect 10. Each and every time.

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We’re so fond of their coffee, in fact, that sometimes when we aren’t even hungry, we stop by a State Park simply to enjoy a cup of coffee in an especially relaxing atmosphere. There’s nothing quite like great coffee with great conversation (usually about UK basketball or football or St. Louis Cardinals baseball!), followed by a walk around the beautiful park.

It’s an experience I highly recommend.

Not only is the coffee simply better, but coffeehouse can’t even begin to compare with a state park when it comes to scenery.

The pictures in this post are from a trip this past summer to Rough River Dam State Resort Park.

Now that the weather’s warming up, I can’t wait to get out and visit as many Kentucky State Parks as possible.

One thing is for certain…. the coffee will be flowing!

Four Western Kentucky State Parks Getting Some TLC….

July 6, 2016 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park Lodge

Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park’s Beautiful LodgeIf 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.”

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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

Kentucky State Parks: Last Minute Christmas Shopping in Kentucky

December 12, 2012 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Looking for original and unexpected last minute Christmas gifts your family and friends will love? Look no further than your nearest Kentucky State Park’s gift shop. The one pictured above is the beautiful gift shop at Rough River Dam State Resort Park in Falls of Rough, Kentucky. Rough River has one of my favorite gift shops. Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park, Lake Cumberland State Resort Park, Lake Barkley State Resort Park (gorgeous lodge, gorgeous gift shop!), and Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park also have great gift shops.

One of the friendliest people I think I’ve ever met was a woman working in the Pennyrile Forest State Park’s gift shop. Her smile lit up the entire lodge. She has a warmth about her that made you think, “I wish there were more people like you in the world.”

To be perfectly honest, I’m somewhat obsessed with Kentucky State Park gift shops (just ask my husband) and could, literally, spend hundreds of dollars in one trip (again…. just ask the husband). I don’t care who’s on your gift list, you’ll find something that’ll blow them out of their chair.

Kentucky State Park gift shops have a little bit of everything. Things like…

Kentucky Cookbooks – with recipes you absolutely will not find anywhere else. These are true, legit Kentucky cookbooks featuring recipes passed down from generations of Kentucky cooks like our grandparents and great grandparents. As a cookbook collector (with a collection numbering in the hundreds), I promise you, these cookbooks are the best in the world. Why? Kentucky food is the best in the world. I’ve also found a lot of other types of books in Kentucky State Park gift shops – historical books, bird guides, regional guides, etc. Great stuff for book lovers.
Toys and Candy – perfect stocking stuffers.
Kentucky food! I always, always, always have at least 3 jars of jams, jellies, preserves, and local honey I’ve bought at a Kentucky State Park. You’ll also find BBQ Sauce, relish, and other food items that’d be fantastic as gifts and equally fantastic on your holiday table. Don’t tell, but here’s something I’d love to do for my aunt and uncle this Christmas: Grab a great looking basket, line it with colorful tissue paper, and fill it with Kentucky food from Rough River Dam State Resort Park’s gift shop (the park closest to us). They would have enough jams, jellies, honey, coffee, relish, and BBQ sauce to last all year – and they’d think of us each time they enjoyed them. Win/Win!
Coffee Mugs. This is something else I collect and I’ve found some of my favorite coffee mugs in these gift shops. They’ll often have the most amazingly gorgeous pictures of local wildlife and birds on them along with “Kentucky” or the name of the state park. Packaged with a bag of coffee beans (or ground coffee), one or two mugs makes a perfect gift.
Candles, Soaps, and Other Kentucky Crafts. Who doesn’t love candles?!
T-Shirts, Hats, Etc. You can also find clothing and accessories in a lot of the Kentucky State Park gift shops.
More Kentucky Handcrafts, Dishes, Knick Knacks…. I couldn’t possibly list all of the beautiful gifts you could find in these gift shops. Suffice to say, you’ll find more than you could ever hope for. You’ll know you’re giving a great, high-quality gift that’s also unique and completely unexpected. That’s my favorite kind of gifts to give!

If you have the time, try to hit several Kentucky State Resort Park gift shops. Here’s a perfect day, in my book:

Have breakfast (and coffee) at one state resort park, enjoy the scenery, take a few pictures, and shop in the gift shop.
Head for your second resort park – have lunch in the lodge’s restaurant (the hamburgers and catfish sandwiches are awesome, but so are the soup and salad bars), look around, take pictures, and shop in the gift shop.
Take off for the third resort park! Eat dinner in the lodge’s restaurant, shop in the gift shop, then head home with your loot!

Awwww… what a perfect day.

See the Kentucky State Parks Official Website for Resort Park locations, so you can map out your big day. You’ll also learn more about their gift shops and restaurants.

We wish you and your loved ones the most magical and beautiful Christmas ever!

Picture of the Day: Breakfast at Rough River Dam State Resort Park!

September 20, 2012 by Joi Sigers 2 Comments

Rough River Dam State Resort Park‘s lodge has a wonderful restaurant called Grayson’s Landing. Their breakfasts, alone, are worth staying overnight at the lodge (or in their cottages).Ã?Â However, you don’t have to be a guest of the lodge or cottages to enjoy any of the great meals served at Grayson’s Landing.

All you have to do is show up!

I don’t care where you live, getting up early and driving to Grayson’s Landing for breakfast is MORE than worth it. The wooded, scenic lake view from the windows, the best coffee in the state, and food that is so good it should come with a warning label.Ã?Â The aroma, alone, brings you to your knees when you walkÃ?Â into the restaurant in the morning.

Rough River Dam State Resort Park is celebrating their lodge’s 50th anniversary this weekend, so what better time to show up hungry?! Whether it’s for breakfast, lunch, or dinner – you’ll find the food to be better than excellent and the coffee???Ã?Â Let’s just say you won’t turn down a single refill.Ã?Â Kentucky State Parks have better coffee than Starbucks or any restaurant you can name. Take it from this coffee addict, I know my coffee like Cookie Monster knows cookies.Ã?Â It has a similar effect now that I think about it.

To celebrate the anniversary, Rough River is offering a special lodge room rate of $62 a night (Sunday Sept. 23, 2012Ã?Â through Thursday Sept. 27, 2012).Ã?Â Think about it, you can stay in a beautiful lodge room, then walk to Grayson’s Landing and have a breakfast you’ll be talking about for months.