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.