things to do in the Land Between the Lakes

Wildlife Celebration at Woodlands Nature Station: May 27-29, 2017

May 16, 2017 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Gorgeous Great Horned Owl

Woodlands Nature Station is one of our favorite places to visit in the Land Between the Lakes. The animals and birds are simply breathtaking and we, literally, see (and photograph) something new each time we visit… which is, trust me, OFTEN.

The Nature Station will have their annual Wildlife Celebration, Memorial Day Weekend, Saturday through Monday, May 27-29, 2017. Nature Station admission is $5 age 13 and up, $3 age 5-12, and free for ages 4 and under.

Guests can learn all about nature’s superheroes, visit with Smokey Bear and find ways they can assist wildlife in the Nature Station’s backyard at Land Between the Lakes. Special event programs are included with standard admission unless otherwise noted.

“Join us to help celebrate the diversity and complexity of native wildlife through a fun superhero theme. Bring the whole family and see wolves, turkeys and bats in a whole new way,” says Monica West, Land Between the Lakes naturalist. “We’re also offering two canoe trips that weekend for people to view wildlife from the water. We usually see a lot of native birds, mammals and reptiles along the shoreline and on the water during these outings.”

{Continued Below….}

White-Breasted Nuthatch

Nestled in the woods between Honker and Hematite lakes, the Nature Station serves as a gateway to the 6,800-acre Nature Watch Area. The friendly and very knowledgeable staff also serve as “go to” specialists for wildlife viewing throughout Land Between the Lakes.

One of the coolest things about the Nature Station is that, in addition to their many wonderful resident birds, animals, turtles, and snakes, you’ll see birds and animals who also choose to call this paradise home. A cage doesn’t keep them sticking around… appreciation for being treated like royalty does! We are a couple of the biggest bird lovers you’ll ever meet. We don’t just have one “feeding station” in our yard… we have multiple feeding stations, suet feeders, houses, and too many feeders to count. So, we are very familiar with seeing a variety of birds. Yet, we STILL see birds at the Nature Station we don’t see regularly in our own yard.

You’ll also frequently see squirrels who call this beautiful place home. If you’re lucky, you might even see a skunk or two (pictured below)! We’ve had that great honor a couple of times. Other visitors to the center looked at me like I was “half crazy” when I stepped closer and got down on their level to take a picture. My husband just smiled as if to say, “If you think she’s half-crazy, you’re underestimating her.”

Gotta admit he’s right. When it comes to animals, I’m off my chain. That’s why The Nature Station is one of my favorite places on earth. They’re my kind of people.

{Continued Below the Cute Little Stinker….}

Adorable Skunk at the Nature Station Last Autumn

Something that I love about the staff (aside from the friendliness and eagerness to “brag” on the beauties they care for) is that, it seems, each member has an “area of expertise.” One may know everything there is to possibly know about wolves while another could tell you things you’d never even imagined about owls. One may be a walking turtle encyclopedia while another knows more about turkeys than the turkeys know themselves.

They even have a resident snake expert who seems to love snakes as much as I love my cats. Go figure!

Wildlife Celebration Events:

Saturday, May 27, 2017

10am-4pm – Be a Hero for Turtles
10am-4pm – Be a Hero for Hurt and Orphaned Animals
11:30am – Owls: X-Men of the Sky
1pm – Transformer Turkeys
2:30pm – Bats: Power Behind the Caped Crusader
3:30pm – Red Wolves: Wookiees of the Land Between the Lakes
6-8:30pm–Sunset Canoe Trip ($25; Reservations required; call 270-924-2020)

Sunday, May 28, 2017

10am-4pm – Be a Monarch Butterfly Buddy
11:30am – Just-hiss League of America
1:30pm – Fantastic Four of Lake and Shore
2:30pm – Captain America: The Bald Eagle
3:30pm – Nature Station Daredevil
6-8:30pm–Family Sunset Canoe Trip ($25; Reservations required;
call 270-924-2020)

Monday, May 29, 2017

10am-4pm – Throughout the day–visits with Smokey Bear
10am-4pm – Be a Scientist Hero for Nature
11:30am – Who’s the Real Flash?
1:30pm – Be A Superhero for Baby Birds
3:30pm – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Call 270-924-2020 to pre-register for guided canoe trips Monday-Friday, 8am-4:30pm. Daily canoe and kayak rentals start Saturday, May 27, 10am-4pm, weather permitting. For more details, call 270-924-2299.

The Elk and Bison Prairie: Winter Is a Wonderful Time to Visit

February 3, 2017 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Elk in the Elk and Bison Prairie January 2017

As I said in a previous post, there is no bad time to visit the Elk and Bison Prairie in the Land Between the Lakes. While you automatically think of Spring and Summer as wonderful times to visit (and they are!), winter and autumn are also perfect opportunities to see wildlife, as these pictures prove.

You are often able to get SO close to the elk and bison – affording you beautiful pictures and, more importantly, memories that’ll last a lifetime.

Just be sure you put your camera or iPhone down every now and then and simply enjoy the beauty and peacefulness of this one-of-a-kind place.

The past few (read: 6-8) times we’ve been to the Elk & Bison Prairie, the credit card machine at the gate has been broken – so be sure to have $5 with you in cash. It’s just $5 per car and you can drive around the prairie as often as you like.

Click through the gallery below for more Elk & Bison Prairie Pictures. Of course, to TRULY appreciate this amazing prairie and its gorgeous residents, plan a visit to the Land Between the Lakes and Elk & Bison Prairie as soon as possible.

These animals are just amazing. The Elk on this visit just seemed to pose for me. See the big guy in the last picture in the gallery below? He had been giving me all kinds of great pictures looking forward, then all of a sudden he struck a “profile” pose and I snapped away.

A photographer loves it when their models work it!

Elk and Bison Prairie in the Land Between the Lakes

Happy 38th Anniversary Homeplace 1850s Farm!

September 15, 2016 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

The Homeplace in the Land Between the Lakes

As I said in my last post, about the Nature Station, my favorite time to visit the Land Between the Lakes attractions is right about now – late summer and autumn. Smaller crowds and cooler weather simply make it easier to enjoy these very special places.

The wonderful Homeplace 1850s Working Farm and Living History Museum celebrates its 38^th Anniversary from Saturday-Monday, October 8, 9, and 10.

Throughout the weekend, visitors can enjoy programs demonstrating 1850 farm life, including a quilting bee, woodstove cooking, and more. General admission to the Homeplace is $5 ages 13 and up, $3 ages 5-12, and free for ages 4 and under.

“Celebrate with us and enjoy some of the most popular programs we’ve offered at the Homeplace over the past 38 years,” said Cindy Earls, Homeplace Lead Interpreter. “Programs this weekend are perfect for everyone, including home educators.”

Visitors may benefit from Fun Cards, which offer 10 regular admissions for $35, or Discount Packages. Details can be found at www.landbetweenthelakes.us/visit/passes/. Fourth grade students can also go to https://everykidinapark.gov/, get their Every Kid in a Park pass, and get in for free! For more information call 931-232-6457.

Saturday, October 8

10am-12pm “Aww, Shucks!”: Celebrating Corn
1-3pm All About Tobacco

Sunday, October 9

10am-3pm A Quilting Bee
2-3pm “Beasts of Burden”: The Mighty Ox in 1850

Monday, October 10

10am-12pm Dinner Time on the Farm

Also See:

The One-of-a-Kind 1850s Homeplace in the LBL

Top 10 Things I Love About the Homeplace

Outdoor Kids Festival at Woodlands Nature Station (Land Between the Lakes)

September 15, 2016 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

I am positively obsessed with the Nature Station (and all of the Land Between the Lakes, actually). I watch my calendar like a hawk each spring, waiting for opening day. I love every visit – during the spring, summer, and autumn – but, if we’re being absolutely honest, my favorite time to visit the Nature Station is right about now – during the end of summer and first of fall.

There are a few reasons…

cooler temperatures mean you can spend more time looking around and enjoying the beautiful outdoors
smaller crowds
this is one of my favorite times of year, so combine it with one of my favorite areas… win/win!

The Outdoor Kids Festival at Woodlands Nature Station will be from Saturday and Sunday (10 am – 5 pm), October 8^th and 9^th.

What better way to spend Columbus Day Weekend than with your family, learning about the great outdoors and the beautiful animals and birds that call it home. Nature Station admission is $5 ages 13 and up, $3 ages 5-12, and free for ages 4 and under.

“Families will have a weekend full of fun outdoor activities. These activities may spark a new interest or hobby and help kids and adults enjoy a fun and educational fall break,” says John Pollpeter, Nature Station Lead Naturalist. “Visitors will learn about animal track and tree identification, compass skills, canoeing, cooking on a campfire, and much more.”

Regular visitors may benefit from Fun Cards, which offer 10 regular admissions for $35, or Discount Packages. Details can be found atwww.landbetweenthelakes.us/visit/passes/.

Fourth grade students can go towww.everykidinapark.gov/, get their Every Kid in a Park pass, and get in for free. For more information, call 270-924-2299 or https://www.landbetweenthelakes.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/4thGradePass_QA_2016_3_19.pdf.

{Schedule Below…}

Saturday, October 8

Throughout the day Meet Smokey Bear (scheduled appearances)
Throughout the day CSI: Campsite Scene Investigator
11am-12pm Getting Sneaky with Mother Nature
11am-4pm Here Fishy, Fishy: Basic Fishing Skills
1-1:30pm Venom!
1:30-3:30 Make Your Own Animal Tracks Guide
2-2:45pm Kid vs. Wild: Outdoor Survival Skills for Kids
3:30-4:15pm Critters in the Campground
4:30pm Parade of Raptors
4:30-6:30pm Can U Canoe? Sunset Canoe Trip

($25 per canoe; reservation required; call 270-924-2020)

Sunday, October 9

Throughout the day CSI: Campsite Scene Investigator
11am-3:30pm Cooking Over a Campfire Demonstration
11:30am-12pm For Goodness Snakes
1-3pm Make Your Own Tree ID Guide
2-3:30pm Help! I’m Lost and I Can’t Get Home: Basic Compass Skills
3:30-4pm Rut and Strut
4:30pm Parade of Raptors

To find more information about Land Between the Lakes, log on to the official website at www.landbetweenthelakes.us or call 1-800-LBL-7077 or 270-924-2000.

Woodlands Nature Station in the Land Between the Lakes: An Animal Lover’s Paradise

March 24, 2016 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Beautiful Red Wolf (Those Eyes!)As I said in my last post, Turkeys Strutting Their Stuff at Woodlands Nature Station, no two visits to the Nature Station in the Land Between the Lakes are the same. You’ll see different animals and birds doing different things each time.

While our recent visit found feisty turkeys taking center stage, a host of other beautiful animals also made our day extra, extra special.

The best way to enjoy these animals is, of course, in person, but pictures are the next best thing. I hope these pictures – as well as the other pictures of Woodlands Nature Station on Genuine Kentucky – will inspire you to visit them soon and visit them often.

There are a lot more birds and animals (a bobcat that’s one of my favorite things in the world, owls, an adorable possum, etc…) than the ones shown below, these are simply the ones who were wide awake during the time we were there. There are also snakes indoors but, we have a treaty – I avoid them, they avoid me. If you aren’t saddled with a phobia the size of Texas, you’d probably enjoy them.

Red Wolf

I love animals the way other people love oxygen. They are everything. One of my favorite things is to see how wild animals and our pets sometimes behave similarly. I love to see “big” cats exhibiting some of the same mannerisms my own cats do. I think it’s just too cute for words.

On our recent visit, a coyote and a red wolf both did a few things that reminded me of domesticated dogs. The coyote stood up at his (her?) fence, anticipating lunch. The wolf walked around her (his?) beautiful domain, then laid on the ground for a nap JUST like a German Shepherd we had used to do – right on her belly with her legs kicked out behind her.

Too cute!

Ground Hog

The ground hog apparently keeps a different schedule than we do because most of the time he’s napping while we’re at the Nature Station. This particular afternoon, however, he was wide awake. I’d almost forgotten how adorable he is!

I would have taken more pictures of this little cutie, but I was promptly distracted by turkeys who all but demanded our attention.

Eagle

The word Majestic doesn’t seem to cut it, does it? Like the other animals and birds at The Nature Station, this gorgeous eagle could not survive on his own. This is a wonderful chance to see one of the most beautiful animals in the world up close.

Deer and Turkeys

The deer and turkeys have an amazingly beautiful home at the Nature Station. The entire setting is so uncommonly peaceful and relaxing, I could just sit and watch them all day.

Turkeys at the Nature Station in the Land Between the Lakes (LBL)

Turkeys and Deer at the Nature Station in the LBL

Turkeys at the Nature Station in the LBL

Coyote

Like the Red Wolf, the coyote reminds me so much of a pet… not that I’d EVER make the mistake of treating her/him as such. I’m an animal lover, but I’m not a dumb one. The way it watched for lunch was too cute for words.

Turtles

There are turtles outside at the Nature Station in a wonderful enclosure – complete with their own pond. There are some smaller guys inside – near the you-know-whats that I don’t even glance at. Turtle lovers, like my youngest daughter, will get a huge kick out of these beauties.