Kentucky Vacation Ideas
More than just horse racing and Bourbon, Kentucky has a diverse landscape, variety of wildlife and plentiful waterways make Kentucky a great getaway for any outdoors enthusiast and American History Buff.
Kentucky is full of Pioneer trails that you and the family can experience first hand.
From caving, hiking, biking, camping, golf, fishing, boating and paddle sports like kayaking to rock climbing, Kentucky is an adventure for families or the individual adventurer.
A large part of Kentucky still in its natural state with many museums and state park run tours to explain the rich pioneering history of the area.
Considered to be one of the nations best park systems the Commonwealth of Kentucky offers 17 state resort parks (more than any other state) and 24 state recreational parks.
Kentucky's 52 State Parks make it easy to view the outdoors wherever you travel.
Each park has its own unique attributes, from shorelines to relax on, majestic mountains and enchanting woodlands to winding caves for the explorer in all of us.
With over 250 miles of trails suitable for all levels of enjoyment Kentucky is a place that is sure to please.
Mammoth Cave National Park
Mammoth Cave is the world's longest cave system, with more than 365 miles explored.
Preserving the cave system and a part of the Green River valley and hilly country of south central Kentucky Mammoth Cave N.P. is a sure thing for a great vacation. Its seemingly limitless chambers and complex labyrinths will bring out the childlike amazement in all of us.
Moonbow
Few places in the world frequently feature the moonbow phenomenon. Witness this rarity in Cumberland falls at night and fish the river during the day.
Kentucky is also a great opportunity to teach yourself and the children about the planets and the night sky. One of my favorite things to do is look for constellations and for just a few dollars you can pick up a star finder. It's not hard to do and it is a lifetime of knowledge and fun for everyone.
Recreational Parks
Kentucky is full of rustic lodges with all the amenities of home or feel free to setting up camp and enjoy the beautiful scenery like the pioneers before you had done.
Many Kentucky recreational parks offer a chance to go back in time to the days of Kentucky's earliest settlement or to the Civil War.
If that is not far enough back Kentucky can take you as far back as the Pleistocene Era when a great sheet of ice covered the area and mastodons and wooly mammoths roamed freely.
Big Bone Lick State Park
Get your Kentucky fishing license for this fisherman's paradise, a 7.5-acre lake contains largemouth bass, bluegill, and catfish for bank fishing.
If you are not one to fish you can visit this state park to get an up close look at an American Buffalo herd.
In ancient times creatures like the mammoth, mastodon, ground sloth and bison roamed through mineral springs and swamps.
Now these grassy plains are covered with trees and shrubs waiting for you to camp and explore.
Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park
Between 1774 and 1796, more than 200,000 pioneers traveled over the Wilderness Road and Boone's Trace during the settlement of Kentucky.
Today these rolling, wooded hills are a beautiful and informative place to visit in the summer and fall.
With a historic site that honors the brave pioneers who settle Kentucky, Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park will spark your imagination.
Visitors to the park can retrace the footsteps of these early pioneers on eight-and-one-half miles of hiking trails that include original portions of these historic throughways.
Campers can relax in a 146 site full service campground tucked away in the open woodlands. You will find utility hookups, a grocery store, a dump station, and three central service buildings containing an activities room, showers, rest rooms, and laundry facilities.
Also visit the Mountain Life Museum understand what a pioneer settlement really was. All buildings are filled with pioneer relics including tools, products of agriculture and household implements.
This is one a small portion of the Kentucky experience. So pack up and enjoy your Kentucky vacation.