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Whether you call it a day trip, a road trip or a staycation, it’s easy to pack up the kids and drive to one of these family-friendly destinations this summer. No need to check on airfare, pay crazy out-of-state amusement park admission fees, or get a passport. Teach your little ones about Kentucky and all that we have to offer. With so many unique things to see and do in our beautiful Bluegrass State, you’ll create memories that will last a lifetime.
Mastodons, Really?
With 46 state parks and historic sites in Kentucky—including 17 state resort parks that boast a lodge—you are sure to find several with attractions that appeal to your family. In northern Kentucky, Big Bone Lick State Historic Site has both new and old for your family to explore. It isn’t called the Birthplace of American Paleontology for nothing. During the Pleistocene era, it was a giant swampy salt lick that attracted the likes of mammoths, mastodons, giant sloths and bison that, unfortunately, got stuck in the muck and died there. The result is centuries worth of massive bones all in one location.
Today, the bones are not scattered about, but the park does have a museum with displays that explain the site, in addition to an outdoor life-size diorama depicting the prehistoric animals splashing in the swamps and noshing on the salt lick. Of course, there are amenities like hiking trails, mini golf and playgrounds, but the stars of the park are the bison. A herd of the giant land mammals roams the area, just as they did thousands of years ago.
Gardens with Gumption
Owensboro is home to the Western Kentucky Botanical Garden, with its declared mission: “To discover, observe and enjoy the wonders of our environment and to provide priceless education in order to foster an awareness of our interaction with nature.”
On this luscious acreage, there are several themed gardens, including a stunning daylily garden, all connected by a winding walking path. The botanical garden is open seven days a week during the summer growing season.
Yew Dell Botanical Gardens in Oldham County offers displays that encompass everything from annuals and perennials to trees and shrubs. On the property of the former Klein family farm and nursery, the gardens are a result of horticulturalist Theodore Klein’s life’s work. After his passing in 1998, the land was purchased by community volunteers who recognized Klein’s amazing commitment to plants and gardening. Stroll the grounds and take in the spectacular displays. The gardens are closed on Mondays.
Large Dose of Kentucky History
Frankfort is a scenic town with a walkable city center, charming restaurants and historic architecture, but, luckily for us, it also is the state capital. A visit to the massive domed Kentucky State Capitol is enough to take your breath away. Completed in 1911, it is where Kentucky’s lawmakers meet, and it is open to visitors Monday through Saturday, April through October.
Also in Frankfort is the Old State Capitol, which was completed in 1830. The House and Senate chambers are furnished with reproduction desks to look as they did back in the day, and the building features some original lighting and windows. Tours are scheduled through the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History. The center offers a 12,000-year walkable journey through the state’s history, showing events, people and artifacts from prehistoric times through today. The Old Capitol and the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History are open Tuesday through Saturday.
Hear the Train a-Comin’
Although trains might have been the main mode of transportation a few generations ago, there are still places Kentucky where you can enjoy a ride on the tracks. At the Big South Fork Scenic Railway in Stearns, trips are offered via the Kentucky & Tennessee Railway through the hills of Appalachia and the Daniel Boone National Forest, with a stopover at the Blue Heron Coal Mining Camp, a former mining community.
The Kentucky Railway Museum in New Haven began with the donation of locomotive No. 152 from the Louisville & Nashville Railroad in the early 1950s. Since then, the museum has acquired passenger cars, memorabilia and even 22 miles of track through the Rolling Fork River Valley. You can take a basic train excursion or specialty trip throughout the year.
At the Historic RailPark and Train Museum in Bowling Green, you and your family can learn about trains inside a former L&N depot that was built in 1925, during the railroad heyday. The park has train cars for touring, including an engine, sleeper, dining car and caboose. There are also a railroad post office car full of slots for mail sorting and the train car that belonged to the president of L&N in 1911. All the cars are either restored or in the process of being restored, but visitors are welcome to c’mon aboard and explore.
Highfalutin Boatin’
On massive Lake Cumberland, with a surface area of more than 65,000 acres, there are loads of water-related activities available. With several marinas in the area, you can easily rent a boat. Pontoons, jet skis and fishing boats are plentiful, but the area is known as the Houseboat Capital of the World, so one of these babies might be right up your alley. Houseboats come in all sizes—whether you need to sleep a few or up to 18 people—and have all the amenities you might never have expected, such as barbecue grills, hot tubs on the roof, and tube slides off the back. Regardless of the size or style of watercraft you select, being on the lake is a beautiful way to view it and the surrounding area.
James Shambhu
A Horse Is a Horse
Kentucky and horses go together like peanut butter and jelly, so introducing the family to equine friends seems like an obvious choice. You can experience the thrill of live Thoroughbred racing at Kentucky tracks during the summer. In Louisville, the Churchill Downs meet runs from April 27 through June 29, Thursday through Sunday. Henderson’s Ellis Park hosts live racing on the weekends, June 30 through Sept. 2.
The Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington is an excellent way to celebrate all horses. Four separate museums there are dedicated to horses, with the International Museum of the Horse and the American Saddlebred Museum being the most popular. Throughout each day, the park hosts a Parade of Breeds Show, Hall of Champions presentation, draft horse demonstrations, and horse and pony rides in addition to other special equine presentations. The park is a working horse farm, and you can take a tour or simply wander around the beautiful grounds on your own and observe the activities.
It’s All on a Peninsula
Kentucky has lots of places to play, but the largest has to be the 170,000-acre Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area at the western end of the state. The land, actually an inland peninsula, was created in the late 1950s, when the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers were impounded. This created Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley and the protected land between. In addition to boating, camping, hunting and fishing, LBL has these family fun attractions:
The Elk and Bison Prairie is a 700-acre enclosed area where these enormous beasts roam free, just as they did centuries ago. The prairie has a 3-mile driving course, so visitors can see how the animals live from the comfort of their car.
Golden Pond Planetarium and Observatory offers educational events and an up-close look at the night sky, even in the daytime. The planetarium presents shows throughout the day with 360-degree surround sound in its 40-foot domed theater.
Woodlands Nature Station features programs about nature and animals as well as the Backyard, a walking path through gardens where you can see native animals that have been injured or orphaned and are not able to live in the wild.
Homeplace 1850s Working Farm and Living History Museum, on land that actually is in Tennessee but is still considered a part of the LBL, has a family of interpreters who show visitors the daily tasks of living—including caring for the livestock and tending the crops—in this area during pre-Civil War years.
Toyota Tour
The Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky plant in Georgetown produces more than 2,000 cars a day. That is certainly a lot of Camrys, Avalons and Lexus ES 350s, but you can see how it is done by hopping on the facility’s tram tour. Three hour-long tours are presented each weekday, with four on Thursday. The tours are free, but everyone in your party needs to be in first grade or older, and reservations are required.
Outfitted with headphones and accompanied by a knowledgeable guide, visitors view various parts of the assembly line and some of the individual parts being made and installed. There are safety and quality checks along the way. The tour is fascinating, and since the factory has more than 7 million square feet of space, you will be glad to be riding the tram.
If You Go:
Big Bone Lick State Historic Site
3380 Beaver Road, Union
859.384.3522
parks.ky.gov/parks/historicsites/big-bone-lick
Big South Fork Scenic Railway
66 Henderson Street, Stearns
606.376.5330
bsfsry.com
Churchill Downs
700 Central Avenue, Louisville
502.636.4400
churchilldowns.com
Ellis Park
300 U.S. 41 N., Henderson
812.425.1456
ellisparkracing.com
Historic Rail Park + Train Museum
401 Kentucky Street, Bowling Green
historicrailpark.com
Kentucky Horse Park
4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington
859.233.4303
kyhorsepark.com
Kentucky Railway Museum
136 South Main Street, New Haven
800.272.0152
kyrail.org
Kentucky State Capitol Building
700 Capital Avenue, Frankfort
capitol.ky.gov
Lake Cumberland Tourism
Somerset
606.679.6394
lctourism.com
Land Between the Lakes
landbetweenthelakes.us
Old State Capitol Building
300 West Broadway, Frankfort
history.ky.gov
Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History
100 West Broadway, Frankfort
history.ky.gov
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky
1001 Cherry BlossomWay, Georgetown
502.868.3027
visittoyotaky.com
Western Kentucky Botanical Garden
25 Carter Road, Owensboro
270.993.1234
wkbg.org
Yew Dell Botanical Gardens
6220 Old La GrangeRoad, Crestwood
502.241.4788
yewdellgardens.org