Thank you for joining us for another week of our special series, A Walk In the Park, State Park Spotlight. In this series, we journey to a different state each week to learn about its local state parks. This week we will be visiting Kentucky. You may not have even heard of these state parks and all their beauty even if you live there. You may just be looking for someplace new to explore. We invite you to join us in learning about the state parks in each of the 50 states. Now, let’s journey to Kentucky.

Barren River Lake State Resort Park
1149 State Park Road
Lucas, KY 42156
(270) 646-2151

Barren River Lake State Park is the perfect place for a family vacation! With a 51 room lodge overlooking the 10,000 acre lake and full amenities, there is truly something here for everyone to fall in love with. You can go boating or fishing on the lake and take a swim at the Barren River State Resort Park Beach. You can also go camping if you want to rough it. It’s perfect for year around camping since there are tons of outdoor activities. Activities available also include basketball, bird watching and biking.  If you are looking for even more fun you can get in a game of volleyball, tennis or go horseback riding. So leave the mobile devices at home and let’s play!

After a picnic, take the kids to the playground and visit the gift shop for some cool souvenirs of your trip. Barren River Lake State Park is located in a beautiful, scenic part of Kentucky. The park hosts Glasgow Highland Games, a festival celebrating Scottish heritage on the first weekend in June. Thousands of people attend this popular event each year. If you are looking for someplace new to visit, you will be impressed with everything this state park has to offer. Make sure to place in advance and get the best camping spots early!

Photo Property of: http://www.breakspark.com

Breaks Interstate Park
627 Commission Circle
Breaks, VA 24607
(276) 865-4413

180 million years ago, in an area that now spans across Kentucky and Virginia, a large sea receded,and left a veritable cradle of botany in it’s place. Fractal ferns, galax, colts foot, tea berries and countless fungi and moss species color an undergrowth of greens with yellows, oranges and pinks. Breaks Interstate Park is a mesmerizing, beautiful place that will have you feeling as if you don’t know what to look at first. You can stay in a woodland cottage or go camping in a tent or a lakefront log cabins. No matter which you choose, the views are breathtaking!

Enjoy the scenery and spend your days biking, hiking or bird watching. Go for a swim or even go rafting. This state park is filled with exciting and fun things to do. You can learn geocaching here or relax at the outdoor theater with music or a movie. There are more than 25 miles of hiking trails that vary in intensity so anyone can enjoy a few hours of hiking. There is always something to do here; you’ll never get bored and will want to bring your family back year after year! (photo property of http://www.breakspark.com)

Carter Caves State Resort Park
344 Caveland Dr.
Olive Hill, KY 41164
(606) 286-4411

The caves at Carter Caves are some of the most impressive in the state.Located in Carter County, the Carter and Cascade Cave system is comprised of more than 20 caverns. Four of them are open and you can go on a tour of each of them. Bat Cave is the largest cave in the park and is open only in the summer. It’s the home of about 40,000 bats called Myotis that hibernate there in the winter. This is truly an amazing park with a very rich and interesting history.

During your visit, you can stay at Caveland Lodge, play on a nine-hole regulation golf course or just play a fun game of miniature golf followed by a picnic with the family. The beautiful fieldstone lodge has 28 rooms with full amenities. That’s perfect for family reunions or corporate events! Each room has a private balcony or patio overlooking the surrounding woodlands. Can you imagine how peaceful this would be? Looking for more activity? Go mining for gems, boating, hiking fishing, horseback riding, swimming and so much more. This is another awesome park for a family vacation.

All photographs belong to http://parks.ky.gov/. You can visit their website for more information on planning your visit and to reserve your stay at a Kentucky State Park.

Have you had the opportunity to visit Kentucky and any of it’s state parks? Which of these would you like to visit? I would love for you to share this post using the social media buttons below and share your thoughts!

Additional Walk in the Park State by State Spotlight
Alabama State Parks
Alaska State Parks
Arizona State Parks
Arkansas State Parks
California State Parks
Colorado State Parks
Connecticut State Parks
Delaware State Parks
Florida State Parks
Georgia State Parks
Hawaiian State Parks
Iowa State Parks
Illinois State Parks
Indiana State Parks
Iowa State Parks
Kansas State Parks
Kentucky State Parks
Louisiana State Parks