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Credit: KY State Parks
Tickets are on sale for the annual “Owl Prowl Weekend” at Lake Barkley State Resort Park on April 20-21.
The weekend features nighttime van tours that last about three hours looking for owls and other wildlife. Tickets include programs that start at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. The Saturday night program features live owls from the World Bird Sanctuary The van tours start at 9 p.m.
Tickets are $35 a person. Limited seating is available. For tickets or additional information call the lodge at 270-924-1131 or email nick.edmonds@ky.gov
In addition to a lodge, the park includes cottages, the Windows on the Water Restaurant, a seasonal campground, 18-hole golf course, fitness center with indoor pool, marina, fishing, tennis courts, hiking trails, gift shop, and recreational and nature programming. The park is near Cadiz and the Land Between the Lakes, at 3500 State Park Road just off Interstate 24. Exit at Highway 68. From the exit go west toward Cadiz and the park.
Credit: KY State Parks
Golfers can get a 20 percent discount off the normal rate at all Kentucky State Parks golf courses Monday through Thursday through May 24, 2018.
You can get the discount by reserving a tee time online at http://parks.ky.gov/golf/tee-times/
The discount does not apply to overnight golf packages.
The park system offers excellent play at courses across the state. Parks with courses in western Kentucky include Kentucky Dam Village, Lake Barkley, Mineral Mound, Pennyrile Forest, Barren River Lake and John James Audubon, a 9-hole course. Courses in central and southern Kentucky include My Old Kentucky Home, Lincoln Homestead, Dale Hollow Lake and General Burnside Island. Eastern Kentucky courses include Grayson Lake, Yatesville Lake and Pine Mountain.
For phone numbers and other information about golf at Kentucky State Parks, visit http://parks.ky.gov/golf/
Credit: KY State Parks
Kenlake State Resort Park has launched a new food service model at the Aurora Landing Restaurant.
Overnight guests at Kenlake’s lodge and cottages receive an inclusive breakfast weekdays from 6-10 a.m. and from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (Saturday and Sunday brunch starts at 11 a.m.)
The other new offering is a daily reception in the lounge from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Guests ages 21 and over receive two drink vouchers and a variety of snacks will be served. All reservations made beginning March 5, 2018, will include the breakfast and drink vouchers. Reservations made prior to that date will not include the breakfast and drink vouchers.
The restaurant will not serve lunch or dinner. However, catering for meetings and other gatherings is still available. The park marina also has a restaurant.
With this new model, Kenlake will also not be hosting the Easter buffet.
Two nearby state parks, Lake Barkley and Kentucky Dam Village state resort parks, also have restaurants that are open for all three meals daily. Both will be hosting the annual Easter buffet on April 1.
For more information about Kenlake State Resort Park, call 270-474-2211 or visit: http://parks.ky.gov/parks/resortparks/kenlake/
Credit: KY State Parks
Barren River Lake State Resort Park will host its Sandhill Cranes tours on two weekends in late January, 2018.
Thousands of sandhill cranes make Barren River Lake a winter stop as they congregate in huge numbers to migrate. The lake’s exposed mud flats in winter provide the birds with a perfect spot to rest and socialize as they settle in for the night. Area farmlands and wet meadows offer plenty of food.
Sandhill cranes are tall, gray birds reaching heights up to 4 feet, weighing up to 12 pounds with a wingspan of 6-7 feet. They have two distinct features about them: one is their appearance of a crimson, red-crowned forehead, white cheeks, and fluffy rear end; the other is when in flight, the long dark legs trail behind and the long neck is kept straight out rather than tucked in towards the body.
Barren River offers van tours for guests to learn more about these intriguing birds with a unique sound. The tours will be Jan. 20-21 and Jan. 27, 2018. Registration is required due to limited seating.
Each weekend also includes an educational session conducted by a wildlife biologist with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources on Friday evening at 7 p.m. Registration is $45 per adult and $30 per child 8-12 years old (must be at least 8 years old to go on van tours). The fee includes all educational sessions, a box lunch, and a T-shirt. Free guided nature hikes are also available at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Jan. 20 and 27.
Discounted senior tours for guests ages 55 and older will be on Wednesdays, Jan. 17 and Jan. 24, at $40 per person.
Families and individuals can enjoy other entertainment and lodging opportunities at the park. Barren River Lake State Resort Park features a lodge, cottages, the Driftwood Restaurant, a seasonal campground, 18-hole golf course, marina, fishing, tennis courts, hiking trails, and gift shop. For more information about Barren River Lake and other Kentucky State Parks, visit www.parks.ky.gov
The park is located at 1149 State Park Road in Lucas. From the Louis B. Nunn Parkway, take the Highway 31E exit south toward Scottsville.
For more information contact Kody Thompson at kody.thompson@ky.gov or call 270-646-2151.
Credit: KY State Parks
The Kentucky State Parks are open for the Christmas holidays with decorations, candlelight tours, special meals, entertainment and other unique events.
The historic homes, Waveland, White Hall, and My Old Kentucky Home, all have special Christmas tours planned. Resort parks are planning special meals and events for the children. See a list of events at: http://parks.ky.gov/holiday-events/
State parks are a great place for Christmas and holiday gatherings. The resort parks have restaurants, meeting areas and gift shops that offer unique gift ideas. That includes Kentucky Unbridled Spirit gift cards, which are valid at Kentucky State Parks, the Kentucky Horse Park, the Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea.
All resort parks will be open for lodging seven days a week this winter and make for a wonderful weekend getaway or a holiday party.
Many state resort parks will also hold New Year’s Eve parties and dinners Dec. 31. To get more information, buy a gift card or to make a reservation, visit www.parks.ky.gov.
Credit: KY State Parks
Seventeen Kentucky State Resort Parks will serve the Thanksgiving Day buffet on Nov. 23, 2017.
Kentucky State Parks will serve 2,000 pounds of turkey, 1,500 pounds of sweet potatoes, and 750 pounds of country ham. Additionally, 4,300 pieces of fried chicken, 1,300 pounds of roast beef, and 12,000 rolls will be served along with 600 pies, including pecan and pumpkin.
The parks have hosted the Thanksgiving Day buffet for more than 40 years and typically serve around 10,000 guests.
For starters, the buffet includes soups, cheeses, and salads. The menu features turkey, dressing, baked ham, carved roast beef, and fried chicken. Vegetables include old-fashioned candied yams, country-style green beans, and mashed potatoes with giblet gravy.
The cost for the buffet is $19.50 plus tax (drink included) for adults, $9.50 for children ages 6-12, and free for children five and under.
The buffet will be served starting at 11 a.m. and closing time will vary by park.
Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park will be offering a reduced buffet and price.
For more information on the Thanksgiving Day buffet and other state park events, visit www.parks.ky.gov
Credit: KY State Parks
The 27th Annual Civil War Days at Columbus-Belmont State Park is Oct. 13-15.
The weekend will include battle re-enactments, history and museum tours, soldier camps, entertainment, food and more. Admission is free.
This three-day event begins with an Education Day on Friday. There will be cannon and rifle demonstrations, life of a soldier, and dance instruction. Students, scouts, and groups are encouraged to participate, but everyone is invited to attend and take a closer look at history by taking a step back in time.
The opening ceremony is Friday evening with food and entertainment. Cannons will fire from the bluffs to end the ceremony and then there will be a Ghost Walk through the Confederate earthworks with lanterns lighting the way.
Events are scheduled throughout Saturday including music and the Ladies Tea at 11 a.m.
The Civil War Ball on Saturday night will feature music and dance instruction so you don’t have to be experienced to participate. The band for the evening is The 52nd Regimental String Band.
If you want to shop, you can find everything you need on “Sutler Row” where there will be tents set up with period clothing and accessories. There will be a Beautiful Belle and Handsome Gent contest before the dance and a Best Beard and Scraggly Beard contest during intermission.
Sunday begins with a morning service as well as a memorial service in Columbus Cemetery.
The battles are at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. They will feature guns firing, cannons blasting, horses running, and tents burning.
The Civil War Days event is co-sponsored by Columbus-Belmont State Park, Civil War Days Committee, and the Hickman County Judge Executive’s office/Hickman County Fiscal Court. The park is located on the Mississippi River in western Kentucky at the junction of highways 58, 80, and 123.
For more information, contact the park office at 270-677-2327 or email cindy.lynch@ky.gov or visit www.parks.ky.gov
