Land Between the Lakes
Written: Apr 28 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: beautiful scenery, lots to do, cheap
Cons: mosquitos
The Bottom Line: Land Between the Lakes is a great family vacation; lots to do and not too expensive.
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| linda41971's Full Review: Tennessee |
The Land Between the Lakes (LBL) is a wonderful place for a family vacation. There are lots of things to do, and not too many people making things crowded. LBL is a national recreation area in Kentucky and Tennessee. There are 170,000 acres set aside for this park. It lies on an island between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, which were created when the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers were dammed for electric power. All the people living between the lakes were relocated by the federal government, and the land was set aside as a wildlife area. There are lots of reminders of the old towns that were there - there are several hundred tiny cemeteries.
Your first stop in LBL should be the Golden Pond visitor center. It is located pretty much dead center, where the two main routes through the park intersect. There is a nice display on the history of the area, restrooms, phones and a picnic area. Here you can pick up brochures on all the facilities and buy a discount package admission to the different things. The discount package includes admission to the Elk and Bison prairie, the Golden Pond planetarium, the Nature Station and the Homeplace - 1850. A ticket costs $9.50 for 13 and up, and 4.25 for under 13. They are good for a two day period, but I was able to use mine over 4 days with no questions asked. While there, catch a planetarium show. We saw the show on the Kentucky night sky and really enjoyed it.
If you enjoy history, you will really like The Homeplace - 1850. Its a living museum on life in Kentucky during the mid 1800's. When you enter, there is a short explanatory movie, and then you walk out on the grounds. It is a working farm, so there are farmers and animals around. All of the plants and animals are of the same breeds and types as would have been found on a farm of that era. There are several types of houses, from small homes that the first settlers built, to more elaborate farmhouses. Even the largest was barely the size of my kitchen and family room, and really made me appreciate the 20th century.
The Elk and Bison prairie is an attempt to recreate the prairie that was in western Kentucky when the settlers arrived. There is one large herd of buffalo, and several small family groups of elk in the enclosed area. You drive through and watch out the windows for the animals. The best time for viewing is at dusk, when the animals become a little more active. Its quite a site to be surrounded by a herd of 75 bison crossing the road to get to a watering hole. One caveat, bison and elk are large and can be dangerous - stay inside your vehicle at all times!
The Nature station is a small nature museum. There are lots of pelts and bones for the kids to touch and cages of reptiles. Outside, there is a small zoo of native animals. There are short talks given at various times of the day on the different inhabitants. There are also several trails in the area for hiking. You can rent a canoe for $5 an hour per canoe.
If you like camping, there are many campgrounds available. Wranglers campground offers horse sites, and also guided horse and pony rides. A basic site there costs $11. Hillman Ferry and Piney Ferry offer sites for $13, along with bike and camping supply rentals. If you wanted, you could show up at one of these sites with just a sleeping bag, and rent everything else you would need to camp.
If you need more information, call (270)924-2020 or visit www.lbl.org
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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Epinions.com ID:
linda41971
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Member: Linda
Location: IL
Reviews written: 72
Trusted by: 75 members
About Me:
I spend my time gardening, volunteering and chauffeuring my kids around.
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