FRANKFORT, Ky. – The Kentucky State Parks will be open this winter with a busy schedule of outdoor and indoor events.
These events include wildlife viewing weekends for elk, eagles and sandhill cranes; guided hikes and Winter Adventure Weekend Jan. 29-31 at Carter Caves State Resort Park. There are more than 300 miles of hiking trails at Kentucky State Parks.
For those who like to stay inside, there are special events planned for the Christmas holidays, New Year’s Eve, and Valentine’s Day as well as dinner theaters, gift shops and two indoor pools – at Lake Cumberland and Lake Barkley State Resort Parks. Two of the parks’ historic homes will also have special Christmas tours in December.
“The Kentucky State Parks stay busy during the winter with indoor and outdoor events,” Parks Commissioner Elaine Walker said. “Holiday gatherings and meetings are popular in the winter at our park facilities.”
Sixteen of the resort parks will be open every weekend (Thursday through Sunday) all winter. The winter schedule began Nov. 15 and will run through mid-March. (Greenbo Lake State Resort Park is closed for repairs until the spring.)
Seven resort parks lodges will remain open seven days a week. They are: Cumberland Falls, General Butler, Jenny Wiley, Kentucky Dam Village, Lake Barkley, Lake Cumberland and Natural Bridge. The other resort parks will have lodges and restaurants open Thursday dinner through Sunday lunch from mid-November through mid-March. Groups interested in lodging, meals and meeting space should call the parks’ sales department to check on availability. All resort parks will be open seven days a week starting in mid-March 2016.
Cottages at all resort parks are available for rental seven days a week.
The park system’s golf courses remain open, weather permitting. Six park campgrounds will also remain open during winter months: Carter Caves, Columbus-Belmont, Fort Boonesborough, General Butler, Paintsville Lake and Levi Jackson.
For more information about park hours and special events, visit www.parks.ky.gov or call 1-800-255-7275.