Land Between the Lakes With Kids
Land Between the Lakes is such a fun recreational area in southwestern Kentucky to visit with kids. It offers a variety of nature and historical attractions that are great for kids of all ages. We recently visited Land Between the Lakes with our young toddler and our preschooler and had an absolute blast. While it was different from our normal camping trips where we mainly focus on hiking, this is one place that we definitely can’t wait to come back to again.
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What is Land Between the Lakes?
Land Between the Lakes National Recreational Area is run by the National Forest Service. Nestled in-between two large lakes in southwestern Kentucky, the area offers a variety of different outdoor activities.
Camping, fishing, boating, and nature exhibits offer visitors several different ways to explore and enjoy the area. Located in southwestern Kentucky near Paducah, the area is an easy drive from major cities such as Nashville, St. Louis, and Memphis.
If you’re visiting with kids, here’s the must-see attractions:
Camping
Land Between the Lakes offers four developed campgrounds to choose from. We chose Energy Lake as it is centrally located between all of the different attractions that interested us. Additionally, the views of the lake were gorgeous from our site.
The loops of the campground were fairly small, which gave it a cozier feel as only a few families were in each loop. In our loop was also a small playground with a slide and some swings. Honestly, the playground looked like it was straight out of 1982, so if you’re looking for your kid to have the rite of passage of flying down a blazing hot metal slide that will scorch your legs AND send you down recklessly fast, this campground is perfect.
If camping isn’t your scene, there are also rustic cabins available, as well as many hotels in nearby communities.
On future trips we would definitely camp again. Watching the sunset on the lake and my daughters being able to explore the shoreline was a highlight of our trip.
Bison and Elk Prairie
We only had a weekend to spend, so we definitely filled our days with as much as we could. The first attraction we visited was the Bison and Elk Prairie. Located in the center of the park, this is a 650-acre area that features a 3.5 mile driving loop. Within the area, bison and elk roam.
It cost $5 per vehicle to drive through it, but with a preschooler who loves wildlife and has big dreams of going to Yellowstone, it was worth it. We saw a group of bison early on and later saw a couple of elk. The whole tour took us about 15 minutes to drive through.
While it was certainly not comparable to the scale of Yellowstone, for my three year old, it was still really exciting.
Golden Pond Planetarium
In addition to Land Between the Lakes being a dark sky area, there is also a planetarium. Located in Golden Pond at the main visitor center, the planetarium offers several shows throughout the day. They have shows geared for all different ages and interests.
We chose to view the show “Earth, Moon, and Sun” which was designed for younger audiences. It explained the ways the earth, moon, and sun interact with each other and answered questions that preschoolers frequently ask like “why is the moon sometimes out in the day?” and “why does the moon change shapes?”
It also introduces Native American mythology about the stars which was really interesting, as most planetarium shows focus on Greek mythology. Additionally, there was an animated coyote that kept my daughter laughing at his antics.
The show absolutely ENTHRALLED my preschooler. She kept saying “it’s really like we’re in outer space!” and she was on the edge of her seat the entire time. After we came home, she started regularly playing “rocket” and “astronaut” and asked me to check out books about space for her.
In addition to the planetarium, the Golden Pond Visitor Center has a gift shop and a small museum about the history of the area. My preschooler enjoyed the historical photos and talking about how people lived a long time ago.
When asked what she enjoyed the most about our trip, my preschooler routinely answers “the planetarium” and asks if we can go back to see more shows.
Woodlands Nature Station
The Woodlands Nature Station is a small area that cares for animals that cannot survive in the wild. It featured animals like deer, turkey, different owls, coyotes, and a red wolf. There was a short walking trail to see all of the different animals.
The short walking trail is slightly uneven, but a good stroller wagon can handle it just fine.
In addition to being able to view animals, they also have an education center. We were able to see a puppet show featuring a book about trees. Different woodland creatures interacted with the book and shared their love for trees. The employees did a FANTASTIC job of engaging the children.
Check out their website for their calendar of events. Throughout the day they offer different talks about the animals there as well as different activities for children.
While we originally chose this activity for our preschooler, (and she did love it), my biggest surprise was that our one year old was HOOKED. The minute the first puppet showed up, she was leaning forward, clapping, and laughing. It was a really great time for both of my kids.
The Homeplace 1850s Working Farm
My preschooler loves the Little House on the Prairie picture books, so the 1850s Homestead Farm was a must. They have a working farm set up along with people in period dress. Additionally, they host several different events, including a bedtime parade of the farm animals.
I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect here, but this was easily my favorite activity we did with our kids at Land Between the Lakes.
The farm is absolutely gorgeous and the workers were so willing to explain to my kids exactly what they do to keep a farm running.
Definitely go towards the end of the day to take part in the Bedtime Chicken Parade. All of the kids visiting got to help put the different farm animals to bed and it was the most fun.
Also be sure to check their calendar as they hold daily events that teach different skills from the 1850s such as candle making, creating old fashioned decorations, etc.
Hiking
There are hiking trails here that offer great views of the lakes. However, I’d recommend avoiding hiking here in the summer. The bugs were out of control the first time we visited in August. When we went back in March it was so much more enjoyable.
Check out their list of hiking trails here.
Nearby Historical Sites
Fort Donelson is a brief drive away. A critical fort that Ulysses S. Grant seized during the Civil War, Fort Donelson played an important role in the Western Theater.
The fort is right on the river, featuring great views and a great spot to picnic at. They also offer a junior ranger program for children to learn more about the role the fort played in the Civil War.
Additionally, there are Native American mounds near Paducah. While not as large as Cahokia, they are still impressive.
Learning Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers
If you’re looking for ways to either prepare your little ones for the trip or you would like to use their excitement to extend their learning, I highly recommend the following books/toys to capitalize upon a visit to Land Between the Lakes:
Hello World: Solar System by Jill McDonald and Hello World: Moon Landing by Jill McDonald
The planetarium really piqued my preschooler’s interest in outer space. Both of these books by Jill McDonald do a great job of introducing concepts to preschoolers. Additionally, the vibrant pictures draw in toddlers and preschoolers alike. Lastly, the sturdiness of the board books ensures that they will hold up through several years of repeated reads.
Purchase them on Amazon here: Solar System and here: Moon Landing
My daughter loved the planetarium so much that I plan on creating her a space-themed preschool unit soon.
My First Little House Books
These picture books, based on the classic works by Laura Ingalls Wilder, are a great way to introduce to your preschooler the world of Little House on the Prairie. Set in the late 1800s, the time period is very close to the Working Homestead Farm at Land Between the Lakes. The illustrations are richly captivating. These books would be a great way for your preschooler to compare what they see in the books to what they saw on the Working Homestead. You can browse them here.
Safari LTD Toobs
Safari LTD Toobs are some of the most played with items in our house. Both my toddler and preschooler are OBSESSED with them. (Check back soon for a post on ideas for how to use them for educational activities.) The great thing about these figurines is that they come in so many different themes. So for ones geared towards Land Between the Lakes, check out these sets on Amazon:
Space, In the Woods, and Nature
Closing Thoughts
While it was different than our normal camping trips, (I don’t think I’ve ever sat through a puppet show before on a camping trip), Land Between the Lakes was certainly something we really enjoyed as a young family.
The sheer variety of activities they offered kept our kids fully engaged. My preschooler sobbed when we left, so this will be a place that we need to try and come back to. I also loved that they had different activities for kids a variety of ages- making it perfect for families of all ages.
They do seem to offer special weekends with reduced or free admission rates to the attractions based on different criterion, so check out their website here to see if one special weekend applies to your family: https://landbetweenthelakes.us/
And if you’re looking for tips on camping with little ones, ideas for other trips, or travel-themed learning activities, be sure to sign up for email updates!
