Kentucky's lakefront attractions

Anyone who wants to get away from stress, traffic, and routine urban living should head to tranquil Kentucky Lake. Sailing, hiking and other forms of "getting away from it all" are abundant at both Kentucky Lake, nearby Lake Barkley and the Land Between the Lakes.

If the sparkling blue lake waters don't send the stress level plummeting, the LBL's lush landscape will.

On a recent spring drive, fields were turning green accented with white wild narcissus. Surrounding the fields were forests of trees leafing out in shades of green, interspersed with blooming white dogwood. The fields and forests continue along rolling hills for miles, the only sign of civilization being the occasional picnic area tucked away off the road. There are no billboards, no shopping malls, no subdivisions -- just a smooth paved road winding through forests and fields. Attractions such as the Golden Pond nature center and planetarium are accessible and nearby, but tucked away out of sight from the road.

History of the lake region

Kentucky Lake was formed in 1938 when the Tennessee Valley Authority began building the Kentucky Dam to control floods on the lower Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and to generate electrical power. The reservoir began filing Aug. 30, 1944. Kentucky Lake is the entrance to the Tennessee River waterway and a major power generation plant in the TVA system. The dam backs up the Tennessee River for 184 miles and covers 160,300 acres of western Kentucky.

Nearby Lake Barkley was created about 20 years later when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built Barkley Dam to control flooding and generate hydroelectric power on the Cumberland River.

The vast area is great for experienced sailors who want to see the area's 2,400 mile shoreline, which features numerous boat docks, marinas and resorts. Each year some 17 million visitors come to the four state parks, the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge, 48 public access areas, various parks and wildlife management areas, and stay in the group camps and clubs and commercial recreation areas.

The area is popular as a weekend getaway destination for families, and with schools for educational excursions. Denise Schmittou, a communications agent with the U.S. Forest Service, said that in 2004 1,847,566 visitors came to see the various displays or to set up camp.

"It is a family-oriented place," Schmittou said. "There is a lot to do here whether you're coming out to go sight-seeing, or use a variety of camping opportunities from developed sites with hook-ups to camping in primitive backwoods areas. There is a variety and it's family oriented."

Among the most popular sites, she said, are the planetarium at Golden Pond, nature centers and the environmental education area.

But sailing also attracts plenty of visitors to the lakes. Inexperienced sailors can learn to sail either by taking a four-day course in practical sailing approved by the American Sailing Association, which covers basic keelboat and basic coastal cruising, or they can take a two-hour sailing introductory course at Lighthouse Landing in Grand Rivers, Ky.

Lighthouse Landing, which claims to be the only place along the lakes that offers sailing lessons, also has four rental boats. It rents overnight slips for sailors who have their own boats, rents cottages, has RV hookups, and campsite rentals. Campers have a choice of "roughing it" or staying in lodges and cabins which feature Internet access, air conditioning, full kitchens in a rustic setting.

Linda Dillon, who works with her brother, Marty Colburn, owner of Lighthouse Landing, said sailing is available throughout the year. Activity begins to pick up in April and stays busy through the end of October. Colburn is also planning to open a Branson-style theater by Christmas, featuring big-name entertainment.

Lighthouse Landing bills itself as "secluded but accessible," which actually sums up the entire area. Picnic areas are interspersed throughout and blend in with the scenery. In between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, the Land between the Lakes National Recreation Area offers opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding. LBL's network of trails leads explorers over 170,000 acres of forests and more than 300 miles of shoreline. Visitors to the area are likely to see eagles, deer, bobcats and wild turkey, as well as native trees and flowers. Elk and bison roam the prairie in the cool early mornings or late afternoons. Native wildflowers used for medicinal purposes grow wild -- purple coneflower, used for treatment of colds and milkweed whose sap was boiled to make chewing gum.

Campers and hikers or bikers are requested to check in at one of three welcome stations to report their trip itinerary and, if needed, obtain a camping permit. Also available are nature centers, and at Golden Pond visitor's center, people can keep track of the planets and stars at the planetarium.

In keeping with being remote yet accessible, even hardcore shoppers and antiques enthusiasts will have a good time at Kentucky Lake. Shopping abounds at Grand Rivers, with plenty of parking and wide streets and sidewalks to walk on, and the occasional bench or rocking chair to rest on in between excursions.

Patti's 1880's Settlement is a landmark at Grand Rivers. Patti's was voted No. 1 by Southern Living Magazine's Reader's Choice Award for the best small town restaurant in the Southeast United States. Patti's restaurant boasts tender, thick pork chops and homemade pies. The Iron Kettle, also owned by Patti's 1880 Settlement, adjoins a country store in Grand Rivers, and features buffet dining with an assortment of homemade delicacies not found in just any buffet: slang jang (a marinated salad of chopped onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and whatever else is abundant from the garden), hot water cornbread, baking powder biscuits and watermelon rind pickles accompany tender fried chicken and an assortment of entrees that take all day in the kitchen to cook. Dessert can be creamy banana pudding and vanilla wafers, thick meringue pies or cobblers that look like the kind that used to cool on windowsills.

Patti's Settlement is more than food and antiques. There's a wedding chapel and gazebo, miniature golf and a game arcade keep the children occupied, and a flock of ducks that have the run of the well-kept flower gardens.

Nearby are lodges with modern amenities, riding stables, museums, the Kentucky Opry, and arts and crafts displays, including an Amish community.

Summertime activities include an antiques and collectibles sale the first weekend of June, a waterfront festival and fireworks display at the end of the month; various July 4 celebrations throughout the lake area, drag boat races all summer long and a bluesfest in August. Barbecue festivals and craft shows take place in the fall and various light festivals highlight the Christmas season.

Remote but accessible, a little more than 140 miles from Cape Girardeau, Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley and the Land Between the Lakes is close enough for a weekend trip and far enough away to make anyone forget about the rest of the world.

Driving directions

To get there: Cross the Bill Emerson Bridge and continue on Illinois 146 through Anna, Ill. Pick up Interstate 57 to Interstate 24. Head east on 24 across the Ohio River. Turn off on Exit 31 and follow the signs to the lake attractions.