Kentucky boasts pristine mountain scenery, charming towns, lakes and forests areas complete with campgrounds and lake-side cabins where you can stay for a pleasant vacation with friends and family or simply enjoy a romantic getaway. Below you have some ideas on cool areas of Kentucky you can go for a fun vacation:
Red River Gorge
Red River Gorge is located within the Daniel Boone forest and it’s one easily one of the most stunning natural areas in Kentucky. You won’t find a more spectacular vacation spot in the Blue grass region for outdoor activities than Red River Gorge. You can do wildlife watching, white water rafting, tubing, hiking and rock-climbing in the Motherlode area, which is known for its crazily steep bolted lines.
You can only do semi-primitive camping in Red River at Koomer Ridge Campground, though that's the beauty of this place. By the way, the campground has about 50 campsites, toilets, etc, but no hook ups. Also,
the Red River Gorge is just 1 hour’s drive southeast of Lexington so you’re never too far from Thoroughbred City.
Mammoth Cave Area
Mammoth Cave is without a doubt, one of the most popular places to go for vacation in Kentucky because of the famous caves tours. Mammoth Cave national park offers about a dozen different tours to suit pretty much everyone, which include the wild cave tour where you get to explore undeveloped areas of the caves.
As far as accommodation inside the park, you can either stay at the hotel (Mammoth Cave Hotel), in one of the rustic cottages, or camping. There are three main campgrounds in the park as well as designated wilderness areas where you can do backcountry camping.
Staying at Mammoth Cave national park is great for convenience, though you’ll find a better deal if you’re staying in the area outside of the park. Places such as Nolin Lake, Cave City, Park City and Smiths Grove aren’t far at all and boast nice accommodation options such as cabin rentals, b&b’s, campgrounds, and vacation home rentals. There are also nice resorts such as Diamond Caverns Resort in Park City and Jellystone Park Camp Resort in Cave City.
Berea
The town of Berea is one of the nicest places to go for vacation in Kentucky. Berera is known as the Arts and Crafts Capital of Kentucky and you can definitely expect to catch some sort of event during your stay there.
Berera is also a nice place to soak in the culture and traditions of Appalachians and enjoy a bit of folk dancing at the Acton Folk Center or on the Berea College campus (Fridays). The town is also home to cute art galleries, farmers market, artisan shops and the renowned Kentucky Artisan Center where you can see locals “showing off” their crafts skills.
Cumberland Falls
Cumberland Falls state park is another cool spot within the Daniel Boone country worth considering for a vacation in the southeastern region of Kentucky. Cumberland Falls is a gem and a true hidden treasure in the United States since it is now officially the only place in the world where you can see a true moonbow.
If you’re looking to do plenty of outdoor activities during your vacation in Kentucky, Cumberland Falls won’t disappoint you since you’ll be able to do fishing, hiking, hunting, horseback riding and even whitewater rafting.
Accommodation wise, you can stay at the historic Dupont Lodge or at one of the rustic 2-bedroom cottages. You can do tent and RV camping at the falls at the Cumberland Falls campground which has over 40 campsites with hook ups.
Maysville
Maysville is easily one of the nicest places you can stay in the Northern Kentucky River region. Maysville is located right on the river border with southern Ohio and it’s actually an hour’s drive by car from Cincinnati. Maysville is surrounded by beautiful scenery and it’s home to some beautiful historic places such as the childhood home of Rosemary Clooney, which you can visit on tour thanks to the Maysville-Mason County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Maysville also offers plenty of opportunities for recreational activities like cycling, horseback riding, off-roading in Big Rock Off Road Park, and golfing. In fact, if golf is your game you’ll be glad to know that there are about a dozen golf courses in and around the area of Maysville. You can also take a sightseeing or dining river boat tour along the Ohio River onboard the Belle of Cincinnati.
As far as accommodations are concerned, you can choose from bed & breakfasts, hotels, motels, or camping at the Maysville River Park, which has the typical camping facilities like showers and electric hook-ups.
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