Visiting Land Between the Lakes

Have you ever been to Land Between the Lakes (LBL) before? It is a wonderful gem located in northern Middle Tennessee and Lower Central Kentucky. Mr. Fix-it, the Jimster and I took a one day trip to LBL to explore some attractions it has to offer. The planetarium was our main objective but we were able to take in other things as well.
Most attractions in LBL are historical unless you simply wish to camp and hike. Some very important attractions relating to the history of this geographical area are the iron ore furnaces. In the early 1800s mining and smelting iron ore was the main industry of this area. Giant stone furnaces were built to smelt the iron ore. Wood was the primary source of fuel for the fires that would reach up to 3000 degrees. That is pretty hot! Since LBL is rather rural and was heavily forested there was plenty of wood to burn in the furnaces. Consequently, hundreds of acres of old growth forests were burned off in the 1800s. Most all of the forested areas in LBL are second growth forests. They are wonderful ecosystems full of flora and fauna. But let me back up here a minute.
LBL is reputed to be the largest inland peninsula in the United States. It was created by damming two rivers on either side of this peninsula. The two rivers are the Tennessee River and the Cumberland River. The damming created two new lakes; Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. Unfortunately, when these two rivers were dammed many communities were flooded and 950 families had to be relocated. There is still evidence of the people who lived in this region but the entire recreational area is now publicly owned. It belongs to you and I!LBL draws two million visitors per year. Our family makes ample use of the lakes to go boating during the summer months. One of the Jimster's favorite things to do is to ride the tube behind the boat. Mr. Fix-it fishes, and I swim and relax. Occasionally we bird watch. LBL is home to many types of birds that are easily seen along the river. Our favorites are the bald eagles and herons. They are simply magnificent and it is such a thrill to see them in the wild-or anywhere really. Now that boating season is over we thought we'd head up to the Golden Pond Visitor's Center and see a show at the planetarium. The show was fun and quite reasonably priced. We enjoyed it. The visitor's center had a great display of animals native to the area, along with a pictorial history of LBL. I also purchased a book at the visitor's center that I have found most helpful in my quest to identify more wildflowers in this region. It is titled Wildflowers of the Land Between the Lakes Region, Kentucky and Tennessee. It includes not only only wildflowers, but monocots, and woody plants native to this area. It is authored by a couple of Austin Peay University professors (Edward W. Chester and William H. Ellis) and is very informative. It includes color pictures as well as an in depth history of the region.
After our visit to the planetarium we came out of the building to a steady downpour. Not to be discouraged we decided to continue north from the planetarium to Grand Rivers Kentucky; home of the famous Patti's Settlement tourist attraction. They are known for their 2" pork chops and 6" meringue pies. The Jimster tried them both and was kind enough to share some bites with his mom and dad. We all approved of the food and the atmosphere in the restaurant-quiet with a super good ambiance. Just outside of the restaurant are several gardens, some petting animals, a wedding chapel, and this gigantic wheel. The Jimster enjoyed talking with the geese-who are not so friendly so watch those hands! I think we could've easily stayed there all day had it not been raining so hard.

I've only touched the tip of what LBL has to offer. There is also an Elk and Bison Prairie, many side lakes, campgrounds, a wrangler camp, hiking trails, off road trails, old cemeteries, a working 1800 era village called The Homeplace, a Nature Station, and many more fun and recreational things to do. Most attractions are free. If you are ever in the area and are looking for a great outing in Tennessee or Kentucky that does not have 'Great Smokey Mountains' in the name, check out Land Between the Lakes and discover this gem of Tennessee and Kentucky....

in the garden....