Camp Nelson

Location: Jessamine County
Suitable Ages: All
Cost: Free







The boys take a break from exploring

It is humbling to see just this small portion of the men who died during the Civil War.

Tours are available of this home at Camp Nelson












A young boy at the Civil War Days event

Not quite old enough to enlist yet.

Not too far from our home is a place called Camp Nelson. During the civil war it was used as a supply depot for the Union army. At one time it was huge- 4000 acres and over 300 buildings. Today there are a few remaining buildings, some built in fort walls, and a impressive yet peaceful cemetary filled with thousands of fallen soldiers.

Camp Nelson hosts numerous memorials and reinactments throughout the year. There is plenty of history to learn about here, including some incredible stories of slave soldiers. The pictures above are from Civil War Days- a weekend long event with vendors, visitors from around the country and battle reinactments. They had vintage period clothing to try on, authentic battle gear and plenty of people around to explain how all of it worked. It was both fun and educational to see how our ancestors lived and fought.

Tours of the buildings are done on a regular schedule and you are free to roam the grounds whenever you want. Grandma likes to go out there for casual walks because the ground is smooth and good for exercising. Depending on the time of year, the walks may be on paths cut into tall grass or it may be covered it flowers. That's what makes it fun to go back again and again.

For more information and a schedule of events, visit http://www.campnelson.org/

PLAY BALL!!

Location: Whitaker Bank Park, Lexington

Suitable Ages: elementary school and older

Cost: admission can range from free to $22, food and drink extra

One of the very first cultural differences we came across in moving here was the absolute, undying obsession with Kentucky sports, basketball in particular. I am not exagerating when I say all events are scheduled around the University of Kentucky basketball games. Local churches plan their sermons around home games, weddings are rescheduled if they conflict with tournaments and stores close if our team makes it to the finals. We didn't make it to a UK game yet but we did make it to another local team- the Lexington Legends Baseball team.

The stadium is a small, comfortable stadium perfect for minor league ball. The players are close enough to see, even from the cheap seats. Keep in mind, being only minor league, even the good seats are still cheap. If you are super strapped for cash, you might get lucky and find someone outside the front gate giving tickets away. You can also try hitting the dollar days games, when all drinks- alcoholic and non- are only $1.00. No outside food or drink is allowed inside the park.

When we went, we had free tickets and attended a $1.00 day game. Each of us got a drink($7). The younger kids got bored after the 7th inning stretch so we left and went to Taco Bell for dinner, spending about $20. We had a fun and memorable family night for under $30.

p.s. If your younger ones get bored like ours did, play this game. Use your camera to zoom in on someone far away (such as Ol' Man Jenkins, the ticket taker in the pic above). Then show the camera to your child and have him or her try to find that person in the stadium.

Kentucky Center for the Arts

Location: Kentucky Center for the Arts, Louisville
Suitable Ages: Depends on the performance
Cost: Varies, depending on the performance
We have seen two productions at the Kentucky Center for the Arts- Wicked and Les Miserables. Both times we had an amazing evening. The perfomers were phenomenal, the view of the stage was good both times and the facility itself was modern and inviting. I wish we lived closer to this venue because they do a lot of work with community theater. As it is, the theater is an hour and a half away from Nicholasville so we don't get there very often.
The theater is located in downtown Louisville which is an adventure all it's own. You will be seeing many more entries on it- my favorite so far being Ley's Antiques- but that is another entry for another night. Parking is cheap across the street in the bank garage.
If you go: You will most likely need a babysitter because the theater isn't usually a place for small children. Most people dressed business casual or better. DO NOT BE LATE! Doors close when the curtain goes up and if you are not in your seat, you're out of luck until intermission. Small souveniers, snacks and drinks are sold in the lobby.

Raven Run

Location: Raven Run, Fayette County
Suitable Ages: Any
Cost: Free

A year round family favorite of ours is Raven Run. This is a nature sanctuary overlooking the Kentucky River with miles and miles of walking paths ranging anywhere from smooth grassy walks to steep rocky grades. Our children like to find walking sticks along their path. The adults find the change in scenery interesting. In the winter it is all brown and chilly like in the photos above. During the summer it is green and muggy and right now, the weather is perfect and all the flowers are in bloom.

On clear evenings in the summer months, the University of Kentucky astronomy department take their telescopes out to Raven Run and set them up for anyone to use. They will set the telescopes up to see a specific star, planet or galaxy then tell you all about it. It is fun for the kids to see but can also be a nice romantic date as well. When we went, it was a tad crowded but everyone was well mannered and quiet.

There is a brand new building for classes and displays. We have been inside it but there wasn't much there at the time. Picnic tables are located just beyond the parking lot for anyone who wants to bring a lunch.

If you go: bring sun protection, good walking shoes and water. Strollers are okay for the meadow paths but still get stuck once in a while. Elementary school aged children or cub scout groups can easily travers the harder trails. You can visit their website at http://www.lexingtonky.gov/index.aspx?page=276

Fort Boonesborough

Location: Richmond

Suitable Ages: elementary school or older

Cost: $8 adults, $5 ages 6-12

The first thing you will ever learn about Kentucky history is that Daniel Boone single handedly settled Kentucky. Okay, that is an exageration. However, Daniel Boone has become part history, part legend around this area. I can't say I am well versed in Boone storied but I am more well aquainted with the man and in the area named after him now that I have been to Fort Boonesborough.

Fort Boonesborough is a replica of the fort built by Boone around the time our founding fathers were signing the Declaration of Independence. This state park is a great living history museum staffed by costumed characters who will show and teach you their craft. Some of the women weave, others make soap. The men make guns and bullets, draw maps, build fires and teach you to shoot a gun. You can watch a short movie that gives a sparknotes version of the fort's history. At different times throughout the year, reinactments are performed to remember the battle that took place at the fort.

The price is a little on the steep side for a large group or family but definately worth paying once. Plan on staying a couple hours inside the fort. Outside the fort is a nice tree covered trail that is breath taking in the summer. You can also make your way down to the public pool and camp sights if you so desire.

If you go: Bring your camera to take funny video of your kids trying to start a flint and steel fire. Come prepared with lots of questions. The employees are very knowledgeable but sometimes sound tired from repeating themselves over and over. Asking questions helps them break out of their monotony and gives you a richer experience as well. For more information, visit their website http://parks.ky.gov/findparks/recparks/fb/

Friday Night Flick

Location: Jacobson Park, Lexington
Suitable Ages: All
Cost: Free

One of the first things our family enjoyed in Kentucky was the FREE Friday night flicks at Jacobson park throughout the summer.

The boys ran their legs off playing frisbee in the cool grass, wrestled on the blankets we had laid out, petted the animals at the small petting zoo, slid down the inflatable slides and walked around to the various vendors collecting freebies. If they happened to get bored with that (rarely), we would walk to the other side of the park to play on the most AMAZING playground- ever! We would catch fireflies (a first for us!) once the sun started getting low then finally settle down to watch the movie around 9pm.

This was a perfect Norman Rockwell type activity every week. The movies were clean, the whole family got good exercise and we spent a lot of quality time together. The only negative aspect of the experience was the occasional smoker and the parents who let their children run wild throughout the movie. Both kind of people bother me in public situations. Other than that, you can't go wrong with this one.

If you go: bring your lawn chairs, picnic blankets and a portable dinner and be prepared to have a great night under the stars. Movies are shown, weather permitting, at dark every Friday night through the summer.

Welcome to Family Life in Kentucky

Who would have thought it? Never in our WILDEST dreams did we ever imagine living in Kentucky. For five generations, our family has lived in Arizona- hot, dry, wonderful cactus covered Arizona. Yet due to the recent economic downturn, we have found ourselves with the opportunity to try the other side of the county for a while.

We packed up our five kids, Mom, Dad and Grandma and moved 1800 miles to a previously unknown place called Nicholasville, Kentucky. In some ways, life here is similar to back home. Yet in other ways, life couldn't be more drastically different. We have seen a lot of the surrounding areas and are excited to see a lot more throughout the coming summer months. In celebration of our one year anniversary of living here in our new home state, we wanted to start a blog to share our experiences with our friends, family and others who want to explore Kentucky. If you have questions about places we have visted or want to suggest new ones, please feel free to drop us a line.