ATTRACTIONS
Elk & Bison Prairie
RESTORING THE LAND...Welcome to the Elk & Bison Prairie, a very special place at Land Between The Lakes. Here, a native habitat lost more than a century ago is being carefully restored. We invite you to experience the process of habitat renewal as it's in progress. Come explore. Listen. Learn.
TO VISIT: The Elk & Bison Prairie is located north of the Golden Pond Visitor Center off The Trace.
HOURS: Dawn to dusk, 365 days a year
Golden Pond Planetarium
Welcome to the Golden Pond Planetarium and Observatory! Explore such phenomena as white dwarves and black holes, all unveiled on our planetarium's 40-foot dome. Novice astronomers can learn to identify the constellations on a simulated night sky. Or head to the Golden Pond Observatory, where you can observe the stars through one of our four telescopes or spy solar flares through our Hydrogen-Alpha refractor.
TO VISIT: Located inside the Golden Pond Visitor Center. The Observatory is located just behind the Planetarium. The Visitor Center is located in the center of LBL, where The Trace and US 68/80 meet.
SEASON: March 1 to mid-December
Woodlands Nature Station
Welcome to the Woodlands Nature Station, your gateway to encounters with the natural world. Our educators are here to guide you through the real web -- the web of life, which connects humans to nature and the environment. You'll find a variety of natural experiences -- from our indoor discovery center to the live wildlife of our Backyard exhibits. Numerous trails embark from our center, too. Experience the outdoors at your leisure, or join one of our guided hiking or canoe excursions. Trips embark from the Nature Station throughout the spring, summer and fall.
TO VISIT: Located north of the Golden Pond Visitor Center. Travel north on The Trace about 8 miles, turn on Mulberry Flat Road and travel another 5 miles. If coming from the north, travel south on The Trace about 7.5 miles to Silver Trail Road.
SEASON: March 1 - November 30
The Homeplace
You're about to enter a rural farm "Between the Rivers," much as it would have appeared in the mid-19th century. Take a leisurely stroll through our grounds and farm buildings, and visit with our interpreters...
TO VISIT: Located in the Tennessee portion of LBL. From the Golden Pond Visitor Center travel south on The Trace about 12 miles.
SEASON: March 1 - November 30
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Land Between The Lakes is a designated national recreation area under the management of the USDA Forest Service. LBL offers all the outdoor recreation "basics," with some unique opportunities for environmental education and historic interpretation.
Nestled in western Kentucky and Tennessee, LBL hosts an average of two million visitors each year who come from all over the nation and more than 30 foreign countries. With more than 170,000 acres and 300 miles of undeveloped shoreline, you'll discover a wide range of opportunities in LBL to create memories that will last a lifetime.
Environmental
Education
Step out of the classroom and into the world of "Explore and Learn" as you experience the environment through hands-on excitement at Land Between The Lakes (LBL). LBL offers many exciting, educational and hands-on opportunities for groups of all sizes.
Learn about wildlife in our 700-acre Elk & Bison Prairie, take one of our many hiking trails for other wildlife viewing opportunities, or participate in hands-on nature programs at Woodlands Nature Station. Experience history up-close when you visit The Homeplace living history farm and see how people utilized the environment in the 1800s, or see the bigger picture at the Golden Pond Planetarium by viewing spectacular shows of space and the night sky on a 40-foot diameter dome (for more in-depth details of these main facilities, visit the "Attractions" section of our web site). For a longer more in-depth experience, your group can stay overnight at Brandon Spring Group Center.
Work with our staff to develop "Explore and Learn" activities or design your own activities using our many amenities. Whatever your outdoor educational needs may be, you're sure to find what you're looking for at LBL to fulfill your Environmental Education objectives.
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RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES
Get More Information on LBL Activities:
CIVIL WAR
In the War Between the States, the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers were a gateway to Nashville and the all-important railroads which fed the Confederacy its troops and supplies. Tennessee sided with the Confederacy but Kentucky remained neutral until an 1861 invasion. Little wonder, then, that the "Between the Rivers" region was a strategic area.
Recognizing this, in 1861 Governor Harris of Tennessee authorized construction of two forts to protect the rivers: Fort Henry, on the east bank of the Tennessee River, and Fort Donelson, on the west bank of Cumberland, both near the south end of LBL.
These forts were critical to the defense of the region. Their fall would open all of Middle Tennessee to attack, and would force Confederate troops in Bowling Green and Columbus to fall back to avoid being encircled. This would break the Confederacy's western line of defense, and force the Confederate army to withdraw into north Alabama and Mississippi.
By September 1861 the Union army had amassed a considerable naval force in Paducah, along the Ohio River at the north end of LBL. On February 2, 1862, the Union troops made their move. A flotilla of four ironclads and three wooden gunboats, led by Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote and carrying Brigadier Generals John A. McClernand and Ulysses S. Grant descended on Fort Henry, launching the "Twin Rivers Campaign." After a battle lasting four days, Brigadier General Lloyd Tillghman surrendered Fort Henry. Five days later, the Union forces started their descent on Fort Donelson. Top
