Hardin County History Museum

Although Elizabethtown, Kentucky is not a large city many historic figures such as Thomas Lincoln, George Armstrong Custer, James Wilkes Booth, Carrie Nation, and the men responsible for the Great Diamond Hoax passed through. The museum has stories about all of them. Most interesting is the Great Diamond Hoax. Philip Arnold, who devised an elaborate mine salting scheme, was a resident of Elizabethtown and managed to con a half a million dollars from unsuspecting investors. 

Other exhibits include Native American history, early settlers, the Civil War, and Lincoln family history. There's also a general store display with many old signs and items that would have been on the shelves in country stores. 

The accessible entrance is in the rear of the building. The second floor is accessed by steps only. The basement which has the Lincoln exhibits is accessible but it has one slightly steep transition. I think it requires going outside and coming in through a different door. I'm so far behind on the posts that I've forgotten some details. :(

The parking lot behind the museum is too small for RVs. Drive northwest on US 31 to the State Theater parking lot. The sidewalk from that lot to the accessible entrance of the museum is in good condition. Museum  37.69437, -85.85933

Laurel Branch Campground

 A water view and shade at another Corp of Engineers campground. :) There are three COE campgrounds. a state park campground, and probably some private campgrounds on the shores of Rough River Lake. We chose Laurel Branch because it was the easiest to access from the route we were traveling along. Laura Branch has all the usual amenities that we've come to expect from COE campgrounds- picnic tables, fire rings, toilets, showers, a playground, a boat ramp, drinking water, and a dump station. 

We camped in site C 38. I reserved it online and was a little concerned about the trees but we fit under them without a problem. This is not an accessible site. If we had been staying more than one night I may have picked one of the paved accessible site because the gravel made rolling around a bit difficult. Campground  37.60622, -86.46074

Owensboro Museum of Science & History

This museum has a lot of empty space and the exhibits are haphazard with no continuity. It really needs a make over. Main exhibits are about WWI, local racing history, and natural history. 

 

The kid's area of the second floor is new and very well done with many hands-on activities.

The museum is accessible. Many of the hands on exhibits can be experienced from a seated position. 

RVs can be parked on the surrounding streets. It may be difficult to find spaces during the week. Museum  37.77482, -87.1102

Western Kentucky Botanical Gardens

At just 8.5 acres, this is a tiny garden. The garden path is only 1/4 mile long so we walked/rolled along it from both directions. Since the garden is relatively new there are still many plans for expanding it. A recent acquisition is the historic 1840 WeatherBerry house which is used as a welcome center and can be rented for special occasions. 

The welcome center and garden path is accessible. The pond and a few other gardens that are off the path are not accessible due to lumpy, grassy ground.

Short RVs will fit in the lot if backed up over the grass. It may be possible to park larger RVs in the overflow parking. Garden  37.77502, -87.14507

Owensboro Museum of Fine Art

Two exhibits in the small museum are permanent - the Decorative Arts Wing which features five period rooms with furnishing and decorative art from five centuries and the Stained Glass Gallery which has 16 magnificent stain glass windows donated by by the Catholic Diocese of Owensboro. The windows were originally installed in St. Joseph Church that was built in 1880 and demolished in 1989. The stain glass windows are so tall that they extend above the first floor. 

Other exhibits when we visited included religious art and Native American art. There's a small area for kids with interactive exhibits. 

The museum is accessible. 

The parking lot is small but short RVs will fit if parked through the spaces or backed up over the grass. There's only on entrance/exit so keep this in mind before pulling into the lot. Museum  37.7671, -87.1117

 

Mahr Park Arboretum

The arboretum is just a small part of the park. It also has paved trails, a community garden, picnic pavilions, a playground, and lake access. 

Our goal was to walk/roll along the 2.5 mile paved trail but we didn't make it very far because it was very hot and the trail is very hilly. The trail is accessible but due to the hills wheelchair users may need assistance. One section of the trail (about 1/3 mile) is just a wide shoulder along the park road with no separation from traffic. Signs identifying the trees along the section of the trail that we tried are too far away to read. A water fountain near the community garden is too high to access from a seated position. The other trails are grassy and not accessible.

                            

                                   

We'd been hearing about the double brood of cicadas due to arrive in the spring and we found them here. It was a bit deafening! Growing up in Pennsylvania we're accustomed to the rhythmic high pitched sound of cicadas but the red eyed cicada this year have a continuous whine almost like a siren. Fortunately the noise stops at night.

We parked near the dock where there are several long bus spaces. An accessible kayak launch is located at the dock. Park  37.3508, -87.51516

Fort Massac Visitor Center

The fort area has a long history starting in the 1540s when Hernando DeSoto and his soldiers  built a fortification to protect against attacks by the local Native Americans who understandably were not friendly. During the French and Indian War the French built Fort De L’Ascension. Fort De L’Ascension was abandoned in 1763 and burnt down by the Chickasaws. After the Revolutionary War, the fort was rebuilt by the US military. It provided protection for twenty years before being dismantled for timber. The last time soldiers were stationed on the grounds was during the Civil War when it was used as a training camp. 

In 2002 a replica of the 1802 American fort was constructed. The buildings need structural repairs and are not open but visitors can view them from the path. Continue on the path for a view of the river with evidence of the latest flood. The small visitor center has very good exhibits.

The visitor center is accessible. The paved path to the fort and river view is accessible with one damaged area that hasn't been repaired yet. The paved path to the outline of the 1757 French Fort and the statue of George Rodgers Clark is accessible until it reaches the grass. 

There are three large parking lots where any vehicle will fit.  Fort  37.14475, -88.71198