Fort Boonesborough State Park

Description

Top Five Things To Do

1.  Stroll the original fort site of Daniel Boone and settlers.
2. Visit with our living historians in the replica working Fort.
3. Shop for handmade pioneer items in the Gift Shop.
4. Enjoy our wildly popular RV and tent campground.
5. Launch your boat from the ramp to view the Palisades.
   

When Daniel Boone and his men reached the Kentucky River on April 1, 1775, they quickly moved to establish Kentucky’s second settlement – the site still known as Fort Boonesborough. Fort Boonesborough has been reconstructed as a working fort complete with cabins, blockhouses and furnishings. 18th century life skills and period craft demonstrations bring history to life for all ages. New archaeological findings have supplied even more information which can be read about on the original fort’s new interpretive signage.

Park Hours

Open 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. daily.

Things to Do

Swimming

Closed for 2023 season.

Fort
Fort Boonesborough has been reconstructed as a working fort complete with cabins, blockhouses and furnishings. Resident artisans perform craft demonstrations and give modern-day visitors a true sense of what life was like for pioneers in Kentucky.

The Fort is open Wednesday-Sunday from 9:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. until October 29, 2023.

Birding

Lots of Wild Turkeys nest on the park. Nesting pairs of Pileated Woodpeckers and Red-tailed Hawks; over-flights of Sandhill Cranes during migration; large roosts of Vultures in winter months; large numbers of Chimney Swifts in summer months at the fort; Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in/near the fort in summer; and winter concentrations of Dark-eyed Juncos.

Boating

Launching ramps are available in the park for your access to a fun-filled day on the river.

Campground

Enjoy camping on the banks of the Kentucky River year-round! The campground offers 166 sites with electricity and water hookups; 18 have full hookups. There are 2 central service buildings and 3 dump stations. An activities building can accommodate 150 people, and central service buildings provide showers, rest rooms, and laundry facilities. There is a small grocery at the check-in area. Open year-round. Restrooms and water fill-up available year-round. Four pull-throughs open year-round. Call 859-527-3454 or email: jack.winburn@ky.gov with inquiries. The primitive area opens April 15, 2023.

Fishing

With an abundance of bluegill, bass, and catfish, fishing is a favorite pastime on the Kentucky River. A Kentucky Fishing License is required. Click here to purchase a license online at KY Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Resources. We also loan out fishing poles at the campground grocery store.

Gift Shop

Items produced right on the fort grounds include lye soap, hand dipped candles and pottery. Kentucky’s creative heritage is reflected in handmade furniture, candies, jams, sorghum and scarves. The book collection includes books on the fort’s founder and legendary Kentuckian Daniel Boone and for those that enjoy Kentucky cooking, cookbooks containing recipes from groundhog to watermelon pickles. For the young and young at heart, coon skin caps, toy rifles and tomahawks, sling shots and stick horses can all be found. Email us at dee.bishop@ky.gov .

Hiking

Just over a half mile of walking trails are just enough to get away from the hubbub. A .25-mile paved Fort Trail begins at the fort and comes out in the parking lot across from the pool.

• The Halley Home Site Trail, a short connector trail between the other two, is named for the Halley’s who built a large house on the property in the late 1790’s. The house is gone but several hidden signs of the old rock foundation remain. The Halley’s are buried on the park.
• The Pioneer Forage Trail, connecting the campground to the fort, is a little over a quarter mile. It follows very briefly a section of rock wall from the Halley farm and some wagon road remnants. It also follows, for some distance, Spring Run Branch, a small stream that was named by the settlers and played a role in the siege of 1778. In the spring, wildflowers liven up the landscape.

Miniature Golf

Adults $4.50, Children 3-12 $3.50 and children under 3 free. Open daily April 1 – October 31 from 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Museum

The Kentucky River Museum, a newer addition to Fort Boonesborough State Park, provides visitors with insight into the lives of families who lived on the river and worked the locks and dams in the 1900s. Visit fortboonesboroughlivinghistory.org for more about the story of the development of commerce on the river and the Kentucky River Museum. Open Memorial Day to Labor Day, Saturdays Only from 11:00am-4:00pm with last tour at 3:00pm. Admission is free.

Picnicking

Three picnic shelters (one with restrooms), tables, grills and two playgrounds are located throughout the park for a perfect picnic outing.

Tours
Fort Tours: Fort Boonesborough has been reconstructed as a working fort complete with cabins, blockhouses and furnishings. Resident artisans perform craft demonstrations and give modern-day visitors a true sense of what life was like for pioneers in Kentucky. Email us at Jack.Winburn@ky.gov.

The Fort is open Wednesday-Sunday from 9:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. until October 29, 2023.

Other information:

Fort Boonesborough Foundation

The mission of the Fort Boonesborough Foundation is to sustain, foster, and promote quality programming at Fort Boonesborough State Park. The majority of historical, craft, and educational programs at Fort Boonesborough are supported by funding from the foundation. Click here for more information and to visit their website.