Attractions and Activities

Patti's 1880's Settlement
Patti's 1880's Settlement is located in downtown Grand Rivers.  At Patti's, you'll find two famous restaurants, several gift shops, and beautiful gardens.  You'll also find lots of fun activities for the entire family including miniature golf, an animal park, rock-climbing wall, remote-controlled boats, and a playground.

In addition to the amazing food, Patti's is best known for their spectacular Christmas lights.  Over 500,000 lights can be seen at Patti's from November to January.  For more information, please visit their website.

Grand Rivers Walking Trail & Jetty
In August of 2003, Kentucky Governor Paul Patton help dedicate the new Grand Rivers Walking Trail & Jetty.  The trails runs across the jetty, by the picturesque harbor filled with scores of sailboats, and on to the heart of downtown Grand Rivers where the famous Patti's 1880's Settlement is located and numerous unique shops.  In 2006, the trial was extended beyond downtown toward Lake Barkley, and now offers and mile-long nature hike from one end to the other.  For more information on the August 2003 dedication, click here.

Kentucky Lake / Kentucky Dam
Perhaps Grand Rivers is the only place in the world to have two massive dams.  The larger of the two, Kentucky Dam, took six years to complete.  This World War II-era dam was completed in 1944, impounding the Tennessee River to form Kentucky Lake.   The lake, in some places, is two miles wide.  Kentucky Lake is 184 miles long, covering 160,300 acres with water.  The dam itself is getting a major overhaul with the addition of a new 1200-foot lock.  US 641, which uses the dam as a bridge, will be redirected to a new bridge currently under construction a quarter mile downstream.  The power plant at the dam generates hydroelectric power for west Kentucky.

Lake Barkley / Barkley Dam
In 1964, the Cumberland River was dammed near Grand Rivers to form Lake Barkley.  Although still not quite as large at its sister, Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley provides recreation to west Kentucky with over 1000 miles of shoreline, and nearly 60,000 acres of water at summer pool.  The lake is 134 miles long and stretches to the Clarksville, TN area.  Lake Barkley is navigable, and provides great opportunities for all types of recreation including fishing.

Land Between The Lakes
Grand Rivers is proud to be home of the northern entrance to The Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area.  The Land Between The Lakes, or LBL, offers a wide variety of activities and attractions including hunting, fishing, bird and wildlife watching, hiking, biking, educational centers, horseback riding, annual events, and so much more.  The 170,000-acre park features several nature centers, smaller lakes, historic sites, a buffalo-elk range, the list goes on a on.  LBL has more than one million visitors annually, so see for yourself why it is so popular.

Pictured top to bottom:  An aerial view of Kentucky Dam (photo courtesy US Army Corps of Engineers), Lake Barkley, and the northern entrance to LBL