Our setting for this week's show, Nolin Lake State Park, is just minutes from Mammoth Cave National Park.

Here you will find an area brimming with activities for all ages.

You can go for a hike along the picturesque trails.

You can take a dip in the lake on a hot day or relax by the beach and even finish the day camping.

They also have a nature center and a butterfly house teeming with animal and plant species native to Kentucky.

We had a chance to explore the park a little earlier.

Let's take a look.

[music playing] We're here with Carlet Hagan.

She is the park manager here at Nolin Lake State Park.

Carlet, thanks so much for letting us be here today.

Absolutely.

Glad you're here.

And as it goes for state parks, Nolin is a relatively young one when we look at about 30 years or so.

But since the place first opened, how has it really evolved to where it is today?

What's that movement been like?

So, our facilities have changed.

Obviously, we keep up with the demand use.

We've also incorporated water throughout our campgrounds that is now frost-free.

So, our campgrounds get to stay open year-round.

Oh, wow, that's great.

[music playing] The lake was impounded in 1963 here at Nolin.

It was created for flood control.

As this reservoir is full in the summertime, it's around 5,800 acres.

In the winter, the drawdown is around 2,800 acres.

We were acquired in 1996.

We opened to the public in 2001 with renovations.

Throughout Nolin Lake State Park, we have around 333 acres.

We have 12 miles of hiking and mountain bike trails, and we have lots of programming all throughout the year.

Well, obviously, the water is a big draw here.

And fishing, I'm gonna get to wet a line here in just a little bit, which I'm really looking forward to.

But above and beyond the great fishing and things like that that you can do here, what are some other activities here for folks?

Absolutely.

We offer tons of opportunities, especially in the summertime.

There's boating to be done on the lake.

We try to keep the fun in the sun at the park here.

The trails, we do lead hikes.

We're able to go up and see the waterfall, able to see some native plants and trees, and identifications.

So, when we came in this morning, we saw an escape room.

We've been to a lot of state parks this year.

We have not seen escape rooms at any of them.

Tell us about that.

Yeah, so Chip, when campers get here, they want more to do than just camping.

So, we gotta give them something extraordinary to do.

And we developed this breakout or escape room that we allow them an hour to see if they can solve the riddles and puzzles and get out.

How do people usually do in there?

Some get trapped.

[laughs] No.

Most make it out.

But it is kind of to see who gets the best time and who gets the prize.

That sounds like a lot of fun.

And then the nature center here as well.

What can folks check out there?

All kinds of animals.

They call us the little zoo that we have here.

We have a bunny rabbit.

His name is Homer.

We've had him for about six years.

And he is definitely native to the state of Kentucky.

His color is black, which you normally would not see, but is definitely related to the Northern cottontail that we have hopping around the park all over.

We have Eastern box turtles that are very native.

Lots of sightings around the park, especially when it rains.

They like to come out of their holes.

Our ferret is Halo.

She is just turning a little over two years old.

Definitely in the badger family.

So, definitely native to the state of Kentucky as far as relation in that family.

She is just a burst of joy, has all kinds of energy, and is very popular amongst the kids that come into the nature center.

When you look at the 100-year anniversary of the state park system, how are you all working to kind of memorialize that this year?

How are you celebrating that year?

We commemorative with a butterfly releases.

We released a hundred butterflies in our butterfly house brand new this year.

So, that was really cool.

Kentucky State Park is honestly an honor to be able to work at Kentucky State Park.

I love being able to put a smile on a kid's face, watch something new, and see something they've never seen before.

And I wanna leave a legacy of that.

I want someone else to fill in my shoes for the next hundred years.

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