Local Area Attractions Near Corbin / Laurel Lake KOA Journey

Setting and Amenities

Setting and Amenities

Our campground is situated in a wooded hilltop setting where everyone camps under a canopy of mature trees. At the base of the hill is Laurel Lake, a 20 mile long lake that is one of the top fishing lakes in Kentucky. We offer camping for motor homes, travel trailers, tent campers, tents, primitive camping and kamping kabins. The kabins are rustic and constructed of real logs with sleeping for four. At each campsite is a fire ring, grill and picnic table. You may bring your own food and cook out on the grill or go out to eat at any of the inexpensive restaurants. Many of our campers like to walk down to the lake and catch their dinner for a cook out on the grill. Come spend your vacation with us and enjoy the unspoiled rugged beauty of southeast Kentucky.

Cumberland Falls

Cumberland Falls

Known as the Niagara of the South, this is the largest, most impressive waterfall east of the Rockies except for the Niagara itself. This is one of only two places in the world where you can see a moonbow (a rainbow created by the moon instead of the sun) on a regular basis.

7351 Hwy. 90

Corbin, KY 40701

606-528-4121

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Laurel River Lake

Laurel River Lake

This is one of the most beautiful lakes in the state with forested hills and steep picturesque bluffs. This 20 mile long, 350' deep lake, with 250 miles of shoreline, is known for its excellent Large Mouth Bass, Walleye and Trout fishing. It is also a great place for water skiing, jet skiing and other types of water sports.

Big South Fork Scenic Railway

Big South Fork Scenic Railway

Ride the rails to the Blue Heron Outdoor Historical Museum of coal mining and logging in the rugged, isolated and beautiful Big South Fork River basin. The railroad and exhibits bring to life the joys and sorrows of the people who carved out a living in this remote area. For more information, see http://www.bsfsry.com .

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

Your trip to this ruggedly beautiful park will take you back in time to the history of each America. For nearly 150 years the forbidding Alleghenies kept early colonists from Kentucky. In 1769 Daniel Boone made his way to Kentucky through the Cumberland Gap. Within the park is Pinnacle Overlook which features a panoramic view of three states. Nearby is Fort McCook, built by Confederate troops during the Civil War to guard this passage through the mountains. Before touring the Park you should stop at the Visitors Center to see Daniel Boone's story of carving the Wilderness Road through the forest, as told by exhibits and a slide presentation. If hiking is more to your liking, there are more than 50 miles of hiking trails in the Park, some of which are self-guided nature trails. Underneath the Park is scenic Cudjo's Caverns, a maze of wandering passages, huge stalactites and wondrous stalagmites. Used by both the Confederate and Union forces during the Civil War, this popular cavern is the source of many local legends and traditions. For more information, visit their website at http://www.nps.gov/cuga/

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Abraham Lincoln Museum

Abraham Lincoln Museum

Adjacent to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is the Abraham Lincoln Museum . The museum is located on the campus of Lincoln Memorial University, and houses one of the finest Lincoln and Civil War collections in the world. The cane Lincoln carried to Ford's Theater, personal letters he wrote, clothing he wore and the tea set used by the Lincoln Family are just some of the over 25,000 artifacts in the Museum. The Museum also contains Civil War medical instruments, weapons and uniforms.

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Natural Arch

Natural Arch

This Natural Arch is one of the largest sandstone arches in the state and is one of the area's signature features. The arch spans 150 feet and offers miles of nearby hiking trails. Following are some websites with more information: Natural Arch information Complete Daniel Boone National Forest information

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Hensley Settlement

Hensley Settlement

The Hensley Settlement is a restored Appalachian community of log cabins and split rail fences that flourished for nearly five decades on an isolated plateau. You can experience life on real working farmsteads at Hensley Settlement. At one time, the settlement included a dozen active farms of about 100 people, Hensley Settlement was then restored so that three of the farmsteads are functional. Two farmer-demonstrators serve the land using many of the techniques of the Hensley's themselves. The settlement is accessible via a hiking trail or a shuttle tour. Visit the Cumberland Gap website for more information on Hensley Settlement tours.

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Harland Sanders Cafe and Museum

Harland Sanders Cafe and Museum

Colonel Sanders developed his secret recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken here in the 1940's. You can dine in the restored restaurant and view the Colonel's office, kitchen and model motel room. Throughout the refurbished restaurant/museum are displays of artifacts and memorabilia from the original Sanders Cafe and motel.

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Rockcastle River

Rockcastle River

The Rockcastle River is a Kentucky State protected "wild river" and one of the most beautiful in the United States. Undeveloped, with few access points, the entire river flows through the very heart of Daniel Boone National Forest. The Forest is noted for its rugged terrain and natural beauty, but remains known to relatively few people because of the remoteness of many of its unusual rock formations, cliffs and caves. The Rockcastle is considered to be one of the best canoe streams in the country. Information on Rockcastle River is available at their website.

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Big South Fork Recreation Area

Big South Fork Recreation Area

This vast wilderness area, with its fantastic geological formations and lush vegetation is an outdoor lover's paradise. The terrain is the rugged, mountainous forest land of the Cumberland Plateau. It is bisected by a deep gorge carved by the raging Big South Fork of the Cumberland River. With its Class I-IV white water it is rated as one of the ten best white water rivers in the United States. See their website at http://www.nps.gov/biso/ for more information.

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Blue Heron Area

Blue Heron Area

The Blue Heron area features the sweeping vistas of the Devil Jump overlooks. It is also the site of the fascinating Blue Heron Mining Community, the coal mining town that flourished here in the 1930's and 40's. The original Mine 18 coal tipple is the focal point of interpretive displays at the actual building sites which feature oral histories of past residents.

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Additional Items of Interest

Additional Items of Interest

There are three golf courses, horseback riding, white water rafting, Antiquing, the largest flea market in Kentucky with over 300 booths, Civil War battlefields, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Graphite Reactor,Norris Core of Engineers Lake, Museum of Appalachia, and if you are a World War II airplane buff, you can see the restoration of a P-38 Lighting that was recovered from under 268 feet of ice in Greenland during 1992.

Yahoo Falls

Yahoo Falls

Yahoo Falls is the highest waterfall in Kentucky, with a drop of 150 feet. What makes this waterfall so interesting is that you can walk behind the falls and have the water cascading down in front of you. Children especially enjoy this waterfall. Information on Yahoo Falls is available at their website.

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Civil War Battlefields

Civil War Battlefields

You can visit two battlefields. The battlefield at Camp Wildcat, the first battle fought in the state of Kentucky, and the battlefield at Cumberland Gap, where the canons and remains of the old forts still exist. The following website has more information about this attraction: http://americancivilwar.com/statepic/ky/ky002.html

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Iron Furnace

Iron Furnace

See the 175 year old iron making furnace. The furnace started operation in the early 1820's and operated for sixty years making pig iron for the settlers of early America.

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Stearns Coal and Lumber Museum

Stearns Coal and Lumber Museum

Downtown Stearns, built and owned by the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company from 1902 to 1976, is a national historic district. The museum, located in the 1907 company office building, gives you a close look at the rugged coal mining life.

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Kentucky Splash Water Park and Entertain Center

Kentucky Splash Water Park and Entertain Center

The Hal Rogers Family Entertainment Center is home to the Kentucky Splash Water Park . The center includes an 18,000 square ft. wave pool, a drift river, a kiddy activity pool, a triple slide complex, a go-kart track, a championship miniature golf course, an arcade, a batting cage, and a driving range. You'll have so much fun; you'll want to come back again, and again!

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Whitewater Rafting and Canoeing

Whitewater Rafting and Canoeing

Enjoy whitewater rafting nearby.

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Museum of Appalachia

Museum of Appalachia

"The most authentic and complete replica of pioneer Appalachian life in the world." State of Tennessee Blue Book . Visit Museum of Appalachia online for more information.

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Coal Mining Museums

Coal Mining Museums

Visit coal mining museums in the area.

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Restaurants

Restaurants

Fast food - sit down - or pizza delivery

Cumberland Gap Area

Cumberland Gap Area

Explore the Cumberland Gap Region that spans into several states.

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Fort Boonesborough

Fort Boonesborough

Visit Fort Boonesborough online for information.