Cruise over to the Nature Station this Memorial Day Weekend for River Days! Enjoy live animals, activities, crafts, and programs all dedicated to celebrating our rivers and lakes! Get up close and personal with LBL’s lake and swamp creatures and discover what makes them so special! Celebrate the water all around us by bringing your whole family to have fun at the Nature Station!
Saturday, May 28
Kayak and Canoe Rentals Begin
Canoe and kayak rentals on Honker Lake begin on Memorial Day Weekend. Hourly rentals start at 10am and all boats need to be returned by 4:30pm. Rental fees are $15 per hour per boat. Visitors must check in at Nature Station in order to rent a canoe or kayak. Rentals may be suspended for inclement weather. For more information call 270-924-2299.
10am-4pm – CSI: Critter Scene Investigation
Animals have gotten up to mischief in the Nature Station! Don your detective hat and visit the crime scenes to see if you can figure out which wetland critters have visited the backyard. Report back to us with your findings for a prize!
10am-4pm – Aquatic Animal Touch Tanks
Come get up close and personal with some of the critters that you can find in our local ponds and creeks! Feel free to touch, but remember to be gentle!
11am-11:30am – Benthic Beasts
People rarely see the bottoms of rivers and lakes, but it’s a whole other world down there! Learn about life at the bottom of the river, and meet Nature Station’s very own benthic beasts—the Alligator Snapping Turtles!
12:00-2:00pm – Print-a-Fish Craft
Have you ever tried printmaking? I bet you haven’t done one like this! Inspired by the Japanese art of Gyotaku, make your own fishy artwork using models of fish found in Land Between the Lakes.
1:00-1:30pm – Red Wolf Treat Time
Did you know red wolves used to roam between the rivers? Meet this endangered species up close as we give our red wolves a treat. Find out how they became so endangered and what efforts biologists have made to try to save them from extinction.
2-2:30pm – Turtle Talladega!
Ready…set…SLOOOOOOWWWW! Get ready for thrilling races between the tiny turtle champions of the Nature Station. Bring the family and root for your favorite shelled reptile. Also learn how you can help turtles that take to the road in your neighborhood!
3:30-3:50pm – Build a Beaver
*Ideal for home educators
Beavers don’t just live in the water, they build in it! Learn about a beaver's "tools" for construction as we transform someone into a beaver! After, we will discuss how a beaver pond benefits not only beavers but other animals too!
4:30-4:50pm – Parade of Raptors
Come face-to-face with our resident owls and hawks as our staff introduces these birds to you up close before bringing them in to their night-time shelter!
6–8:30pm –Sunset Canoe Trip – LOCATION TBA
$30 per canoe. Cost does not include daytime NS admission. NS closes at 5pm. Registration limited. Reservation and full deposit required. Call 270-924-2020 to reserve your space and for location information. Join us for a sunset canoe trip on one of Lake Barkley’s scenic bays. We’ll enjoy the sights and sounds of an evening on the lake while learning about wildlife such as osprey, beavers, and deer. This trip is great for families. Paddlers of all skill levels are welcome.
Sunday, May 29
10am-4pm – CSI: Critter Scene Investigation
Animals have gotten up to mischief in the Nature Station! Don your detective hat and visit the crime scenes to see if you can figure out which wetland critters have visited the backyard. Report back to us with your findings for a prize!
10am-4pm – Aquatic Animal Touch Tanks
Come get up close and personal with some of the critters that you can find in our local ponds and creeks! Feel free to touch, but remember to be gentle!
11:00-11:45am – For Goodness Snakes!
Have you ever touched a live snake? Here’s your chance! Meet some of our resident snakes as we learn how these unusual creatures survive. We’ll also discuss how to be safe around snakes when we’re outside.
12:00-2:00pm – Crazy Quackers Craft
Hey kids! Stop by this booth to color your very own rubber duck to take home for all sorts of water adventures!
1:00-1:30pm – Wet & Wild Water Games
What better way to spend a Sunday than playing in the water! Come join a couple of our naturalists for some fun, kid-oriented water games! Participants will get wet.
2:00-2:30 – America’s Got Talons
*Ideal for home educators
Are you stronger than a bald eagle? Just how big are those long, sharp, curved talons of theirs? Come hang out with the Nature Station’s resident eagles during chow time and learn these fun facts about eagles and more. The answers may surprise you!
3:30-3:50pm – River Days Puppet Theatre
Join us in the Nature Station Puppet Theatre for a wet and wild adventure! Follow the journey of Duncan the bald eagle as he tries to find his way back home and meets many of Kentucky lake’s resident critters.
4:30-4:50pm – Parade of Raptors
Come face-to-face with our resident owls and hawks as our staff introduces these birds to you up close before bringing them in to their night-time shelter!
6:00–8:30pm – Family Sunset Canoe Trip – LOCATION TBA
$30 per canoe. Cost does not include daytime NS admission. NS closes at 5pm. Registration limited. Reservation and full deposit required. Call 270-924-2020 to reserve your space and for location information. Join us for a sunset canoe trip on one of Lake Barkley’s scenic bays. We’ll enjoy the sights and sounds of an evening on the lake while learning about wildlife such as osprey, beavers, and deer. This trip is great for families. Paddlers of all skill levels are welcome.
Monday, May 30
10am-4pm – CSI: Critter Scene Investigation
Animals have gotten up to mischief in the Nature Station! Don your detective hat and visit the crime scenes to see if you can figure out which wetland critters have visited the backyard. Report back to us with your findings for a prize.
11:00-11:20am – Beach Bum Bobcat
Cowabunga! We can’t take our bobcat to the beach, but maybe we can bring the beach to our bobcat with some fun enrichment! Let’s add some sand, sun, water and maybe a beach ball to his environment and see what happens!
1:00-1:30pm – River Critters
Even if they don’t live in the water, so many animals rely on the waters of LBL! Join us for this fun program where you can get up close and personal with some of the critters you may find along the riverbanks!
3:30-4:00pm – Tales of Scales
*Ideal for home educators
Get up close and personal with reptiles and amphibians such as snakes, salamanders, and turtles. We’ll introduce you to several ambassadors from the cold-blooded world as we explore the fascinating ways these slimy and scaly critters survive!
4:30-4:50pm – Parade of Raptors
Come face-to-face with our resident owls and hawks as our staff introduces these birds to you up close before bringing them in to their night-time shelter!
