Bardstown, KY Outdoor Activities
Recommended Outdoor Activities by Groupon Customers
Paintball Asylum equips paint-slingers with all the gear needed to tackle a 40-acre wooded playing field landmarked with castles, forts, and villages, or one of its three professional-grade turf fields. Before hitting the battlegrounds, the adventure begins at the shop, where the Asylum's techs outfit each player with his or her weapon for the day––a Tippmann 98 custom paintball marker or a box of 64 Crayolas. Visitors then strap themselves with 500 paintballs, a refillable 3,000-psi steel air tank, a 200-round paintball hopper, and a barrel bag. To prevent injury, sharpshooters don chest protectors that guard torsos from paintball tickle squads, and goggles that shield eyes.
Inside the water vessel of choice, you'll paddle down the beautiful, clean Blue River and take in an eyeful of wooded hills, limestone bluffs, and friendly forest critters for approximately two to four hours of natural wonderment. The river is a Class 1 stream, so it provides wetventures for beginners, families, and groups. Cave County Canoes is equipped and experienced in providing unparalleled water excursions. Channel your inner water-Lance Armstrong as you fearlessly paddle past a bevy of possible animals including otters, blue herons, and hellbenders, the continent's largest salamander, in your boat built for one or two.
Before venturing into Deere Farms’ labyrinthine corn maze, visitors are equipped with a map, a short orientation, and—as a last resort—the farm’s cell-phone number. Groups work together to seek out all the checkpoints scattered across 8 miles of twists and turns. Even with an acute sense of direction, adventurers usually take about 45 minutes to navigate their way to freedom.
The checkpoints are one of many ways that Deere Farms infuses traditional fall activities with creative twists. Shortly after Halloween, the farm hosts an annual pumpkin-smashing festival, inviting visitors to drop overripe pumpkins from a 50-foot platform. And at the concession stand, chefs serve gourmet treats such as apple-cider slushes and pumpkin-caramel cheesecake.
The farm also hosts classic fall adventures on its 170 acres. Visitors can take an idyllic hayride through the woods or hop aboard an antique tractor and ride into the 12-acre pumpkin patch in search of the perfect gourd for carving or stomping into a pie. Before departing, they stop to see the menagerie of farm animals, including cows, alpacas, and piglets.
More than 100 plant-populated acres unfold behind the stone-fence entrance to The Arboretum, showing off ever-changing seasonal landscapes to visitors 365 days a year. Passing breezes dance over grassy fields and stir up aromas of 1,500 rosebush varieties as visitors meander past the gazebo and fishpond en route to the 1.85-acre Kentucky Children’s Garden, a hands-on, educational environment for 2- to 10-year-old horticulturists. After exploring the wetlands and fountains or checking out art exhibitions, gardening seminars, and other special events, visitors can set out on the two-mile Walk Across Kentucky, a paved botanical excursion through the seven native regions of the state, including the Appalachian Plateau and wild fried-chicken habitats.
Amid the hustle and bustle of the city, Louisville Nature Center offers a tranquil escape from urban sprawl. At its 41-acre Beargrass Creek State Nature Preserve, more than 2 miles of hiking trails wind past a verdant forest populated by 180 species of tree, shrub, and wildflower. The latter blooms in a native pond and garden, and dragonflies and 30 butterfly species in other gardens pay homage to Lord of the Flies by trying to collectively lift a conch. More creatures soar skyward inside one of Louisville's only bird blinds, where visitors can watch 150 species of resident and migratory birds fluttering about.
After exploring on their own, guests can relax on one the picnic tables or beneath the covered gazebo before joining in on special events such as owl hikes. Youngsters, meanwhile, can discover more nature factoids at summer camps, educational programs, or birthday parties, which include guided hikes and live animal presentations.
