5 things to do with your kid this summer in Georgetown
Written by Kathy Witt
Bring your fishing pole, favorite float and appetite for adventure to Georgetown this summer. No need to rein in the horseplay – it’s encouraged in Kentucky’s Horse Headquarters, especially at these five kid (and parent) pleasers:
Make a beeline to the Kids Barn for lots of hands-on activities. Do horses only eat raw carrots? Find out at the exploration station. Play detective at a stall to uncover 10 things that are wrong in this horsey home. At Breeds Around the World, learn about our various equine friends from around the world and the jobs they do. Check out horse grooming kits and all the tools used to make horses beautiful; then attend the Groom and Shine demo – and have a hand at grooming the dusty coat of a horse or pony just in from the paddock. Collect Breyer horses? Don’t miss seeing the park’s amazing collection of these realistic equestrian models.
2. Toyota Plant Tour (Currently closed to public due to Covid-19: Attraction Updates)
Board the tram and roll along an assembly line to see some of the more than 2,000 cars built from the ground up – every single day! – on a free tour at the Toyota Manufacturing Plant, the largest in the world. It’s a chance to see robots working side by side with humans to maneuver forklifts, drop carburetors into partially constructed engines, add wheels to a car’s body and generally whip and zoom around various car parts as they transform into a finished and gleaming Toyota car that will roll out of the plant and onto the showroom floor for someone to buy. Tours are available Monday through Friday and reservations are strongly encouraged.
3. Geocaching
Families can match wits together on the Scott County GeoTrot or Historic Buffalo GeoTrail, romping through the countryside to see horses, koi fish – even a bushwhacking bandit’s former hangout – as they collect stamps or trinkets along with way. Both geocaching trails take adventurers all over Scott County to historic churches, parks, cemeteries, a Greek Revival antebellum plantation mansion once home to the “Belle of Louisville,” the free-admission Georgetown Scott County Museum and other fun Georgetown attractions. Not familiar with geocaching? Visit www.geocaching.com for more information on the world’s largest treasure hunt.
Lace up your sneakers and prepare for zany, nonstop fun on the Jumbo Jumper, Rat Racers Big Wheel Track or Pedal Cart Track, Apple Cider Slider and the Swings and Tire Climbs, in the Corn Bin Play Boxes or at the Hay Castle. Evans Orchard’s Play Area is full-on farm fresh fun and, each year, more activities crops up in the field. Open every day that the farm market is open, the play area also has a Barn Yard & Petting Zoo with goats, pigs, donkeys, sheep and other friendly and lovable critters. Parents can join in the carousing or take a load off at the nearby picnic tables and benches and simply enjoy watching their little ones run, laugh and play.
Rent a canoe or kayak for an afternoon of paddling on Kentucky’s largest creek – and one of the most scenic anywhere. Find a shady spot and drop in a line; Elkhorn Creek is also known as one of the best smallmouth bass streams in the state. Plan a picnic before or after at nearby Great Crossing Park, named for its location on an ancient migratory path the Native Americans called Alant-I-wamiowee, or buffalo path.
