Pine Mountain State Resort Park

Pine Mountain State Resort Park
Chained Rock
Location Bell County, Kentucky, United States
Nearest city Pineville, Kentucky
Coordinates 36°45′04″N 83°42′33″W / 36.75111°N 83.70917°W / 36.75111; -83.70917Coordinates: 36°45′04″N 83°42′33″W / 36.75111°N 83.70917°W / 36.75111; -83.70917
Area 1,159 acres (469 ha)
Established 1924
Governing body Kentucky Department of Parks
parks.ky.gov/parks/resortparks/pine-mountain/

Pine Mountain State Resort Park is a Kentucky state park located in Bell County, Kentucky, United States. The park opened in 1924 as Kentucky's first state park. Each spring, the park hosts the annual Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival, as it has since 1933.[1][2]

History

When Pine Mountain State Resort Park was established in 1926, it was named Cumberland State Park. But the name was changed in 1938 in order to avoid confusion with the newly formed Cumberland Falls State Resort Park. During the park's early years, there was little development. Then in 1933 the Civilian Conservation Corps began constructing the main office building, cabins, roads, bridges, shelters, and hiking trails. In 1960s, the Kentucky State Park System began updating their parks. For Pine Mountain State Park, they constructed a new wing to the lodge that contained 30 more guest rooms, 10 additional cottages, swimming pool, and golf course. Today, the park serves as one of southeastern Kentucky's premier state parks.[3]

Amenities and recreation

  • Herndon J. Evans Lodge - The lodge has 30 guest rooms.
  • Mountain View Restaurant seats 125 people and has a private dining area that seats 25 people.
  • Wasioto Winds Golf Course - This 18 hole golf course was ranked fourth in the nation by "Golf Digest" Magazine as the Best New Affordable Public Golf Courses in January 2003.[4]
  • Cottages - The park has nine one room cabins that were developed by the CCC in the 1920s. It also has eleven modern two-bedroom cabins.
  • Chained Rock - During the 1930s, the people of Pineville, Kentucky decided to create a new tourist attraction. So in 1933, a group of people hauled a 101-foot-long chain to the top of Pine Mountain and attached it to a massive boulder that loomed above the city. Supposedly the rock was chained to the mountain in order to keep it from rolling down the mountain and destroying the city.[5][6]
  • Other attractions - Miniature golf, swimming, hiking, Ray Harm artworks (displayed throughout the lodge, restaurant, and convention center), interpretive center, playgrounds, picnicking, and gift shop (at the front desk).[2]

Events

  • Elk Viewing Tours - (January, September–December)
  • Kentucky Writers Workshop - (March)
  • Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival - (May)
  • Great American Dulcimer Convention - (September)

References

  1. ↑ "History". Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  2. 1 2 Susan Reigler, Pam Spaulding (2009). "Eastern Kentucky Parks". The Complete Guide to Kentucky State Parks. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-9208-0.
  3. ↑ "History". Pine Mountain State Resort Park. Kentucky Department of Parks. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Pine Mountain". Golf. Kentucky Department of Parks. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  5. ↑ Downing, Bob (June 19, 2005). "Chained Rock a link to Kentucky's lore". Knight Ridder Newspapers. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
  6. ↑ "Pine Mountain State Resort Park". American Byways. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
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