Kentucky Department of Parks

Fort Boonesborough State ParkWhen Daniel Boone and his men reached the Kentucky River on April 1, 1775, they quickly moved to establish Kentucky's second settlement--the site still known as Fort Boonesborough.

Group Field Trips

At Fort Boonesborough, we seek to engage students in the daily lives of early settlers on the Kentucky frontier. Through presentations of the daily chores and life skills necessary for survival, interpreters in 18th century clothing assist students in learning about and understanding frontier life.Our interpretive programming provides opportunities for students to compare and contrast the lives of Kentucky’s early settlers and their families to their own lives today. Students will make connections, and understand how their lives are related and connected to the people and places of Kentucky’s past.

The park also hosts special “school days” throughout the year at the Fort and at Boone Station State Historic Site in Fayette County as well. In November of each year, we present a week of intense, hands-on Living History programs, involving students physically as well as mentally in six stations where they are engaged for 20 minutes at each. The smell of wood smoke or a fresh split of cedar wood, the sounds of a spinning wheel, a loom, or the blacksmith’s hammer, the texture of different tree barks, wool, linen, or leather, all help to bring the history to life today.

A new Teacher Resource CD is available at no charge to teachers when they schedule a field trip to the Fort. This includes a map and directions to the Fort, a guide for touring, pre- and post-visit suggestions, and a short list of Social Studies and other links to KDE Core Content For Assessment. There are also photos, video clips, and audio to present more detailed information about a field trip to Fort Boonesborough. Field trips may be scheduled for April 1 through October 31 by calling 859-527-3131 x216. Group rates for 10 or more are $2.50 for students, with one teacher or chaperone free for every 20 students. Bus drivers are admitted free, and any additional adults in the group are $3.50 each.Groups may also visit the Kentucky River Museum for an additional $1 per person by scheduling with the museum staff.

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Contact Information

Contact for all Fort Events