Escape Into the Bluegrass State's Forests for a Weekend
Retreating to the woods in a cozy wood cabin and an endlessly starry sky is sometimes necessary for the soul—and for soulmates.
Partners seeking the perfect wooded romantic getaway are sure to find it in Kentucky, where luxury cabins abound. It's an ideal break from daily life regardless of the season—plan a summer weekend away for warm, firefly-filled nights, or tuck away in a snug, snow-covered cabin for a winter's night or two.
Here are some of the best cabin getaway spots in the bluegrass state.
Red River Gorge
Red River Gorge is a national preserve, full of hiking trails, scenic overlooks, fishing spots and rock climbing destinations. Rent a kayak for an afternoon on the Red River, or tap into your adventurous side on one of the area's two forest ziplines.
Scenic Cabin Rentals (769 Natural Bridge Rd. Slade, KY) features a number of cottages at the gorge in Daniel Boone National Forest, ready to house you and your partner for a weekend of daytime adventures and sleepy evenings in front of the fireplace. Most of the cabins are secluded in heavily forested areas, and some include pools and hot tubs. Nightly rates range from $60 to $380, depending on the cottage of choice, and rates vary seasonally. Scenic Cabin Rentals also charges a $40 per stay cleaning fee.
Southern Shorelines
Kentucky's southern shores include Dale Hollow Lake, Green River Lake, Lake Cumberland and the Big South Fork River and Recreation Area. Visit Civil War battlegrounds for the history buff in your relationship, spend a day canoeing on one of the lakes or hit the wine trail to taste some of the area's best wines.
The Kentucky Southern Shorelines region features plenty of cabin options to choose from. Wahoo Cabin Rentals (54 Wahoo Way, Nancy, KY) offers four cabins on the shores of Lake Cumberland, with prices ranging from $124 per night to $160 nightly.
Barren River Lake
Barren River Lake is home to rolling forest hills, with plenty of room for hiking, boating, fishing, horseback riding and bird-watching. Snag a cottage on the lakeside to house your couple's getaway, complete with an area resort featuring luxury amenities in addition to everything nature has to offer.
Airbnb offers privately owned treetop cottages and beach houses at the lake, or you can book a villa through Barren River Lake State Resort Park (1149 State Park Rd., Lucas, KY). Villa rates hover around $220 per night which includes access to the resort's amenities such as breakfast, barbecue grills, fitness facilities, Wi-Fi, a children's pool, outdoor tennis courts and an onsite playground.
Cave Run Lake
Spend your evenings unwinding on the front porch rocking chairs or in the outdoor hot tub, and your days picnicking at the end of long hikes or boating on glassy water in the Cave Run Lake reservoir. Explore the surrounding wildlife on horseback, or shake it up a little and rent an ATV.
Cave Run offers its own honeymoon cabin (2038 Highway 1274 Frenchburg, KY) for a nightly rate of $90 from April through December and $70 from January through March. You can also reserve it for the week for a flat rate of $450. You have to book the cabin for a minimum of two nights (three nights on holiday weekends).
Nolin Lake
The Nolin Lake area (2998 Brier Creek Rd., Mammoth Cave, KY) offers a variety of lakefront cabins to sweep you and your partner away into forested lake views and warm cabin seclusion. The area is quiet and little-known, though it sits just a few miles from Mammoth Cave National Park—a popular cave system preserve that the National Park Service calls "a grand, gloomy and peculiar place."
Cottage rentals in Nolin Lake go for around $200 per night, although some luxury cabins can cost a nightly rate of up to $1500. Many require a two-night minimum stay, so book a whole weekend for this lakeside getaway.