Time to get busy

ISSUE: Recreational activities
OUR VIEW: Much to see and do

Summer days are in limited supply, but the places to go and things to see in our area are plentiful if you look for them. From history to nature, indoors or out, a variety of attractions and activities are available, and many are free or available for a minimal fee and are but a few minutes drive away.
Soak up some local history, enjoy a relaxing walk, engage in a sporting event or watch a live performance. Hardin County and neighboring Fort Knox, LaRue, Meade and Nelson counties are chock-full of recreational opportunities.    
As the weather heats up, a cool walk through a museum may be a better solution than staying in and watching TV. Life in the area as it once was can be seen by visiting The Hardin County History Museum in Elizabethtown. Unique aspects of Abraham Lincoln are displayed in Hodgenville, site of Lincoln’s birthplace and one of his boyhood homes.  
A drive to Fort Knox and a visit to the evolving Gen. George S. Patton Museum serve to remind us and honor our proud military history; an important aspect of who we are as Americans and neighbors of the post.
A stroll through Swope’s Cars of Yesteryear sparks memories and conversations about simpler times and an appreciation of the classics.
A Thursday evening stroll through downtown Elizabethtown brings history to life through a guided walking tour. Where else can you run into the likes of General Custer or Carrie Nation?
For nature lovers, the area provides miles of trails and  parks for hiking, picnicking or just sitting and soaking up beautiful surroundings.
Elizabethtown’s Greenbelt is 18 miles of walking trails including Freeman Lake Park. Radcliff offers picturesque Saunders Springs Nature Preserve, Meade County has Otter Creek Recreational Area and Nelson County provides acres and miles of tree-laden natural landscape with Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forrest.
These are just a beginning in the list of the variety of  activities and attractions available. Need more? Catch a concert at Fort Knox — Lynyrd Skynyrd is on the schedule — or hear a bluegrass jam in Vine Grove.
Recreational sports such as softball baseball, tennis, horseshoe, volleyball and swimming are also available to participate in or watch on any given day or evening at one of the local fields, courts nearby.
One does not need to look elsewhere for something to do this summer. A vacation need not cost a fortune or involve long-distance travel to be fun and memorable.
The season is limited by the calendar, but the places to go and things to do in our own back yard are only limited by not opening our eyes to what we have right here at home.