Our first stop was the interpretive center, where we learned about the history of the area, including the rock formations and fossils, ecology, and, of course, the importance of George Rogers Clark, the Clark of Lewis and Clark fame -- the two met at Falls of the Ohio to start their exploration of the territory of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The lobby of the interpretive center also features some really beautiful glass work by a Louisville artist.
As impressive as the interpretive center was, the real action was outside on the giant fossil beds, so that was where we headed next. We saw all kinds of fossils, and the kids had a blast exploring both the fossil beds and the rock formations that led up from the riverbank. Max took a spill at one point (running too fast over uneven ground with his shoes untied), but he recovered fairly quickly.
After the fossil beds came Henry's favorite part of the visit: digging for his own fossils and minerals. He started out looking at the rock pile, which was full of local shale with fossils embedded, but quickly shifted his focus to the mineral pile, where he made friends with another kid who was doing the same, and together they exclaimed over their finds. He could have stayed there all day collecting chunks of minerals, but eventually we had to drag him away from his new friend and excavation fun.
Verdict: We really liked this one! There was plenty to see and do, and lots of opportunities for the kids to really engage with history and nature. We didn't do any hiking (other than scrambling around over the fossil beds), but that was kind of a nice change of pace too. If we are ever in the area again, we'll definitely head back to this park.
See also: SPP1, SPP2, SPP3, SPP4, SPP5, SPP6, SPP7, SPP8, SPP9, SPP10, SPP11,
SPP12, SPP13, SPP14, SPP15, SPP16, SPP17.
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