Located in southeast Kentucky, Lake Cumberland is at the heart of bluegrass country.  And like a heart, it is truly the center where people come with the ones they love to fill their hearts with memories and experiences and fun and thrills!  The premier houseboat location of bluegrass country and general vacation area has absolutely no shortage of things to do!   Whatever time of year you choose to visit Lake Cumberland, you will find that you don’t have to look very far to find a celebration going on! 

 As spring warms the air the season of events gets started with the Battle of the Bass fishing tournament at General Burnside Island State Park. Fishing is for fun and you don’t have to enter the tournament to just enjoy the spirit and excitement if you’re not a competitive fisherman.  But events such as these usually come with good music, good food, and fun family activities!  For kids with more than a casual interest in fishing, they can also participate in a tournament in June at the Catch a Rainbow Kids Fishing Derby.  It’s free for them to enter and prizes are awarded for a variety of categories.

The Thunder Run Poker Run takes place in June and is a smaller version of the big event in September.  It features cash and recreation equipment prizes, live entertainment and all of those things expected at a poker run.  Just watching from the top deck of your houseboat is entertaining enough!  Speedboats will zip from marina to marina to collect the cards for their “hand” and if you park close enough you’ll be able to enjoy the music being played at the dock!  Take a small boat in to try out some of the food vendors if you wish.

The summer months on Lake Cumberland are all about music!  The Blues Harborfest takes place in June with a floating stage between the Jamestown Marina and the Lake Cumberland State Dock.  Pull up a small boat sit on a float-toy and soak up the tunes!  You can do the same on the water at the east end of the lake where the Harbor Deck Outdoor Concert Series takes place all summer long!  The Raft Up event in August also features live music all day and an attempt at the Guiness World Record of having the most boats tied up together.  First done in 2010, every year people try to top the record.  In 2016 the event had a live band playing Jimmy Buffet all day!

If you’re heading to the lake on U. S. Highway 127, you just might stop to shop along the World’s Longest Yard Sale.  For the first week of August this highway has pop-up tents and tables all along it for 690 miles from Michigan to Alabama!  Only a small portion of this sale skirts the western shores of Lake Cumberland, but if your curiosity overcomes you, you’re in a good place! 

September’s Lake Cumberland Poker Run is the real deal.  You can read all about it on another blog here.  Truly the biggest event of the year, houseboats sell out up to a year in advance for participants and observers.  If this is your thing, don’t waste any time making plans!  The city of Somerset also hosts the Blues, BBQ & Arts Festival in September, for good music, crafts and family activities, check it out when you get to the area or when you’re off the lake. 

It’s always a party at the lake with my family, but when we’ve ended up joining the lake community for a few hours of kid’s games and music, the atmosphere always enhanced the fun we were having together!  More choices mean more fun for us and that’s why Lake Cumberland is so fun!  And there’s always a quiet cove to retreat to within all of its miles of shoreline. 

Ready to plan an exciting getaway to Lake Cumberland? We're here to help! With the addition of the State Dock and Lee's Ford Marinas, we now have FIVE houseboat marinas to choose from! Give us a call at 888-454-8825 or Request Information Online and one of our agents will contact you promptly.