Fort Massac State Park

This has been the park that I’ve went to my whole life. Everything from play dates with my grandma & grandpa, to dinner dates with my parents and siblings, field trips, family reunions, the annual encampment, or just a nice long walk to be around nature and the beautiful scenery. I love this park, it’s a gorgeous place.

Disappointing to find area fenced off due to structural issues. No signs up to tell visitors. Muesuem was very nice

This park is what is it. It was a nice destination to run to when I was staying in town for work. The fort buildings were a little under whelming if you have seen this kind of fort before. It is one of Metropolis’s few destinations, so if you have a few minutes and it’s on your way, drive on into the park for a minute or two.

Thursday was a quiet day at the park. Tony and I stopped here about 3:30pm, the weather was really cool but lovely. It wasn’t bad really until the wind blew. I liked the park a lot.
It is really large. There are some picnic areas and hiking trails, childrens playgrounds and bathrooms. The Visitors Center is really nice with a great museum located inside and the best part it is all FREE. I enjoy FREE things and I am amazed how much FREE and exciting places out there to visit.
We parked and walked up to the Visitors Center and enjoyed the items on display and the display of the model of the actual fort. It actually made it seem more REAL to me. Then we walked over to the re-​created fort. It is really nice. Then we left that area and walked over to the site of the ORIGINAL FORT.
They have the original fort area marked out where the archaeologist researched the site. There is also a nice statue of Clark facing the Ohio River.
This park is very nice!
I enjoyed it a lot. I would like to go back and take one or two of the hikes. The forest /​woods are dense so please use OFF when hiking to cut down on mosquito issues so close to the water.

Beautiful state park.

We were in town once and coincidentally they were having the annual war reenactment so we decided to drop by and check it out. It was all free, which was awesome. There were police there and such that coordinated people parking in the grass, and shuttles that took you straight to the action. The park itself is pretty unexciting but calming I imagine if you were to go for a walk, maybe catch up with a friend.

I grew up visiting Fort Massac. It is a great location on the banks of the Ohio River across from Paducah with great sweeping views of the river. The history of the place is different as there is so little French and Indian War/​American Revolution in the region. Its setting including the historic and reproduction forts as well as the surrounding old growth hardwood trees really help spur the imagination of this being a wilderness. The annual encampment held every October is always a good time with games, food, crafts, bagpipes, fife and drum music, and reenactment battles. If you are in the area and love history, you should really stop by and spend a few hours touring and visiting the museum.

I was very upset to find the rest area at theI24 exit closed, so I consulted Unilocal to search for a park close at hand where we might eat our lunch. Since we had a dog with us and the temperature was 96 degrees, I was delighted to find this lovely park. There are plenty of picnic areas with some tables right on the river where a pleasant bread was blowing and dogs are welcome as long as they are leashed.

I passed this lovely park by for several years. I’d see it while heading to my cousin’s house in Chicago and never thought to stop. I’m a history nerd & I’m kicking myself that I missed it. I try to go back a time or two each year, because the location is stunning. The fort sits high on the banks of the Ohio River, and it flooded last year. The buildings were closed the last couple times I went, but the exteriors were not damaged. The park has a welcome center, and you can see up the river towards the casino. The area is a little noisy, because they have a factory of some sort next door. The fort sits on the edge of town, rather than being in the middle of the park. I’ve never been to the reenactment they have each year, maybe I’ll give it a shot this year.

I spotted this park on the way back to the Interstate from the Superman Statue and what a find! So much open space that there are walking trails and bike paths and picnic tables and even a boat ramp that leads out onto the Ohio River. And if that wasn’t enough, the views of the river here and the bridge into Paducah are simply stunning! Also, don’t miss the rebuilt Fort Massac and the various historical markers that explain how this fort came to be and how the American Revolutionaries captured it back from the British.
My only complaint is that there seems to be some sort of demolition yard next to the park. Maybe they shut down on the weekends?