Recently my family has taken up geocaching. For the unfamiliar, geocaching is basically a global treasure hunt in which you search for small boxes using GPS coordinates. They are hidden all around you and they are incredibly fun to find.

One of the best parts of geocaching is it forces you to leave your comfort zone and explore areas you might have otherwise neglected. Case in point, a week ago my family and I went to geocache in the little town of Wickliffe.

Located 30 miles West of Paducah on the confluence of the Ohio and Kentucky Rivers, Wickliffe only has a population of about 800. It's no metropolis but it makes a fun day trip on a fall day.

First we stopped in this fun little park in the shadow of the town hall.

Next we stopped at Cross at the Confluence City Park. The name is deserved let me tell you.

The 95 foot cross overlooks one of the prettiest views I've seen in Kentucky and we were so happy to have seen it.

Last, we stopped at the Wickliffe Mounds, a Kentucky STATE park (which meant it was open, take that shutdown!). The Mounds were the site of a Native American village somewhere between 1100 to 1350 A.D. Sit with that date for a minute. It took me a while to process just how long ago that was.

We learned quite a bit about the Native American society that existed in Kentucky long before the days of Daniel Boone and it was incredibly fascinating.

It was the perfect end to a fun little trip to Wickliffe and another good reminder that Kentucky has so much to offer beyond headliners of bourbon and bluegrass!

~ Sarah Stewart Holland