Lake Cumberland is a magical place, about 5 hours from Columbus, that consists of 1,200 miles of shoreline and some of the most amazing memories in my life! It is a man-made, flood control lake nestled in some of the most beautiful areas of Kentucky. The shoreline is all natural, with no homes directly on the water, making it a bit of a natural oasis. Lake Cumberland is also the “houseboat capital” of the world, with many marinas renting houseboats for vacations, and hundreds of incredible owned houseboats on the water. It has been a (nearly) annual vacation destination for the Fourth of July for my family for 20+ years, that my siblings and I are working to carry on. One thing that is for sure, is that boating as the kid (even adult version) is drastically different from boating with kids! Here are some tips that work for us as we have adapted to boating with kiddos of our own on the lake that we love!
Manage Expectations
Listen, I know what you’re imagining. Boating is relaxing, restful, and luxurious. I am here to tell you that 
with littles, it changes quite a bit. Instead, boating is now always an adventure, a little bit of chaos, but a WORLD of fun. We used to be a family of sun up to sun down boating, and instead, our boating ventures are usually best dosed at a few hours at a time. Taking breaks to let the kids nap, run around, or at least take a break from the sun is pretty important. The wonderful thing about Lake Cumberland compared to our “home lake” of Alum Creek, is that there are a dozen+ marinas on Lake Cumberland where little pit stops to browse the ship store/get ice cream/or eat lunch are easy peasy!
Come More Than Prepared
I know, going anywhere with kids feels reminiscent of moving in your single days. You don’t need to bring their whole bedroom- but you do want some key items. These are the items that we never leave out of our boat bag:
- DIAPERS- like more than you think would be necessary because when diapers get wet they stink.
- SWIM DIAPERS- We use re-usable swim diapers. We have some iPlay, ALVIA, and use bum genius diaper shells for swim diapers.
- WETBAG- remember how I said diapers stink? I think wet bags contain the smell far better than the trash bags. Plus, we cloth diaper, making wet bags clutch.
- WATERPROOF TOYS- Our favorites right now are to bring baby dolls that can afford to get wet, any floating toys, and small toys they kids can hold onto that do not take much space. Avoid books that will get ruined with water. Avoid anything sharp and any small pieces.
- BATTERY FAN- our stroller fan is a must in the summer. Boating is great for hot days; the wind in your hair as you cruise down the lake, and cooling off in the water are some of my favorite ways to pass the summer! But you know what’s not fun? Idle Zones. Having a fan handy for those lengthy, hot, no wake zones can be a lifesaver
- SUNSCREEN- like, a lot of sunscreen. We like using a face stick option and a body lotion option as our little has pretty sensitive skin. Keep in mind that the sprays can stain/ruin some of the electronics in boats so be mindful of that!
- SNACKS- Playing in the sun makes my child ravenous. Despite being old enough to eat anything now, she loves baby pouches- and they are amazing on the boat! Keep them i
n the cooler for a cooled applesauce/spinach duo! There are dozens of pouch options, but they are an easy, no mess way to keep refreshing fruits and vegetables in the kids! Otherwise, think finger foods! Our family go to is crackers with cubed cheese, and lunch meat sandwiches! Yum! Dips can be great, too! Hydrating is even more important than food, so keeping cool water/drinks for your kid on board is essential. When I was breastfeeding, I loved the peace of mind of knowing my kiddo could remain hydrated well, but it meant even more hydration needs for me! - FOR THE BABIES- Having a place to physically sit a tiny tot is a wonderful thing to have. We used to bring the exersaucer on board when my brother was an infant! Bumbo chairs, even portable infant swings can be super handy to have on the boat so you have a safe space to strap baby while docking/launching. We have a toddler swing we can attach to our wakeboard tower if we don’t have extra hands on deck to hold the toddler during these high stress moments.
Safety
Using a life jacket for your little goes without saying. It is an absolute must. Boating is seriously fun, but accidents on the water can be devastating, and can happen very quickly. Something we see often is parents not also having life jackets on in the water. Who is going to help your child if something happens to you? (This is something to think about with helmets, too, by the way!) Designate an adult, and be intentional about this, to have a life jacket on at all times when in the water with the kids. Be intentional about “hey, I’m getting in the cooler, keep an eye on her” to avoid situations where one of you thought the other one “had her”. 
Boating safety is pretty important, and taking a simple class online can teach you a lot about the rules of the waterways. Arguably the most dangerous part of boating occurs when launching and loading on the trailer- take time to learn about the rules around the ramp (no swimming, for example) to keep your family safe. And take a boating safety course!
When traveling to new bodies of water (like Lake Cumberland), take a map. Lake Cumberland is huge and it is easy to loose your bearing on getting back to your “home marina”. A map may seem outdated, but I assure you that Waze doesn’t yet work for
lakes. 🙂 Program the phone numbers to multiple marinas into your phone in case you need help while out, and make sure phones are charged in case emergency services are needed. Lake Cumberland has a third party group called Marina Assist which provides emergency services for your boat for $95/year which is well worth the investment- consider looking into your options on the lakes you are traveling to!
Have a BLAST!
As mentioned, my favorite memories in life have been on Lake Cumberland. The chaos of the preparation for a boating vacation is so well worth the joyful memories! Check into some of our favorite marinas on the lake!
- State Dock: The marina associated with the Lake Cumberland State Park. They have cabins, camping spots, a lodge, and houseboats to rent. You can also rent pontoons and jet skis for the day. They have a great lake-side restaurant, and arguably one of the best ship stores on the water. Home to many events throughout the year, and their great selection of live music on the weekends! They’re fireworks show for July 4th is also a show stopper!
- Conley Bottom: The only remaining privately owned marina on the water! And you truly get the family, homey, feeling with this marina! They have campsites, hotel, and cabins; as well as rental houseboats and daily boat rentals. The restaurant is “diner like” and as delicious as you can imagine. It is, in my opinion, the friendliest marina on the lake! Also, one of the few marinas with soft-serve ice cream!
- Lees Ford: The marina with the hill! A great restaurant (which was the first to have alcohol I might add), some wonderful family friendly activities at the dock, and one of the best marina locations! Lees Ford is nestled in a cove off of the main lake, making the water near the marina incredibly smooth. They too have cabins, a motel, and houseboat rentals. No camping here.
- Wolf Creek: By far, the best restaurant on the lake! A little longer of a drive to get to this marina, but in a beautiful cove on the water, actually our favorite cove on the water! A little smaller in size, but the restaurant makes it worth a stop!
We will be enjoying this Fourth of July with our family at Conley Bottom this year! We cannot wait! Hoping you and your family have a great Fourth, especially if it is spent on the water! Be safe everyone!
