Land Between the Lakes Saves Its Fullest Day for the Weekend Before It Closes
October 29, 2026
October 29, 2026
For anyone in Stewart County, the Homeplace 1850s Working Farm is the closest of Land Between the Lakes' staffed attractions. It sits at 4512 The Trace in Dover, and after November it closes until March. Woodlands Nature Station follows the same pattern. It's open Wednesday through Sunday in November, then closed December through February.
November at LBL is not a slow fade. The month's programs get heavier as it goes, and the busiest single date on the calendar is Saturday, November 28, 2026. That day has a farm Christmas, two raptor programs and two evening laser shows, all on the last weekend before the doors close. The same weekend is also a Tennessee quota deer hunt in the LBL section closest to home. A resident who knows the rest of the month can plan around that Saturday instead of being caught off guard by it.
Starting in November, both the Homeplace and the Nature Station move from seven days a week to Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Homeplace sells its last entry ticket at 4 p.m. The Nature Station's last entry is 4:30 p.m. Both are closed on Thanksgiving Day, which falls on November 26 this year.
So November's open days on the Tennessee side are all Wednesdays through Sundays. The Homeplace's final weekend runs Friday, November 27 through Sunday, November 29, and then the farm goes quiet until March. Admission at both places is $7 for ages 16 and up and free for ages 15 and under. The posted pages say special events may cost more.
Golden Pond Planetarium keeps different hours. Its facility page lists it as open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last show starting at 4 p.m. The Elk & Bison Prairie is open sunrise to sunset for $5 per vehicle, and its page shows no change for November. Both sit across the state line in Kentucky. The Nature Station is at 3146 Silver Trail Road in Cadiz, and the Planetarium is at 238 Visitor Center Drive in Golden Pond.
Here's the month in order, from LBL's official calendar and the Planetarium's fall laser flyer:
Laser shows cost $8 per person. Regular Planetarium admission is $7 for ages 13 and up, $4.50 for ages 5 to 12, and free for ages 4 and under. The Planetarium's September through November schedule fills the daytime with regular shows such as Firefall, Habitat Earth and Discover the Stars, and the brochure notes that programming can change.
The first three Saturdays each have a single daytime program at most. The last one has three daytime programs plus two evening laser shows, more than any other day this month.
On the Homeplace calendar, the farm's 2026 special events wrap up with a Trades Fair in September, Apple Fest on October 17, and A Homeplace Christmas on November 28. The official event page describes it like this:
"Step back in time to the smell of pine needles and gingerbread, to stockings hung by the fire with care, to a simple 1850s Christmas on the farm."
The day includes making traditional decorations, collecting recipes for holiday treats, hearing old Christmas stories, and a visit from Santa later in the day. The event page doesn't list a separate ticket price, and the farm's general page says special events may cost more than the usual $7.
Put next to the Kentucky-side programs, the whole day looks like this:
The schedule leaves room to do all of it. A family could spend the morning at the farm, head north for the eagle program, and still make an evening show. Eagle Watching 101 comes at a fitting moment, since it's built around winter viewing tips just as the Nature Station closes for the winter.
LBL's 2026–27 hunting schedule sets Tennessee adult quota deer hunts for November 13–15 and November 27–29. That second hunt covers the entire Homeplace Christmas weekend. The first one overlaps the Bald is Beautiful Saturday. Kentucky's adult quota hunts are November 6–8 and November 20–22.
According to LBL's 2026 deer hunting fact sheet, only hunters drawn in the quota can hunt deer with firearms or muzzleloaders, and only on the dates on their permits. All other hunting in that state section, archery and crossbow included, is closed the day before and during each quota hunt. Tennessee archery season at LBL runs October 1–30 and then resumes November 2, 2026 through January 3, 2027. For a resident who also bowhunts, the Homeplace Christmas weekend is a closed stretch on the Tennessee side, so the holiday event doesn't compete with a bowhunting weekend.
LBL's wildlife refuges are open through October 31, 2026. Seasonal refuge closures then set aside quiet resting and feeding areas for waterfowl, shorebirds and eagles. Last winter's list included portions of Duncan Bay, Smith Bay and Rushing Bay on Kentucky Lake, Fulton Bay and Honker Bay on Lake Barkley, and fishing and boating closures at Hematite Lake and Honker Lake, where the trails stayed open. The LBL alerts page still shows the 2025–26 boundaries, so check it for the coming season's map before heading out by boat.
The same page lists road closures that matter for anyone driving between programs. Road 214 is closed between Roads 215 and 372 because of a failing culvert. The FS Road 126 bridge at Davenport Bay is closed, and Road 172-C is closed to the Jones Creek boat ramp. On the Tennessee side, Fort Henry Trail's Pickett Loop and connectors 1 and 2 are closed until further notice because of tornado damage. LBL's trails are otherwise open year-round.
Campers have a deadline too. Piney Campground is open March through November, and Wranglers Campground is open year-round. LBL says applications for seasonal camping open in the fall, and the drawing for seasonal sites is held in January.
Halloween falls on the Saturday just before November starts. At 11 a.m. that day, Fort Donelson National Battlefield hosts Waiting at the Landing, a free 30-minute ranger talk at the Dover Hotel, Tour Stop 10, where Brigadier General Simon Bolivar Buckner had his headquarters. The talk covers the night after the battle, when the three ranking Confederate generals each made a different choice about their army. The park asks people to arrive five minutes early. The NPS calendar also lists Forrest: From Ft. Heiman to Johnsonville at 2 p.m. that afternoon. That evening, Golden Pond Planetarium runs its Fright Light laser show at 5:30 and 7.
After that, there are four November Saturdays left, ending on November 28.
Mary McCooley has lived in this part of Tennessee since 1985. She keeps track of the farm calendars, hunt weekends and road closures that shape life in Stewart County as closely as she tracks home sales. If you're thinking about a place close to The Trace, or you'd like to know what your current home near the lakes is worth, Mary McCooley is happy to talk it through. Start Your Property Search whenever you're ready.
Whether you're buying your first home, relocating with the military, or preparing to sell your property, working with Mary McCooley means working with someone who is all in—for you.