Celebrating 10 Years of Turkey Run Park: A Decade of Adventure
Turkey Run Park
Ten years ago, on October 16, 2015, Turkey Run Park opened to the public—our third major park and one of our most beloved destinations.
Over the past decade, Turkey Run has welcomed nature lovers, history enthusiasts, and families in search of outdoor adventure. Spanning over 900 acres, the park stretches from Seatonville Road to Broad Run Road, showcasing a diverse landscape of forests, meadows, trails, and waterways. The park’s name honors one of the tributaries of Floyds Fork, the fundamental waterway that connects all four parks of The Parklands.
Irongate Golf Course
Heritage & History
Before it was a public park, the land that is now Turkey Run was a patchwork of dairy farms, golf courses, and private residences. The park’s largest “landscape room,” Seaton Valley, was once home to the Irongate Country Club, a golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., and later horse stables with bridle paths. Many traces of this past remain for observant visitors to discover.
Before we ever began construction, we were guided by a vision to thoughtfully preserve and honor the natural landscapes of this special place. The Parklands worked carefully to restore the land, reforesting areas like the Squire Boone Bottoms, where over 30,000 trees were planted across 40 acres to replace forest lost to agriculture. The planting plan included oaks, hickories, persimmons, cherry, hazelnuts, and pecans, collected from across Kentucky and carefully mapped for long-term ecological success. Today, many of those trees continue to grow, shaping the forest and providing habitat for birds, mammals, and pollinators.
Silo Dome Construction, 2014
Significant attention was also given to honoring the area’s agricultural heritage. The Brown-Forman Silo Center is a great example of this. The site’s 60-foot silo, a remnant of the Jean Family dairy farm that operated on the property for seven generations, is a focal point of the park. It has been renovated and converted into an observatory deck, where visitors can climb the 109 spiraling stairs to enjoy 360° views of the surrounding fields and trails. The nearby shed, once used to house the farm’s feeding trough, was converted into the Farmer’s Table picnic shelter. The Pignic Barn now stands where the pig barn once stood.
Also in the Brown-Forman Silo Center is the iconic Hockensmith Barn. While the park’s designers originally intended to preserve the existing tobacco barn that stood in its place, there was too much structural damage. Instead, a new barn was raised on the site, with its design inspired by the colors and style of traditional Kentucky tobacco barns. The Hockensmith Barn now stands as a permanent reminder of the land’s former life as a working farm.
Ben Stout House
Turkey Run is also home to the Ben Stout House, a 200-year-old limestone structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The oldest man-made structure within The Parklands, the building was most likely built in the early 19th century by Daniel Omer and sold to Ben Stout in 1876. The signature of Squire Boone, brother of Daniel Boone, appears on one of the original deeds to the property.
During the park’s construction, the historic building was thoughtfully restored and now serves as an event space and interpretive center for events like Wee Wednesday Wonders. The renovations ensure the site will be preserved for future generations, so it will continue to offer visitors a window into early Kentucky settlement and life on Floyds Fork.
The Parklands worked, and continues to work, on preserving and sustaining the legacy of the land that is now Turkey Run Park. The park and the farms that originally stood here are a perfect example of the ways in which man, nature, and land have shaped, and continue to shape, one another. To learn more about the history of these areas, be sure to check out the interpretive panels located in trailheads and kiosks throughout the parks.
Features & Amenities at a Glance
Sky Meadow Excursion Trail
From day one, Turkey Run Park was designed to offer a variety of experiences for visitors of all ages and abilities:
- Trails: The heart of Turkey Run Park is in its trail system. Turkey Run is home to nearly 17 total trail miles, including 3.7 miles of the Louisville Loop. The collection of paved and natural-surface trails, including a mix of multi-use and hike-only trails, weaves through meadows and forests. Turkey Run Forest, the largest forest system in The Parklands, features a network of connected trails—Paw Paw, Chinkapin, and Hickory—that can be linked together for one of the longest natural-surface hikes in the park system. The interconnected trails in Turkey Run Forest allows visitors to choose shorter routes or combine loops for a longer, more challenging hike.
- Water Access: The Seaton Valley and Cane Run paddling accesses provide convenient entry to The Parklands’ namesake Floyds Fork. Visitors can also fish at the ADA-accessible pier at Boulder Pond, which is stocked regularly through the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources’ Fishing in Neighborhoods program.
- Sky Dome: One of the highest points in the entire park system, this area was intentionally designed to allow for sweeping views of both The Parklands and the sky itself. Sky Dome’s stone seating area provides a great place to take in the wide-open panoramic views of Sky Meadows and beyond.
- Brown-Forman Silo Center: This picturesque area of the park features the Silo Lookout, a one-acre lawn, picnic areas at the Pignic Barn and Farmer’s Table shelter, and the idyllic Hockensmith Barn event venue. Nearby is the Silo Center Bike Park—a seasonal, skill-focused mountain biking area designed by the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) for riders of all ages.
Brown-Forman Silo Center, Under construction in 2014 (left) vs. Late Fall 2024 (right)
A Decade of Discovery and Adventure
Over the past 10 years, Turkey Run Park has become a hub for exploration and learning. Thousands of visitors have traversed the trails, paddled Floyds Fork, climbed the Silo Lookout, and explored the historic Ben Stout House. The park’s design encourages curiosity—look closely and you can spot remnants of old farms, stone walls, and early settlement patterns, giving clues to the land’s history.
Hockensmith Barn, Field & Fork 2025
Conservation efforts continue to shape the park’s landscape. In addition to reforestation, The Parklands staff manage invasive species, maintain trail systems, and promote native habitats, ensuring that Turkey Run remains a vibrant, thriving ecosystem for generations to come.
Beyond its trails and natural beauty, Turkey Run Park also offers unique spaces for gatherings and events. The Hockensmith Barn, Pignic Barn, and Farmer’s Table shelter host dozens of weddings, community celebrations, and other special events throughout the year—including Field & Fork, one of our annual fundraisers that supports The Parklands and helps sustain our programs and preservation efforts.
The versatile venues in Turkey Run allow visitors to enjoy the park’s scenery while connecting with friends, family, and neighbors—making the park a destination for both everyday adventure and memorable life moments.
Looking Ahead
As Turkey Run Park enters its second decade, visitors can look forward to continued growth and stewardship. From new trails to ecological restoration projects and family-friendly programming, the park remains a place where nature, history, and community come together.
Wild Hyacinth Trail
The Parklands is also expanding—recently acquiring more than 600 acres of additional parkland, over 150 of which will be incorporated into Turkey Run Park. This acquisition brings more rolling forests, grasslands, and wildflower meadows to the park, creating new opportunities for hiking, wildlife viewing, and quiet moments immersed in nature.
While the land is closed during planning and construction, park management is carefully assessing how best to integrate these areas into Turkey Run Park, ensuring that future visitors can enjoy even more connected green spaces along Floyds Fork.
These new parcels continue The Parklands’ mission of preserving critical habitats and providing accessible outdoor experiences for our growing community. With this addition, Turkey Run Park—and The Parklands as a whole—has an even brighter future for adventure, discovery, and conservation.
Whether you’re hiking, biking, paddling, or simply soaking in the scenery, Turkey Run Park offers something for everyone—and the past ten years are just the beginning of its story.