It’s another state added to “50 States before They Graduate!”
Take a trip with us into South Central Kentucky where we take an inside-the-earth look at Kentucky’s Cave Country…
Mammoth Cave
We made a mammoth-sized discovery while on this trip. You need to make reservations to go on a guided cave tour at Mammoth Cave. These things sell out like hotcakes, ESPECIALLY during spring break.
There are 11 different tours available. Each tour (time) length includes the hike to and from the entrance (or, for those starting at the New Entrance, the bus ride to and from the entrance).
The two introductory tours that are rated easy (as in, you have young children and will likely be carrying one of them because he/she falls asleep on every single cave tour you go on) include:
- Mammoth Passage Tour (130 stairs)
- Frozen Niagara Tour (12 stairs, plus an optional 98)
At the time of our trip, these two tours were not available by reservation, which is why they ended up being the ones we did. As of Spring 2022, the Mammoth Passage Tour is the only tour that is not available by reservation.
The tours that may be suited for families with young children (rated moderate):
- Historic Tour (540 stairs)
- River Styx Cave Tour (600 stairs)
- Gothic Avenue Tour (160 stairs)
- Cleaveland Avenue Tour (descending nearly 200 stairs)
- Domes & Dripstones Tour (500 stairs)
- Great Onyx Lantern Tour (Age limit: 6 and older; 60 stairs)
- Star Chamber Lantern Tour (Age limit: 6 and older; 160 stairs)
All the other tours are rated strenuous or very strenuous and will be out of our range for at least five more years. You can virtually tour each cave by viewing the tour route photo galleries.
We went on the Self-Guided Mammoth Passage Tour and the Frozen Niagara Tour. We originally wanted to go on the Historic Tour but did not get a reservation.
My recommendation: Skip the Mammoth Passage Tour unless you want to step inside a huge cavern (without seeing any formations) just to say you stepped foot into the longest cave in the world. If you need a really easy route and want to see a few formations, go on the Frozen Niagara Tour. Otherwise, go on the Historic Tour (which includes all you would see on the Mammoth Passage Tour), the New Entrance Tour (which includes all you would see on the Frozen Niagara Tour), or the Star Chamber Tour (which is toured the old way – by lantern-light).
For me, Mammoth Cave was a little disappointing. With this being the longest cave system in the world, I was ready to see some incredible features and numerous formations. What I did not realize is that this system was carved out by huge, underground rivers causing massive cave tunnels, not formations. Mammoth Cave consists of four main layers with several others branching off every which way to make up the ~400 miles of cave discovered to date. So, although there are unique formations in Mammoth Cave, you have to go on various tours, which require multiple reservations, multiple monies, and the ability to climb multiple stairs while lugging multiple children on your hips. Many of these tours are not suited for families with young children. (Especially young children who are lulled into a peaceful sleep every time you step foot into a cave.)
TIP: Go over a Mammoth Cave map with a park ranger to have them mark where each tour starts and ends to better select which tour(s) you want to go on. What a great idea! I wish we had done this!
The boys worked diligently on earning their Jr. Ranger certificates. The activity book instilled in them a larger love of nature and how to take care of the park and caves in general. It was great!
We really enjoyed the hiking trails! Though we were unable to work the guided surface walks into our schedule, there are four surface walk programs that can be hiked with a tour guide for free.
- Wildflower Hike
- Sloans Pond Walk
- Echo River Spring Hike
- Evening Program
The special thing about this cave: It’s the longest cave in the world!
Cave tour prices range from $8 – $66 per adult and $6 – $28 per child per tour. (Most are in the $18-25 price range for adults and $10-17 price range for children.) Check out current tour fees here.
Outlaw Cave at Jesse James Riding Stables/Park
So many caves claim that Jesse James and his posse hid out in them. Outlaw Cave is no exception. (But even Robbers Cave in my home state of Oklahoma makes this claim, although I’m wondering how much time Jesse James had to rob banks if he was always hiding out in caves ranging from Oklahoma to Kentucky.) This cave tour was absolutely the SHORTEST one we took (time and distance, unless you count the time it took to drive to the entrance), and it really did not have much to see compare to other caves in the area. It was the coldest cave due to a “highly complex mathematical formula called ‘physics.'”
But check out this van! It was the highlight of the entire cave tour (along with the tour guide’s highly intellectual explanation of everything)!
The special thing about this cave: It was so cold. And you get to ride in a really cool van (but without air conditioning).
Cave tour price: $9 per adult, $6 per child, under 5 free.
Mammoth Onyx Cave at Kentucky Down Under
Admission to Kentucky Down Under includes a guided cave tour through Mammoth Onyx Cave. This very wet, active cave houses such beautiful formations! The paths and lighting were great! We enjoyed watching a few cave creatures: the blind crayfish, cave crickets, and a cave salamander.
The special thing about this cave: Beautiful and easy.
Cave tour price: Free with admission to Kentucky Down Under. (Kentucky Down Under admission: $25.95 per adult, $15.95 per child, under 4 free. Kentucky Down Under is WORTH THE PRICE on Brandy’s list of things to do in Cave Country.)
American Cave Museum & Hidden River Cave
Hidden River Cave is in the middle of the downtown area of Horse Cave, which results in quite a fascinating historic look at conservation. (Many people used sinkholes for garbage and other yuckiness – something that so affected this area that the American Cave Conservation Association relocated their headquarters here in the 1980s just to clean it up.) Of all the places we toured, this one had so much history that was completely mesmerizing. The tour passes through the remnants of a turn-of-the-century hydro-electric generating system that was once used to supply electricity and water to the entire town of Horse Cave. What’s more, it was built by a dentist!
Deep inside the cave, you can visit Sunset Dome, a room that was used to host big parties, weddings, and social events during the prohibition period. It takes a special, pricey tour to get there. One that will have you utterly exhausted and covered head to toe with muddy muck. Looks like fun!
The special thing about this cave: The history!! (And the museum and focus on conservation efforts.) Incredible!
Cave Tour Prices (includes museum admission and guided cave tour): $25 per adult (ages 15+), $12 per youth (Age 6-14), and free (Age 0-5). Off-trail cave adventure tours (for ages 10+) start at $43.
Onyx Cave
Uncovered during the building of the attraction, Guntown Mountain, Onyx Cave is a system of vertical shafts that are filled with onyx flowstone formations. When the walking path was created through this cave, some of the formations had to be removed. These formations were saved and placed on display inside the cave to create a “learning area” where the various formations can be easily compared with each other. The tour guide does a very good job of explaining the differences in how each one is formed.
The special thing about this cave: Truly knowledgeable tour guides who can explain the different formations in great detail. Great comparisons between various formations. Good cave to actually study for science purposes. The guides will even help, so prepare by studying a bit in advance for an even greater learning experience through discussion with the guides!
Cave tour prices: $9.50 per adult (ages 12+), $6.50 (ages 6-11), Free (Ages 0-4)
Diamond Caverns
This is the most highly commercialized cave in the area. The entrance to the cave is located inside the gift shop building. And for some reason, all the signs posted everywhere that reminded me to keep track of my children were threatening. I was nervous the whole time, so I’m not sure I really experienced this cave to the full extent. (As a side note, I do normally keep track of my children, and they know NOT. TO. TOUCH. ANYTHING. But I still felt a little nervous and unwelcome with my little ones.)
The special thing about this cave: Absolutely beautiful, but lots of stairs. This one was the most exhausting while carrying a napping Levi.
Cave tour prices: $22 per adult (ages 13+), $11 per child (ages 4-12), Free (ages 0-3)
Cub Run Cave
We loved this cave so much we toured it twice! Discovered in 1950 by a couple of teenagers, Cub Run Cave was only open for a year before land disputes ensued. It was closed down for half a century and finally reopened in 2006! In a time when the general public was not concerned about conservation (and hence broke off formations to keep as souvenirs), it was a blessing that this cave was shut down! (UPDATE: Cub Run Cave was shut down in January 2019. No further details are known at this time.)
My favorite moment of all our cave-touring was when we walked into the Ten-Thousand-Stalactite Room (that was my name for it). It was simply breathtaking. And we also saw an upside down city, the “Capitol Building,” and a stalagmite that was half-active, half-inactive. Not only that, we saw real bats in this cave – up close! There’s even a humorous, man-made section that was built by the original owner to attract people to go deeper in the cave – just so he could claim that it was a 3/4-mile tour!
Being such a new attraction and a bit off the beaten path, this cave operates under a very low budget. There’s only one tour guide available at a time, and she also runs the gift shop. So, if you get to the gift shop and see a sign that says, “I’ll be back,” don’t worry. She will be back. And this cave is worth it to wait for her. Eat at the great Mexican restaurant, Las Cabanas, right next door to the Cub Run Cave Gift Shop if it’s going to be a while.
An added plus to going to this cave (from Mammoth Cave) is a free ferry ride across Green River!
Cave tour prices: $18 per adult (ages 13+), $11 per child (ages 4 to 12), Free (ages 0-3). UPDATE: Cub Run Cave was shut down in January 2019. No further details are known at this time.
The special thing about this cave: Incredible stalactite room with thousands of stalactites, beautiful formations, and a “man-made” section with some funny history behind it.
Heading South to Bowling Green…
Lost River Cave
As the only underground boat tour in Kentucky, this cave offers some interesting history involving Native Americans, Morgan’s Raiders, Jesse James, an underground nite club, and a water-powered mill. The beautiful nature trails lead you to this area’s unique Blue Holes and a Butterfly Garden House.
A Lost River Cave Junior Tour Guide program is available in which children can earn a certificate and patch (much like the State and National Park Jr. Ranger Programs).
The special thing about this cave: The underground boat tour. (You get to ride through a cave in a boat! Which means we didn’t have to carry Levi!) Also some fascinating history and folklore. (Jesse James hid here, too.) And the nature trails were fantastic!
Cave boat tour prices: $22.95 per adult (ages 13+), $16.95 per child (ages 4 to 12), and $5.95 per child (ages 0 to 3)
—————– All pricing information updated Spring 2022 —————–
To see the other fun things you can do while on a trip to Kentucky’s Cave Country, visit our South Central Kentucky post.
A few notes about touring caves
The sad epidemic of White Nose Syndrome has caused the death of millions of North American bats (which results in billions more mosquitoes flying around at night!). Before going into a cave, you can try to help prevent the spread of this terrible disease by spraying the soles of your shoes and/or clothes with disinfectant. (Mammoth Cave has a disinfectant solution that you must walk through, though for some reason they have you walk through it after you come out of the cave instead of just before you go in!)
Apparently, taking photos in caves causes the battery to run down much more quickly. I had a fully charged camera before leaving for our Kentucky Cave Country Trip, and my camera died the second day. It has never run down that quickly, but when I talked to some more experienced photographers, they confirmed that I should have brought my charger.
Sluice mining is available at most cave locations. It was a big hit with our boys, so much so that we invested in several bags of dirt while on this trip. Be sure to take an extra $100 bill for such things.
Our family has an exciting goal of experiencing all 50 states together before the boys graduate from high school (and… 10 years after we posted our big Cave Tour… we have actually visited 49 of the 50 states! To take a look at some of the places we’ve been, go to the Traveling America with Kids section of our website. If you want to offer suggestions for off-the-beaten-path places to visit in the 50 states, we would love your input!
Care to visit 50 states with us? How about visiting just one state? What about your own state? If so, we would love for you to become a part of a network of families traveling the USA.
Feel free to leave your comments and suggestions for your favorite state(s), or virtually visit the other states we have been to to offer your recommendations on those pages!