Mammoth Cave is one of the most amazing cave systems anywhere. Like Niagara Falls, it's a classic U.S. travel attraction and remains one of the country's most popular. The first tours of the cave were given 175 years ago, but Mammoth Cave didn't become a national park until 1941. Today, it's the longest cave system yet discovered in the world (with more than 345 mi/555 km of explored passageways).
When you walk down into Mammoth Cave's inky depths, you'll be continuing a tradition that's gone on for millennia. Native Americans started exploring the cave as early as 2000 BC. The greatest 19th-century caver was Stephen Bishop, a black slave who became a tour guide. Bishop used his spare time to explore the unknown nooks and crannies of Mammoth Cave—he is buried in the park at the Old Guides Cemetery. You can visit the site from the renovated Heritage Trail, which has a well-designed boardwalk that is accessible to all visitors.
There are a number of ways to see Mammoth Cave, each one suited to particular interests and physical stamina (remember—it is way underground and involves some real walking). The scenic tours range from 30 minutes to more than six hours, depending on the areas visited. They include the self-guided tour and more than a dozen others, including Wild Cave (strenuous—Saturday only, for those who are age 16 and older and don't mind crawling, getting muddy or squeezing through tight spots); Tour for the Disabled (visitors using wheelchairs must have attendants); and the Trog Tour (for kids, some crawling required). The Introduction to Caving Tour teaches actual techniques used by cave explorers—expect to get muddy. Tickets to all of the tours can be purchased in advance. Toll-free 800-967-2283 (the self-guided tour needs no reservations, but you will want to call ahead for information on any guided trip, as ongoing construction in the cave makes some trails unavailable and the rest busier than normal). Whichever route you choose, take along a sweater or light jacket and wear very comfortable, nonslip shoes. Veteran spelunkers may want to check out the park's Ganter Cave, open to experienced cavers only.
There's more than just caves in the national park: You can also hike aboveground (there are 70 mi/115 km of trails) or ride the Miss Green River II riverboat through the park (April-October). Amateur naturalists should know that Mammoth Cave shelters more than 200 species (such as the bizarre blind fish of Echo River) and that the aboveground terrain is home to lots of wildlife, including herons, wild turkey, beaver, bobcat and coyote. Activities include boating, canoeing, camping and fishing.
Allow about a full day for the national park. The Mammoth Cave Hotel in the park offers a limited number of rooms and no-frills cabins. Hotels are also found in nearby towns.
In the area around Mammoth Cave, there are a number of touristy attractions—most of them look like holdovers from the Eisenhower years. But one that we enjoyed is Kentucky Down Under/Kentucky Caverns (located off Interstate 65 at exit 58). The cave makes for an easy 45-minute tour, but most impressive is the little bit of Australia that's Kentucky Down Under. The owners do a splendid job of introducing visitors to the exotic creatures of that continent. We were sold on the place as soon as the baby swamp wallabies started nibbling on our shoes in the petting area. But there are also emus, kangaroos and dromedaries (their ancestors were imported to Australia to be pack animals), all in an up-close, no-barriers setting.
If you haven't had your fill of spelunking at Mammoth, you might consider Diamond Caverns, known for its stalactites and other rock formations. Or stop by the American Cave and Karst Center in Horse Cave. The museum focuses on karst—the soluble rock that cracks and fissures, creating caves. Visitors to the museum can also learn about prehistoric Kentucky—its caves and its people—and take a guided tour into Hidden River Cave to see remnants of an early hydroelectric system. For theater fans, the weekend schedule at Horse Cave Theatre, a nationally known company, allows audiences to see three different plays in two days. Mammoth Cave is approximately 105 mi/170 km southwest of Lexington.
