Mammoth Cave National Park

Everybody already knows how gorgeous Mammoth Caves is. I'm here to applaud it for something probably only parents of small children would notice.In the family bathroom, it had one of those little seats you can strap babies and toddlers into when you're done changing them and need to use the bathroom yourself! I've never seen one of these in the United States before. Way to go, guys!!

We did the Historic, Gothic, and Drips and Domes tours. The last was by far the best tour. They were all informative and well structured. If you're looking for beautiful formations, these caves are not that. Because they are mostly dry caves, they don't have the beautiful stalactites and stalagmites that wet caves have. It's also the reason this cave is the world's longest.Definitely worth visiting. Personally, three tours were a bit much for me but my buddy really wanted to do the tours.

I feel like this is more a man made wonder where the mining paths created something for you to view. May be there are other experiences that are amazing that the self discovery tour. I did this experience followed but Carlsbad Caverns and I personally liked the experience in Carlsbad.Note the experience is great, however within a span of 20 days doing 2 national caves, I definitely preferred the other one more.

A 1.5 drive from Nashville. Worth it if you have a day to kill. We drove out to the Mammoth Caves on our last day before our flight in the evening out of BNA. It was an easy drive, you also can say you visited 2 states since you go from Tennessee to Kentucky. HIGHLY RECOMMEND you book a longer tour that visits more of the caves. We did the self-guided tour which we booked last minute, all the tours with the park rangers were sold out. The self-guided tour takes about 30-40 minutes and you only get to see a small glimpse of the cave system here. It was fun but I felt like I didn't get to see enough. Be mindful that the entrance to the caves is a small walk down a paved hill (bring walking shoes) and a light sweater if you get cold easily, and bring water. I wouldn't recommend the caves if you're injured or need assistance walking around because the ground is uneven inside the cave. There's ton of free parking, no cell phone signal in the area but there is WiFi inside the visitor's center. There are bathrooms, a gift shop, tour guides and rangers, small cafes, so you do not need to bring much. There's also a Mammoth Caves lodge across the bridge that has the same amenities. I enjoyed the caves, I wish we could have booked a longer guided tour though but since we needed something to do on our last day before we left Nashville, this worked. Along the drive from Nashville to the caves you'll find a lot of restaurant and city stops for fast food and bathroom breaks. There are a few Starbucks along the way for those of you who want those Kentucky coffee mugs for your collection. If you're a Sam's Club member and need gas for your rental like us, there's a Sam's Club gas station not too far away. Save a few more bucks on your fill up. Be mindful of the speed traps on the highway, we saw 2 speed traps.

We stopped here as we were driving through Kentucky. No entrance fee but there is a fee depending on the tour you want to take. I would advise getting tickets before you go to make sure you get the tour you want.We took the domes and dripstones tour which was a two hour tour through the caves. There are tight spaces you have to walk through at time and would not be ideal for someone who is claustrophobic.

We've driven past the Mammoth Cave National Park several times and planned to finally stop there for a tour. After doing some research, I discovered it's best to pre-book tours through their website because the tours sell out, especially during summer months. We did the domes & dripstones tour. The stairs descending were a little treacherous. But the remainder of the tour was fine. There were a couple stops that had seating, which was nice. These tours have way too many people in my opinion. It would also be better on the more difficult tours without children. It ruins the experience. The cave is beautiful, the visitor center is very nice and there are food and snack options. Parking was a bit limited for the amount of people and tours that go through here.

Fantastic National Park with a variety of tours to experience. The caves are amazing to see and full of history

The Historic Tour is mind-blowing. The guide said there are 415 known miles of tunnels.

Really wonderful state park! Very kind rangers, and beautifully well kept & maintained. The wildlife is not afraid of humans at all - we had many encounters with wild deer and turkeys within arms reach and they never spooked, it was truly crazy how close we could get because they never were hunted or trapped. The caves were also beautiful. Definitely worth a visit if you ever are in Kentucky!!

Cave New WorldMany adventures are begun with a simple question, and the question that led us here to Mammoth Cave NP was when Carissa asked her youngest: If you could go anywhere in the country, where would it be? A few months later, we're driving across the country and end up here in Central KY. It's easy to see why Mammoth Cave would be on many bucket lists to visit, as it has many amazing features:*At over 400 miles, it's the world's longest cave system known to man. *Some parts of the cave date back as far as 10 million years*Almost every type of cave formation is present here. *Surrounded by thousands of acres of pristine forest with a unique biodiversity. But, in order to visit the cave, one needs to book a tour either in advance online or at the visitor center on your date of arrival. Pro Tip: Book ahead if possible, as on the date of our arrival almost every tour was booked but we had, fortunately, booked our tours in advance. There's a plethora of tours available (including a free self-guided tour), and each one is a bit different and costs fluctuate. Here's a review of the two we did:1) Mammoth Cave National Park Historic Tour ($20/adults $15/Youth [under 16]):If you only have time for one tour, then this should be it as you'll get a really good idea of the immensity of the cave, and you get access to some of the cave's best features. This is a mildly strenuous tour at two miles over 2 hours and 540 total stairs, but it's worth it. 2) Mammoth Cave National Park Violet City Lantern Tour ($25/adults $20/Youth):This tour was really unique as you make your way thru the cave using only a lantern. Yes, you read that right. I mean, obviously, you're with a trained ranger guiding you thru the cave, but definitely not for the faint of heart. But if you're up for an adventure and a short three miles and 200 stairs over three hours, then this tour is for you! The park classifies this as "difficult," but I found it to be anything, but. TLDR: Fantastic park to visit, but make sure you plan and book ahead to get the tours you want.