Mammoth Cave National Park

Bucket list item checked off my list!After moving to Nashville I knew I wanted to do a road trip up to Kentucky to see the caves. Did the Domes and Dripstones tour. 2 hours. Approximately a mile, up and back down 500 or so stairs. Gregg, our tour guide, was just the best! Seeing the intricacies of the caves was simply mind boggling. If you ever find yourself nearby, definitely check it out.Free parking and only $20 for the tour, a must do!

I came with a bunch of friends to go on a tour. The place is pretty hectic above ground and the WiFi is weak so be prepared to stick together. We went on the shorter tour which was about one hourish. It's definitely for able-bodied people. The walk is more than a bit tight and the walk is long. But if you can do it-- aim for it. Some tips. If you have a sensitive bladder. There is no restroom so be prepared. Take some water! It's a bit damp. So be careful with shoes. Bring a light sweater If you're scare of heights and tight spaces. This may not be the tour for you. If you're worried about pacing. Stay in the middle of your tour. And don't bring any loud and egregious snacks. The rangers were very informative and patient. And our tour group was great except for one guy loudly translating for his wife. 10/10 experience. Skip the food spots though. Prices are crazy.

Cave InnVisitor Center (VC) for Mammoth Cave NP that sees in excess of over 600k visitors per year (#49 overall) and should be your first stop when visiting the park. Pro Tip: Buy your tour tickets as far in advance as possible, as they do sell out on most tours well in advance of your arrival. Pro Tip #2: Be aware that you're in the CENTRAL TIME ZONE when you're at Mammoth Cave, so be aware for your tour times if you're coming from the Eastern Time Zone. The Good:*Free admission to the park & VC*There is some cell signal outside*Free WiFi*Water bottle filling station *Three gift shops--yes you read that right. Two inside the VC and one outside run by a 3rd party (The Lodge @ Mammoth Cave)*Small museum with park information *Purchase your tour tickets--if you've purchased them ahead of time, there's no need to "check-in," but make sure you've taken a screenshot or downloaded the tickets to your phone because by the time they check them on the tour you won't have any internet access. *Clean restrooms*There is a snack shack that does sell some food and drinks, but it's run by a 3rd party that definitely tries to get the most out of your pocket. The Meh:*WiFi speeds drop severely after the VC starts to fill up, and everyone hops on it.The Ugly:*There is some cell signal (Xfinity Mobile [i.e., Verizon]) outside the VC, but it's spotty at best. If you need to look up anything or set your GPS for your next destination, make sure you do it while you're connected to the wifi. TLDR: Great VC with lots of amenities and a must-stop when visiting Mammoth Cave.

Truly an amazing work of nature that will remain for generations thanks to the US National Park System. Hard to describe how massive the cave system is (in fact, no one is exactly sure how big it is here at Mammoth, there are hundreds of miles of unexplored tunnels! The visitor center is very nice, clean, has a cute little gift shop with reasonable (relatively) museum gift shop prices. Please arrive earlier than your tour starts, there is an area in the visitor center with displays to help you understand what you are about to see in the caves, it really does enhance your appreciation of the tour. Tour guides are park rangers who keep you safe and offer lots of cavern education. This cave system has been used since the 1800s by those living in the area, there is some interesting cave graffiti from the early days of the cave use (including a large writing from 1855 commemorating a horn concert in the cave). Lots of steps and some interesting challenges like "fat man's misery" and "tall man's agony". You have to be in reasonable physical shape to enjoy the cave. Admission price is reasonable, and if you are a service member or veteran you can get a free pass for all national parks at the ticket counter. Tours fill up quickly in the summer - we booked a month in advance and had to settle for our second choice.

Very disappointing. We arrived for a tour but everything was sold out. There were no less than 10 rangers in the visitor center standing around talking to each other. When I approached them they said that they were short manpower for tours. This is a "National Park" aka our park. Was told we could not do self guide tours in the main cave had to be a guided tour but they were all sold out? It's a National Park, why am I paying to enter?? It's owned by the people, right? Don't waste your time if you haven't got tickets. Oh forgot to mention, they only sell half the tour tickets at the park the other half are sold only online. More rules at "Our National Park" very disappointing!