Mammoth Caves and Visitor Center

Mammoth Cave is not to be missed if you live in a state that touches Kentucky. It is the longest cave system in the world boasting some 400 miles of explored caves. Our trip here in the Summer of 2016 was Awesome!! We decided to stay in the small town of Glasgow, KY. Word to the Wise - Plan Ahead and BOOK TOURS BEFORE YOU SHOW UP. When you arrive at the visitor center the main thing happening is everyone standing in line to book or pick up tickets for cave tours. If you don't book early, you are going to be left with little to choose from. We had selected two tours in advance, more on those in a bit. At the Visitor Center you get a chance to learn all about the history of the caves, how they were discovered, what has been explored, what lives in the cave and how the cave system is formed and has evolved. If you've got some kids, and even if you don't, pick up a Jr. Ranger book and earn a Jr. Ranger Badge - it will help make sure you get the most out of your trip. 

Green River Bluffs Trail

We Hike - it is what we do. So no trip is complete without a walk outside even when we go to a park with a gigantic cave. We spoke with the park ranger and decided to hit the Green River Bluffs Trail - a 1.3mile dirt footpath that winds its way through the park. We saw a deer or two, and looked down on the Green River, as well as some closed off cave openings on the route. It ended up being a great way to walk off our lunch and a nice break between the two planned tours we booked, and allowed the girls the opportunity to knock out a Jr. Ranger Book Scavenger Hunt. I would soon come to regret the hike as we loaded up on the bus for the Domes and Dripstones Tour, but more on that momentarily. 

Gothic Avenue Tour

No trip to Mammoth Cave is complete without a cave tour and the tour guides do an exceptional job sharing the history and riches that the cave system has to offer. Our guides for the Gothic Avenue Tour were long time residents of the area, one who spent his childhood in and around the caves, and like all National Park Rangers - they knew their stuff. The Gothic Avenue Tour is a 2hr 1mile hike through the opening of the cave system through portions that were early attractions for folks looking to go underground. Mammoth Caves has been a tourist attraction pretty much since 1830s and there is still evidence of signatures on the cave ceilings and the various piles or rocks built up by early visitors. The rock formations are something to behold unless you are a camera, iPhone or SLR, which I could not get to take a good picture. After a few tries, I resigned that I would just use my eyes, and buy a nice coffee table book with professional photos. This tour was easy for everyone to do, even AK who was 3 at the time. The 2hour trip flew by, and the vast caverns we walked through were other worldly.  

Domes and Dripstones Tour

So after hiking 2 miles or so during the day on the Cave Tour and the Bluff Hike, our 3 yr old was totally spent and out off energy. The Domes and Dripstones Tour is the last place a dad wants their kiddo to take a nap, as it includes stairs . . . . lots of stairs, (500 steep stairs to be exact) as well as narrow passages. It is not a tour for the claustrophobic. Needless to say it would have been classified as rigorous without carrying a sleeping 3 yr old, and here I was carrying a sleeping 3 yr old who provided no respite even when walking on level ground. I expect no pity, I have no one but myself to blame. 

Onto the scenery! There is over 250 ft of elevation change as you descend deeper and deeper into the cave system. The rock formations along the way are amazing. At one point during the tour 250 ft underground the park ranger made everyone turn off their phones and enjoy a moment of total darkness deep underground. You sit in darkness just long enough to question what you would do if the rock above your head started cracking.

As we made our way deeper into the cave system, we moved ever closer to the 'Drapery Room' to see one of the star attractions 'Frozen Niagara', a stalactite formation 75 ft high and 50 ft Wide. Photos won't do it justice, but mother-natures work of art certainly earned its name and reputation. 

By the end, I was pleased that we chose this tour which offered a different glimpse of the cave system that was mostly untouched by man. I was also happy to get out of the cave, so I could stand up straight and put down my daughter. My back may have ached but I would have done the trip again straight-away if given the choice. If anyone wants to add a degree of difficulty, a fellow spelunker would only need to carry a 30 lb sack of potatoes on the tour. If I were you, be sure to take your kids (even the sleeping ones), but leave the potatoes in the car.