A great and unique cave experience in Bowling Green. We…read morerecently took the underground boat tour at Lost River Cave in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and it was a very cool and unique adventure! This is Kentucky's only underground boat tour, and we were lucky to visit right after the river had lowered enough to reopen following flooding. (When the water is high, the cave becomes submerged, so timing is everything.) Our tour guide, Bri, was fantastic. She was funny, engaging, and an incredibly skilled boat driver. She kept the group entertained with corny but hilarious jokes while sharing the rich history of the cave, from its days as a Native American hunting ground and Civil War campground to its time as a hideout. It was even a 1930s nightclub which was being used as a wedding venue when we visited. She navigated us as far back into the cave as possible, pointing out beautiful and interesting rock formations along the way. The tour was about 45-minutes and included a guided walk to the cave entrance with 3 stops before you board the boat. Be aware that it involves a steep walk down (and back up) and requires bending over low in the boat with your torso flat toward the seat when the water is high as you first aneter and leave the cave. This makes the ride difficult or impossible for those with mobility impairments. Despite the physical aspects, I thought the experience was truly unique and peaceful as you glide through the cool, dark cave. I highly recommend this for anyone who is interested in unique cave experiences or anyone who enjoys a blend of nature, history, and corny jokes.

Our party of eight, some with mobility issues, liked it. It's very approachable. The actual boat…read moretour is maybe 200yards, end-to-end. There are no mighty stalagtites and stalamites. There is reasonable history, a nice cave on a boat tour with good guides, and nice surroundings. If you must, their gift shop is OK and there is much food/etc nearby as it's right in the midst of a huge retail area (there's even a Kroger within walking distance). It seems out of place, this nice spot with trails, but Bowling Green grew up around it. They've done an amazing job of restoring what was once a deep garbage pit into its natural setting-- a big cave fed by and through an underground river. Yes, you'll need to duck. Probably worth the price for most. Real spelunkers will cough.

This is a huge and full-featured park. Hiking, caving, over a large turf is lots of fun. This…read moresurrounds one of the world's largest cave systems. Most cave tours will involve steps and fairly steep climbing; know your limits. The tours vary and it's best to book them online if you can; they can sell out on the day of the tour. Shorter tours are cool, but longer tours are generally better. Remember there are no facilities underground. There are hundreds of miles of caves over a 50mi radius, but you'll only go on cave tours that are realistically accessible by ambulatory healthy people. There is a Visitor Center with adjacent lodge, Starbucks, and cafe. Prices are somewhat reasonable. Park staff are really helpful in our experience. We recommend going early. Their gift shop items are expensive; tourist gifts might be cheaper in other areas.

I wish I just day tripped it and did not spend money to stay the night. I was travelling solo and…read morethis was my last stop before heading back to Maryland. I was arriving from St. Louis. I booked one of the historic cottages to stay the night and planned on hanging out in the bar on site. When I first arrived my cottage wasn't ready to check in yet and I still had a couple hours until my tour. I went to the restaurant and sat at the bar. I was informed that they did not have a bartender but the servers were rotating serving the guests at the bar. I was promptly greeted by the waitress but ultimately moved to a table because the chairs are not tall enough for the height of the bar. It would have been extremely awkward and uncomfortable to eat up there. I had a salad and sweet potato fries and two IPA beers. Everything was delicious and the service was great. I went on the Historic Cave tour which was great. I wish I remembered the rangers name who gave the tour because he was amazing and hilarious! After the tour we (another solo traveler and I) planned to go to the bar and grab a drink before she hit the road for her next stop. Upon arrival to the restaurant, the bar was open but the host (who admitted he was new and did not know what he was doing) refused to let us sit there. He said there was no bartender. I told him earlier they allowed people to sit there and the servers helped. He said they only had 3 servers so he handed us a buzzer to wait for a table. The restaurant had half of its tables open. She decided she didn't want to wait so she left. I was then frustrated because I did not want to sit at a table alone again so I ordered food to go and ate in my cabin. There is no service in the cabins because you are in the middle of nowhere. As a solo female traveler I rely on meeting people at restaurants by sitting at the bar. This on site restaurant clearly was not staffed well enough to accommodate their guests in the middle of the summer when everyone is travelling. The other stores that served coffee and ice cream were closed by the time I finished my 3:30 tour. The prices in the gift shop were extremely high and I refused to pay for a magnet that was $12.00. I ended up going to bed super early and hit the road at 3 am because there was nothing else to do. For these reasons and more, I would have preferred to come for my tour and left to stay somewhere else.

Hoping to learn a little of the process of making bourbon. I got that and much more. I came away…read morewith a greater appreciation for Makers Mark. The campus was a wonderful place to visit. I look forward to a return visit. If I could get Jim as a guide again that would be spectacular! Makers set the standard for tours of distilleryes.

Beautiful site. Our guide Laura was very knowledgeable and entertaining at the same time. Highly…read morerecommended!!!

One of the highlights of my visit to Bowling Green was Dr. Smith's Spooky Stories tour!…read more While other ghost tours lean heavily on ancient legends and lore, Dr. Smith's tour features contemporary accounts of haunted happenings around the Western Kentucky University campus taken from the hundreds of interviews she's conducted with living witnesses. Knowing that ghostly sightings have taken place and have been documented recently adds to the thrill of this fantastic tour. Dr. Smith's grasp on the history of the region is fantastic, and her storytelling abilities are unmatched. I look forward to another tour with Dr. Smith's Spooky Stories the next time I'm in the area!

Dr. Smith lead an amazing ghost tour!! I've been on several ghost tours at other places, and what's…read moreamazing about this tour is that Dr. Smith has done her own research of conducting hundreds of interviews to gather the stories of all the spooky activity that has taken place on the campus. The cool thing is that a lot of her stories are recent examples from the past 8 years, which makes it even spookier! Western Kentucky is a gorgeous campus so this tour is full of beautiful views, history and great storytelling. Dr. Smith is amazing, and I can't recommend her enough when visiting Bowling Green.

I love that the Hidden River Cave is pet friendly. Your furry friend can come down in the cave and…read morein the gift shop. The staff was so excited to see my pup walk in. The gift shop is cute. It isn't large but they have a good selection. The promos are they have the longest underground suspended bridge. I am adraid of heights and was nervous most about this part of the tour. The girls were understanding and talked me through if I wasn't able to take on the bridge. This is a guided tour about a mile long. The entrance is so beautiful. It is like walking into a secret garden. The river is gorgeous and the water sounds so soothing. When we got to the bridge it wasn't as bad as my mind was making it out to be. It is high but the darkness of the cave made it harder to see how high up you are. The bridge felt really stable and didn't shake as much as I was expecting. This is a beautiful cave. The tour was fantastic. My pup loved the tour and had a blast cave exploring.

For the last couple years my wife and I have taken to doing cave tours. We've done several in the…read morearea and only made it to Hidden River Cave & American Cave Museum recently. Unlike some cave attractions, you have to make a reservation to visit Hidden River. It's easy via their website. Once you arrive you can check in at the desk and then tour the museum and gift shop before your cave tour begins. The museum is self-guided and is two stories' worth of exhibits. There's a staircase that takes you down to the lower level where you'll find just as many exhibits as their is on the main floor. Everything is presented nicely, well lit, and informative. Shortly before your tour begins your tour guide will introduce himself, give you a brief overview of the cave, and then do a Q&A before heading to the cave entrance. This cave tour begins by descending some steps. A Lot of steps. The opening is very impressive, and as you ascend you can feel the temperature drop. A brief pause at the bottom of the steps and our tour guide pointed out some of the machinery left over from various uses of the cave in the past. Then it's into the cave. I love cave tours because it puts you in a place that's nothing but history. They're made by nature, often hidden for centuries, and, for all intents and purposes, somewhere that man isn't really intended to go...but we're Mankind and we do that kind of thing. Once inside the cave there are areas that are expansive and areas that are terrifically narrow. I love large, open spaces underground. Sometimes you have to remind yourself that your anywhere from 50 to over 100 feet below surface. In a fashion, it's a bit humbling. At the same time, you have to remind yourself that you're actually below a downtown area. The suspended bridge was definitely a highlight of this cave tour. Cleverly designed and installed, I'd almost consider an underground wonder. A little further along you come to the Sunset Dome, and the farther point of your tour. The Sunset Dome is a beautiful space. I just had to stop and listen to the silence. Nothing but silence, running was from an underground steam, and the occasional drop of water from above (a cave kiss). If only the others on our tour would have been to appreciate it more. After the Sunset Dome you hit rewind and head back along the same path you just took on the way in. Back cross the suspended bridge. Then back to the bottom of the staircase....which you now need to walk up. And there are A LOT of stairs. It was tough, I'm not going to lie. I'm in pretty good shape and I had to stop twice on the way up. Once you're up to the top you have a chance to visit the gift shop again and purchase a souvenir or two. I don't recall our tour guide's name, but he was pretty good. He did spent a fair amount of time patting himself on the back, stating at least 4 times that how long he'd been doing these tours and how he considered himself an expert. Weird flex, but ok. It was still a good tour and I'm glad we were finally able to get to Hidden River Cave.

Patti was a treat! She is hilarious but you can tell she also is very knowledgeable about the…read moreparanormal. The ghost trek is perfect for something to do at night in Bardstown. However, if you are looking for a tour of the entire town, this is not for you. She takes you to a few key spots but goes into great detail about the history of each place which I enjoyed.

This downtown Bardstown tour/trek is more of a ghost hunt than all of the ones that I've attended…read morein our cities and states. The guide is Patty Starr, who I've heard about in the past. At times during the tour, I felt like I was in a seance, as she called out to "sweet spirits" and asked that they turn off the lights and such. I consider myself pretty open, but this was not what I was expecting. Patty and one teenage girl along on the tour too, brought ghost meters, which "picked up" several during the tour. The teenage girl and her parents were into it, but it just wasn't my thing. Reservation is done via phone. I tried several days to book the tour, the voice mail was full, but finally was able to get an answer the day before the trek. She said that sometimes there are large parties that show up and completely fill up the tour. So I went ahead and pre-booked our spots, which were $15 each. The tour started at Old Talbot Tavern at 8pm. I was surprised to walk up and see maybe 40ish people already there to take the trek too, so it's popular. It didn't appear that anyone was turned down though. We started outside and Patty talked a bit about her past and how she used to manage Old Talbot Tavern. Then we went in the tavern, and the upstairs Jesse James room. I had already been in there, and it's spooky up there, even in the daylight. That's where she started talking and trying to get the ghosts to respond. The amount of people on the tour was so large, that a few people were out in the hallway area. From there, we went into an upstairs room/conference like are where we were able to sit down while she dimmed the lights and summoned the ghost to turn out the light and communicate. The next stop was out in front of Jailers Inn and by that time, even though there was one more stop, we had enough and cut out early.

Our tour guide was fantastic! He was knowledgeable, fun, and ensured we had time to look around…read morebefore moving on in the tour. As a privately owned cave, you can really get up close to cave features while still being respectful of the fragile ecosystem.

Was a great experience, and our tour guide was awesome, he was very well versed in the history of…read morethe cavern and made it a wonderful learning experience.

We have been to Nashville multiple times and wasn't sure about taking a tour. Would we learn…read moreanything new? Well, I would definitely recommend. Ryan was our guide and we learned things we didn't know and saw sights we hadn't seen before! Just do it!

The tour of Nashville was so much fun! Everyone had a great…read moretime. Stopping to take photos and shop was an added bonus to the experience

Our Gang of four made a reservation for Falcon Rest in McMinnville / Warren County TN. About 90…read moremins from Nashville. We were able to fit in with other group booking for Murder at the Mansion. Fee includes lunch, tour of the mansion, and walk of the grounds. The performance is geared for groups, and we were welcome with advanced booking. If not part of a group booking, monitor the website for availability. Everyone in the audience is assigned a role. Fun. And nothing too difficult. Lots of laughter. George and Charlien McGlothin have been owners of this private residence since 1993. They are also the performers during lunch, and are your tour guides with encyclopedic historic knowledge. Warm, passionate hosts. And bravo story-telling. If booking a show with lunch, allow 3 - 3 1/2 hours. If just touring and not part of show, allow 1 hour. Open Wednesday - Sunday Tip I: Trust your GPS. Yes, it is out of the way Tip II: Come for the performance and the tour. Lunch is okay. Tip III: If you are in the market for your garden, McMinnville is a nursery wonderland known as the "Nursery Capital of the World." You'll see mile after mile of thriving nurseries, both wholesale and retail.

My nephew and I recently toured Falcon Rest Mansion & Gardens. Our tour guide George was very…read moreknowledgeable and an awesome tour guide. We got to see the room where my sister and I were born when it was a hospital. The house has been beautifully restored. I would highly recommend anyone to take a tour of this historical Mansion.

My friends and I booked the Mega Quest and Mega Ziplines for the same day…read more It's a pretty crazy experience to just walk inside such a huge cave and see these obstacle ropes courses. There are lockers available on site to store valuables. It costs $1 for each instance and you need cash. There is a machine to turn $1 and $5 into quarters. We did the Mega Quest first, which was shockingly a huge workout. The employees were cheerful, helpful and explained everything clearly. We worked up a crazy sweat and rested in time for our Mega Ziplines tour. We got Keegyn and Bethany, who were absolutely amazing. We were in GREAT hands! I'm actually terrified of heights but I was very proud of myself for getting through each zip line and keeping my eyes open! The Mega Ziplines course does have options for people to leave if they are too scared/anxious, but there IS a point of no return eventually. This was one hell of a way to spend a day out in some caves. Highly recommend.

This is a "must do" if you are looking for a unique family adventure. Our family group had ages 7…read moreto 57 and everyone was able to have an awesome time. Great professional staff and safety is their #1 priority. Located right in the city, just a short drive to get there. This is the most open cavern I have ever been in and you almost feel like you are in a dark warehouse, it's so big! No "tight" spaces of any kind. Heights might be your issue if that is a concern. If you have any climbing, repelling, spelunking, or exploring experience, this is a "walk in the park" for you. No experience is needed and they take care of everything. All you have to do is zip when you're told. Have fun! Shoutout to Bethany M., an excellent staff member.