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Mammoth Cave National Park

4.4 (487 reviews)
Closed 8:30 am - 6:30 pm
Updated over 3 months ago

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Tim T.

What an amazing experience. The Domes and Dripstones tour was 2 hours long and explained how the caves were formed, along with history of the area and the geology around it. Dave was funny and informative and took time to answer all questions. It ends with an area full of stalactites and stalagmites. The other cool part, is that they allow you to take pictures!

08.29.25 let's check it out...
May A.

Longest cave system in the world [Mammoth Cave KY] There are over 400 miles of explored caverns and passages offering both guided as well as self-guided tours. They range from 30 minutes to five hours. We grabbed a map at the Visitors Center with names of the different tours listed on the back of the page. Touring the cave is the main attraction so take your pick from 15 different tours. It was a bit overwhelming trying to choose from such a long list. The tours are seasonal and not necessarily offered year-round. Since we were on a tight schedule we chose to do the Discovery Self-Guided Tour. This is a 30-min tour with a total stairs of 160 steps and is offered during the busy summer months for visitors who just want a quick visit to Mammoth Cave. It advisable to dress in layers. While it was a sunny 79° at the park, inside the caves is a constant 54°F year-round. Brrr! Bats dwell inside of the cave but a disease called White-Nose Syndrome has drastically reduced their numbers. At the end of the tour, we had to walk across medicated mats to help avoid the spread of this disease (this disease does not affect humans). Review #3918

Entrance to Lodge
Eloy Y.

For many, the mighty Bluegrass State conjures ribbons of pastureland speckled with herds of grazing thoroughbreds and savoring a proper mint julep with Derby hats (optional). However, Kentucky is also home to such an incredible collection of caves thanks to its particular karst topography--rich in porous limestone. Located about a 30-minute drive from Bowling Green, Mammoth Cave boasts over 412 miles of mapped caverns to date, making it the world's longest known cave system, and the park estimates another 600 miles may still be waiting to be discovered. My partner, his family, and I were lucky enough to descend into the earth via the Historic Entrance and discover the rare beauty and mystery of the cave for a self-guided tour with rangers stationed at key points. The reservation was easily made by connecting with the website. All tours begin and end at the new Visitor Center. Oh yes, and be sure to pack a jacket if one plans to tour underground! The cave maintains the average yearly temperature of the area, so it stays around 55°. This natural wonder is a World Heritage Site and should be on everyone's list of must-have experiences among Kentucky's most popular attractions, which we could recommend this place.

Norah L.

These caves are so interesting. The tours are vey detailed and the comes are so interesting and cool to explore. The building has a great information museum section. The gift shop has so cool stuff and it is big. Make sure you make a reservation very early. The tours are not hard if you are in shape it is not a good idea if you were very out of shape or crazy tall. The tour we did was 2 hours and 2 miles. It is most an easy walk in open space but there is a lot of section you have to bend down in low sections. There is one section that is very tight. There were people they were pregnant and little kids that did if fine though. I would recommend.

Robert R.

Really enjoyed this park. Being in off season, there were limited tours, so i opted for the historic as it fit my schedule best. The park ranger was perfect for this tour and was funny and helpful with questions, etc. This was a pretty doable tour for most folks.

Kent S.

I had never been to Mammoth Caves after driving past on previous road trips so we made plans specifically around a trip to Mammoth Caves. We were not disappointed. First of all, admittedly I am more at peace in a big city but found the scenery in the national park amazing. I spent more time on national park grounds this trip than all previous park trips and I would do it again. The plan was to visit the park on 2 seperate days. The first day, we arrived in the afternoon for our Domes and Dripstones tour. After the initial climb down 300 steps, the caves opened up to well groomed trails. Our specific guide was warm and welcoming and kept the large group of ~100 people engaged throughout. The next day, we spent a lot of time in and around the park. Hiking, picnicking, and enjoying nature paved the way for our second tour, Violet City. This 3 hour, lantern led tour has visitors hiking in this section of the cave without electricity. This tour transports you back to a time of early cave visitors when torches were used to navigate through it. Highlights of this tour were the 2 water falls that were cleverly lit with only flashlights providing visitors a truly awe inspiring experience. This is a very rigorous tour so be prepared. The tour namesake is only seen for the last few seconds of the tour so a rename could be considered. The visitor center and surrounding complex are well kept with both cave exhibits, restaurants, restrooms and gift shops for all your trip swag.

Natalie R.

I've visited here a few times and I think Mammoth Cave National Park is one of my favorite national parks! We've done everything from camping, hiking, picnicking, multiple cave tours and of course browsing the gift shops. This particular trip we went on the domes & dripstones tour and the violet city tour. Both were amazing tours with the best & knowledgeable ranger tour guides. Both tours were slightly challenging at times navigating through steep hills and tight spaces in the caves. The lanterns added an element of charm but I also loved viewing the caves in all its grandeur with the lights on. It's great how the NPS can provide multiple tours and still have so much history/ information without any overlap. We all loved our cave experiences! There are also multiple hiking trails within and all very well maintained. There are some somewhat challenging hills but the trails we did would be considered achievable by any skill level. Mammoth Caves is one I'd highly recommend if you get the chance, if even just for a few hours. The experience is truly epic and one you'll never forget!

Phoebe P.

Terrific, highly recommend the Domes and Dripstones tour! Shannon and Stewart were great rangers. Shannon facilitated the tour, very knowledgeable and friendly. Highly organized, timely. Friendly people. I did not feel rushed at all. Started with arriving the tourist center. Quick walk to the Shelter where the bus comes to pick us up. Admittedly, got there only 9 min before the tour started so was a little stressed. BUT! Easy place to navigate and we asked a worker right away where to go and it was a quick walk to the shelter. Went on a bus, arrived to the entrance of the cave. Truly an experience once down below. I did not feel like I walked 734 steps, not particularly fatiguing. It was a cool 50 degrees or so. Recommend wearing a light rain jacket for droplets

Diane B.

Unfortunately, the government shutdown limited our experience. We were unable to go on our scheduled cave tour and the nearby private caves, while good, are just not at the same level. That said, time spent walking in the woods is always well spent and there are many pleasant walking trails in the park. Mammoth Cave has been on my must-see list for some time; there it will remain until the next opportunity.

Entry
Neal H.

The scale of this site is Grand Canyon-ish, in nature. It's hard to believe. It is ... well ... MAMMOTH! We only got to do the "self guided" tour, which was about an hour, but self paced. Book your tour well ahead of time. While it is in the middle of KY, without much "city" amenities (Louisville is about an hour away), the park is awesome! One very cool thing is that they have dog boarding. The facilities are minimal (a decently sized cage), it was fine for our doggy. I wanna go back. You should go! Peace!

Historic Entrance
Kelsi H.

We were pleasantly surprised by this National Park! I have never been in a cave before, so I wasn't sure what to think going into it, but I would love to go back! There is no fee to get in the park, so the hiking trails are free, but to go into the cave you need to book and pay for a tour (~$25-$30 per tour). We went on MLK weekend and it wasn't crowded at all. The Historical Tour was awesome! Not as strenuous as I thought it'd be based on the website descriptions. The "hardest part" was my 6'4" husband having to crouch the whole time and climbing about 5-6 flights of stairs. So much cool information about how the cave helped in the war of 1812 and the past tours of the cave. The Frozen Niagara Tour was also cool, but much shorter and almost completely flat besides an optional section. This was a completely different part of the cave than the historical tour so it was great to see different parts.

Stairs exiting cave
Michelle C.

We did the self guided tour, it was not crowded at all when we went and loved the fact that it was at our own pace. We spent as much time as we wanted in each of the areas. Cool in the caves, we went in March, but had a light jacket and that was plenty. Highly recommend!!

Cave opening
Alexis B.

Great stop on our road trip! This stop could be quick or an all day event; make what you want out of it. They offer lengthy guided tours of all kinds and a self guided tour for those making a quick stop. We opted for the self guided tour for $12 a person and really enjoyed the quick intro to these massive caves. There is a short history walk at the visitor center for the caves and two small gift shops. All of the staff were friendly and helpful. The park has lots of walking and biking trails as well and camp grounds for an all day or lengthy stay. We will return to explore the caves in a guided tour next time!

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Ask the Community - Mammoth Cave National Park

Can a 7 month pregnant woman deal with all the stairs and distance?

Negotiating the walk and minimal steps should not be a problem. However, there are a lot of tripping hazards in a dark environment that could cause problems.

Is the historic tour too long for a 6 year old?

It all depends on the 6 yr old mobility. The historic tour is 2 hrs in length. I'd recommend self guided tour that you can take at your own pace. It's not the terrain that would be difficult it would be the length since it's approximately 2 miles in… Read more

Is there still a cafe along the Grand Avenue Tour? Years ago when I went there, we had lunch in the cave, but haven't seen the cafe mentioned in recent posts.

It wasn't open when we went the week of Memorial Day.

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Review Highlights - Mammoth Cave National Park

This is the largest cave system in the world (still being mapped), and there is a lot of interesting history.

Mentioned in 41 reviews

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Rough River Dam State Resort Park - Water view by lodge

Rough River Dam State Resort Park

4.3(10 reviews)
36.6 mi

What a beautiful place. We were here for the races and I his lodge is so convenient. Lovely…read moreproperty, friendly staff, clean rooms. Comfortable beds and pillows and cold air. Great after a hot day outside. We enjoyed the breakfast buffet each day. Restrauant staff were very friendly. Good service and food. Beautiful place to stay

I don't like writing reviews like this one, but I told a desk person, who asked how our stay was, I…read morewould write a review to state how my wife and I viewed our stay at the "Resort." Upon arriving, we were 30 minutes early, Central Time, so we didn't get to check in yet, though I think we still got checked in prior to 4pm. That was fine. We came from Eastern Time Zone, Sunnyside of Louisville. I had requested a view of lake when I made reservations. A view of the marina was the best they could do, I guess. Upon entering our smoke free room, I found an ashtray full of butts and a lighter on our balcony. I get the rooms are smoke free and perhaps balcony can be utilized for smoking, but why leave butts and lighter on balcony? I called the front desk regarding this and they said they would address it. I then found a credit card, gift card and a pill in one of the drawers. I gave those items to the young lady I met earlier at the front desk. My wife asked her where we could get ice and she said she didn't know. Back to that later. We ate dinner prior to arriving at the "Resort" since we had time to kill. We ate at Little Dave's which was fine. See my review on that establishment. The pool was open when we arrived but closed not long after. We drove around the "Resort" park and found the beach was closed with No Swimming signs posted. Hmm. There is a trend started here. Wifey and I like playing mini golf and sometimes disk golf when we visit State parks. It was quite hot during our stay so we went to play a relaxed game of mini golf our first night just after sunset. We could see during the first half of the course and saw a maintenance person drive up, get out of the cart and appear to go to a power box of some sort on the opposite side of the course we were at. Wifey asked me to ask him if he could put the lights on, but I didn't feel like yelling to him and told my wife he saw us and would surely put lights on if they worked. Nope. Wrong answer. We played the second half of game in the dark. The following day we learned the pool was closed for maintenance. The trend continues. We decided to get out of dodge and the "Resort" to find something to do. Apparently, there used to be a Nature Center on the "Resort," but no longer. No pool, no beach and the mini golf course needed cleanup from debris on it. I stopped by the front desk, told the young lady where guests could find ice and her mature co-worker agreed with my comment. I then asked if the mini golf course lights were inoperable. I was told they should work. I said we would play later on when we returned from a day out of the "Resort," if the lights were on. We visited Leitchfield and had a fair day shopping and dining at Bluegrass BBQ. You can read that review also. We didn't care to try the restaurant on the "Resort" since everything was trending negative, plus the Park's restaurant was voted last for dining in the area. Go figure. When we arrived back from our trip to Leitchfield, we saw the lights were already on, though it was still light out. I thought perhaps the trend is getting better, but wait for it. When we went to golf, my wife said it looks like they cut the grass around the mini golf course. She was correct. It was clear they cut the grass, because the grass was blown all over the debris that was still present from the day before. That course could be nice with a little TLC. I thought to ask the front desk for a blower to help out the maintenance people, but didn't. I figured the answer would be no. I had been told a work order needed to go in to get the lights on at the mini golf course. I'd like to say the AC worked fine in the room. The flashing lights also worked in the room all night. You may want to bring dark blinders when it is time to sleep. My wife said the flashing lights were like fireworks going off all night. If you are a tall person, be prepared to hunch down to get under the shower head and bend way over to use the sink. Who decides where to install things at this "Resort?" Our last item to mention before ending this review is on our way back from the mini golf course, the light for the walkway between parking lot and our room was out. My wife said, "It is aweful dark on this walkway." I told her the LED light on top of the pole is out. Perhaps they need some more maintenance people or a new supervisor. I wasn't even looking for things at this "Resort," but they stuck out like sore thumbs. My wife and I have visited every Indiana State Park with lodging and several Kentucky State Parks with lodging. This one is hands-down the worst. Calling it a "Resort," is laughable. I think if I came to go boating, it may be a bit of a different perspective, but I feel a little reluctant to rent a boat at the State Park due to the trend it displays. Hopefully, the Park superintendent, or whatever they are called, can address these issues so future visitors have a better stay.

Photos
Rough River Dam State Resort Park - Sink built for toddler sized people.

Sink built for toddler sized people.

Rough River Dam State Resort Park - Our view of the lake. More like view of the marina.

Our view of the lake. More like view of the marina.

Rough River Dam State Resort Park - Back of restrauant

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Back of restrauant

Maker's Mark Distillery - Bar in welcome center

Maker's Mark Distillery

4.8(1.2k reviews)
52.1 mi
$$

The Tour was amazing! we had the best time exploring the campus and learning so much, I forget our…read moretour guides name but he was great! However, it was the most expensive gift shop of all the distilleries we went to on our trip. Also, I personally did the dipping experience, and the staff was unfriendly and rude, left with a bad taste in my mouth. Worth the trip, but expect expensive gift shop, and don't be surprised if gift shop employees are rude.

Our Golden Ticket Tour at Maker's Mark was nothing short of exceptional, and a huge part of that…read moreexperience was our incredible tour guide, Laura. Without a doubt, she is the best tour guide we have ever had. From the moment the tour began, Laura's personality lit up the entire experience. She struck the perfect balance between being informative and entertaining, sharing the rich history and craftsmanship behind Maker's Mark while keeping everyone fully engaged. Her sense of humor and perfectly timed jokes made the day not only educational but genuinely fun and memorable. You can tell Laura truly loves what she does, and that passion comes through in every part of the tour. She made us feel welcomed, valued, and like we were part of something special. The Golden Ticket Tour is already a unique experience, but Laura elevated it to a whole different level. If you're planning a visit to Maker's Mark, we can't recommend this tour enough--and if you're lucky enough to have Laura as your guide, you're in for an unforgettable day!

Photos
Maker's Mark Distillery - Private selection room

Private selection room

Maker's Mark Distillery - Blue roses

Blue roses

Maker's Mark Distillery - The cave!

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The cave!

Mammoth Cave National Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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