A Mammoth Stop!!

It may have taken several years for Mammoth Cave to become a national park, but it only takes 1 visit to marvel at its grandeur.

With family in Tennessee, we have passed through Kentucky many, many times over the years, but never stopped to visit Mammoth Cave National Park. Each time we passed the sign on the expressway, we ALWAYS said, “We need to stop one year and visit the caves.”

It’s sad to say that at 48, I was finally able to visit this national park.

Getting to the caves in the early 1900’s wasn’t always easy, so the Louisville & Nashville Railroad built a rail line between the two cities and for $3.00 you could visit the caves.

Our visit, however, started with this…

And cost us $40.00….

Learning about the history of the caves and the massive work it took just so we can walk through it is amazing… Please keep in mind that I am not a photographer, so my pictures do not do the caves justice.

The sheer power of water and how it can create structures such as these will forever dazzle me.

There are numerous tours that can be taken. We chose Domes and Dripstones which was a 1 ½ -hour tour descending hundreds of stairs. Would not recommend this one if walking long distances is difficult or stairs are a challenge.

Driving to the caves, we discovered this cemetery:

And learned is was named after a church which was established by Homesteaders who have lived on these rolling hills of Kentucky for centuries prior to the attention given to the caves.