There’s a lot to do around here in Mammoth Cave National Park, but the world’s largest cave system features areas such as the Rotunda, one of its largest rooms, and Frozen Niagara, a dripstone formation that looks like a stopped, still waterfall.
Tours offer a curated look at the caves, ranging from a couple of hours of easy walking to strenuous, daylong adventures. In addition to family-friendly hikes, there are lamplight tours, evening journeys and adults-only ‘wild’ tours that require climbing and squeezing into little-seen areas.
It has been open since 1816, long before it was a national park. Today, the area less than 100 miles south of Louisville encompasses acres of old-growth forests known as the Big Woods, more than 70 miles of trails and historic sites such as the Good Spring Baptist Church and cemetery.