“The Bluegrass State” of Kentucky was our destination as we set out to explore Mammoth Cave National Park, home to the worlds largest cave system, and found deep in the southern region of the state. Kentucky offers a nice reprieve from the hustle and bustle of everyday life on the East Coast, and the midwestern charm of Louisville is apparent with everyone you meet! On this adventure, we started our journey in Pittsburgh, PA as we made our way to Cave City, KY for a quick weekend getaway!

Leaving Pittsburgh, we headed southwest on I-70 towards Columbus, OH. For our family, it made sense to break this drive up a bit, and stopping off in Ohio for the night was the perfect rest stop.

As we departed Columbus, OH, we made our way south on I-71 towards Cincinnati. Lucky for us, we we were greeted with monsoon-like rain conditions, but the Ohio roads sure are nicer than our Pennsylvania roads, and the midwestern drivers have a bit more patience than what we are used to in the Philadelphia region!

Continuing south, we made our way into Louisville and the kids were excited to say we have entered a new state. Welcome to Kentucky. Passing through Louisville was great! It’s such a unique city with a great history, and of course its heritage of horse racing. And just like that, we said goodbye to the Rust Belt, and hello to the Bourbon Trail. For Bourbon lovers, there is at least one distillery off every exit as you head down 65S. After less than 2 hours, we found ourselves away from the upbeat feel of Louisville and deep into rural Kentucky at Cave City, home to Mammoth Cave National Park.

Mammoth Cave National Park is home to the worlds largest cave system, and covers 83 square miles of land in this region. It is a rather unique park as unlike most in the National Park system, this area has a long history of tourism which has helped shape the park as it is currently today.

Justin and Parker admiring a millipede on an “above ground” hike at Mammoth Cave

Mammoth Cave National Park offers a phenomenal campground just steps away from the cave entrance and visitors. They have primitive sites as well as those with water and electric hookups. Additionally, the Park has a variety of relatively short hiking trails that take you all around the protected space. Hiking these “above ground” trails also allows you to see where you are in relation to the cave below your feet as markers have been placed along the trails to indicate the popular cave features below!

Mammoth Cave Campground — Our humble campsite for the weekend at Mammoth Cave National Park

While the “above ground” hikes are fantastic, lets’ be honest, you came to this Park to see the cave! Entrance into Mammoth Cave is restricted to tour groups only. Be sure to plan ahead as there are multiple tour options of different lengths and difficulty, and some of them fill up very quickly.

Historic Entrance Mammoth Cave — The Historic Entrance to Mammoth Cave

We opted to take 2 tours while we were in the Park. We started off with the Historic Tour through Mammoth Cave. This is a great option to really introduce you to the cave as you get to visit some of the most well known features within this massive cave system.

Broadway mammoth Cave — Mammoth Cave is far from a “tight squeeze”

Entering Mammoth Cave, and even walking near the entrance to the cave, you can immediately feel the 54 degree constant temperature of the cave. Our visit was during an exceptional hot spell in Kentucky where the outside temperature was in the 90’s, so getting into the cave was a fantastic relief from the humid heat!

With the cave at a constant 54 degrees, be sure to bring a light coat with you as your tours can last between 30 minutes-4 hours long, depending on what you choose. The visitor’s center and camp store offer a variety of food and drink options, and for a park of this size (read: small), the amenities at both the visitor’s center and camp store are shockingly great!

Gothic Avenue Mammoth Cave — Gothic Avenue in Mammoth Cave gives you a view into the caves rich history

Our trip to Mammoth Cave National Park lasted 2 days, which was more than enough for us to get in 2 cave tours and hike multiple trails around the area. Even with the rainy weather, the trip was still a blast, and there is no better park to visit in adverse weather than one that lets you hang out in a “climate-controlled” cave system!

As we packed up our tent and camping supplies, we made our trek back towards Pittsburgh, but not before spending most of the afternoon enjoying the food and fun of Louisville, KY! If you are a baseball fan, or just want to see a really amazing operation, the Louisville Slugger Factory right in the heart of Louisville is well worth a stop! Plus, you get a free mini bat after the tour!

Louisville Slugger Museum — The Louisville Slugger Factory is impossible to miss

Street parking in Louisville may be easier than trying to park in a garage in other cities! There are plenty of spots, the roads are wide, and its an extremely easy city to get around in. After checking out how baseball bats were made at the Louisville Slugger Factory, we took a 1 block walk to the Mussel & Burger bar for lunch. This place is incredible with a large menu of american-style food, good portions, and good prices!

After a quick stop at Kentucky Peerless Distilling for some samples and gifts, we made our way out of the Bluegrass state and back to Pittsburgh for the night before we headed all the way back to eastern PA.

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