We left Chimney Rock campground early in the morning, expecting a warm day of many sites on our way to Mammoth Cave. Cruising down the road we saw signs leading to Abraham Lincoln’s childhood home. This unexpected detour was both interesting and educational. Our youngest also chose this time to utterly break down. They say children thrive on routine, and one of the defining features of a voyage of discovery is that there is no routine. This would play out in a number of different scenarios painful for both parents and children throughout the trip.
With cabin visited, stream waded in, and tantrum completed we boarded the van once again and headed on down the road. Driving onto the plateau where Mammoth gave great views of the surrounding landscape. In addition to Kentucky’s beautiful vistas, we were also bombarded with many (MANY) billboards for Dinosaur World. Nothing says fun to kids like quasi-scientific fake dinosaurs at exorbitant prices.
Surviving the dino-visit was costly, hot, but otherwise mostly fun. The dinosaur models are cartoonish and in some cases purely fictional, but the kids loved it. There were some moderately scientific things, and a whopping huge gift shop. Again, kids love gift shops.
Driving into Mammoth Cave National Park was more beautiful still as we enjoyed the cooling forests and cool park buildings. After a brief stop at the visitor’s center with 15,000 of our fellow travelers we began our hike down to the cave. The trip down (not to mention back up) is not for the severely out-of-shape, as we witnessed many people sitting along the side of the paved walkway exhausted, but it was not bad for us or the kids. Despite the nagging fears of collapse, gas leaks, and being crushed under 1 million tons of rock, the cool air of the cave was a welcome relief to everyone. Watch out for the low ceilings however, especially if you’re carrying a 5 year old on your shoulder… bonk…
The cave was well worth the drive and an excellent learning and exploring opportunity for the kids. They got their park stamp books and began collecting stamps here, which I highly recommend for all parents and travelers looking to commemorate their time and contribute to our wonderful parks system.
We headed off toward Central City, Kentucky with a hot and happy van.
Great Blog. Really enjoyed reading.