4 Best Sights in Cave City, Kentucky

Spanning a distance of more than 400 miles, Mammoth Cave is the longest cave system in the world, and the best place to experience a little stretch of this massive system is Mammoth Cave National Park. As Cave City's biggest attraction, it draws hoardes of tourists, and summertime cave tours can get crowded. The U.S. National Park Service offers a range of themed tours throughout the year to different sections of the cave, ranging from an easy quarter-mile to a physically demanding six-hour exploration. For safety reasons, backpacks and baby carriers are not allowed inside the caves.

Formed from limestone millions of years ago, these caves have been a popular local attraction since they were discovered in the mid-19th century. Descend into this series of subterranean galleries, and you'll get up close to enormous stalactites and stalagmites, projecting onyx peaks, and rock palaces. Temperatures in the cave hover around 58°F throughout the year. Visits are by hour-long guided tour.

Among the area’s most popular attractions for families, the park offers a variety of activities for thrill seekers, including an alpine slide and a zip-line course that can accommodate two people per line (you can opt to go tandem with a guide, if you’re nervous). It also has go-karts, bumper cars and boats, miniature golf, and a giant harness trampoline. Horseback trail rides and canoeing tours are also offered. If you want to stay here, there's a campground and very basic, rustic cabins (you’ll need to bring your own sleeping bag).

A less crowded alternative to Mammoth Cave, Onyx Cave has a variety of beautiful formations, including delicate crystalline draperies and rimstone pools. Stalactites, stalagmites, and other formations, including a 40-foot column, are highlights of this wet cave. There's a Native American burial ground, where the remains date from 680 BC. It also has a small gift shop on-site that sells rocks and fossils—you can even buy a bag of earth and pan for your own stones. Tours last 30 minutes.