I had not been in many years. The visitor center is much nicer now. We booked the Extended Historic Tour. The tickets are easily bought online. We gathered at a nearby shelter where our guide told us a bit about the tour and what it would entail. We then walked to the cave entrance. Inside is quite an amazing experience. With the Extended tour, you get to see remnants of the huts where TB patients were kept in attempt to treat their disease. Our tour guide was fabulous in telling us about the cave an its history. The tour is a little over two miles and two hours. There are quite a few steps/stairs. However, there are several breaks (with benches for sitting) where the tour guide talks about the cave. There are other tours available to match your level of fitness and what you might to see there. Highly recommended.

Incredible! We did the historic modified tour. 2 hours and 2 miles. Would recommend a jacket for the cave. Intensity is mild-moderate. There are stairs. A few slippery spots. Wear good shoes. A few spots that you have to crouch over and wiggle through. Nothing too drastic. Most of the tour is wide open. Worth a detour and worth an entry on the bucket list:)

You can get tickets ahead of time or at the visitor's center. Be sure you know which type of tour you want and what your body can handle. The walking tour includes some low spots, narrow squeezes, and lots of steps. If you need to walk slower, stay up front with the tour guide. Our tour guides were great! We learned a lot. They answered all the questions and gave great recommendations. The visitor's center has so much information. Check it out while you're waiting for your tour. We've been to many caves and while they're all unique, this has been my favorite. Bathrooms were clean. Snack bar was limited.

This was a great National Park. Quite large, but the sites are spacious and somewhat private. There are no amenities, such as water or electricity, so generators might be nice. We did well with just boondocks g and a pumpkin at the end. Very nice bathrooms everywhere. The small camp store is well stocked with basics and there was a laundry and post office. We took two tours, one we bussed to, and one was a walk to the original entrance and inside. Both were ranger led and our rangers were excellent and very well informed. So worthwhile. A great visitors center with gifts galore and it is here where you arrange your tours. Great experience.

Tour was nice. Well organized, but the caves didn't have a lot of natural formations. One part of our tour did, but the rest was a long walk through the cave. We took the Grand Avenue tour, very challenging for my wife and I (fairly decent shape for approaching 60). If you are here you kinda have to check out mammoth caves, but we enjoyed some one of the local privately owned caves much more. Crystal Onyx Caves where amazing. See my review on Google.

Epic place to visit and tour! Nothing like seeing it in person! Pictures won’t do it justice! We walked a couple of miles on the trails then took a two hour historic tour of the cave! It was quite a bit of walking and a ton of steps, so make sure you’re in decent shape before partaking on this tour! Also watched the ferry at Green River, which was quite interesting! The visitors center was nice also! Plenty of souvenirs to choose from!

You will need to book tickets in advance. Otherwise, you can't go down the caves, as they are by guided tours only. It was a really cool experience. However, I don't recommend it if you are claustrophobic. I don't think I'm claustrophobic, but there were definitely sections that made me uncomfortable.

This is a very very beautiful, calm, family friendly park. We took the Mammoth Cave tour and it was a fabulous experience! Make sure you check ahead about times and you may want to book ahead. The tour guides (they refer to themselves as rangers, but they are definitely not full force Park rangers.. more like Yogi Bear rangers) are very knowledgeable and give useful information throughout the tour. Unfortunately there were some rowdy small children on our tour, so that impeded the enjoyment a bit unfortunately... so be mindful of the crowd you are taking the tour with. There are all kinds of Hands-On experiences to enjoy while waiting for tours to start.. as well as overpriced gift shops. Food concessions, hiking trails, picnic areas,.. just about everything you can think of is here. There are even cabin rentals, a hotel and a post office! Be mindful that the visitor center closes fairly early evening and they also close their restrooms. I would definitely plan to spend a few days but also a day trip is worth it if you are in the area. We do not have an rv, but I can say that there were dumb spots and ample parking spaces.

Warning: book tickets ahead online is highly recommended. We were on a road trip, happened to see the sign and stopped there. Luckily my hubby was there before and there's one ticket left, so I took it. They're 6+ tours offered accordingly- people's health,interest, time... It worth the time and energy.

Had a great experience here. Took the family on 2 different tours, the Gothic avenue and historic tour. Both great and got to see different stuff. We even got to enjoy some of the food they had. Definitely get the Mammoth pretzels....I was hoping they had onion rings but they didn't. Hopefully we can come back some day and do another tour. We'll worth the money and great pictures.

Took a spontaneous trip here, was fortunate enough to snag a guided tour but was super busy and recommend getting in advance. The free tour is the largest opening of the cave. We did the historic tour $20 ea. Was a lot more fun. Fat man’s misery & tall man’s agony made it more challenging but fun.

We booked the Great Onyx Cave Lantern Tour and Shannon was our guide. He was so knowledgeable and sprinkled in a good amount of humor. It was a very good ratio of history and speleology. We appreciate the fact that they are trying to keep the cave as natural as possible. We really liked the smaller tour group size and no small children. It is wet in places so wear a good tread.

This was a great place to visit. It was a bit out of the way on our way home from Tennessee, but it was worth the stop. The cave is beautiful. You will probably find yourself taking tons of pictures of rocks like I did.. then realizing "why do I need 100 pictures of rocks" lol! The cave gets quite cool, so if you get chilled easily, I recommend you bring a long sleeve shirt or a small jacket. It gets cold after an hour tour, even on a hot summer day. Even if it's something you can tie around your waist if you feel you end up not needing it. ;)

I really loved this national park! The tours were very well organized, the park rangers were very informative as they made the extended historic tour the highlight of our day! We will definitely come back for more tours! I highly recommend visiting and getting a tour ahead of time as they fill up quick!

Free and Open 24 hours which is unique! There are lots of trails available to hike with some ver cool views. I started looking about ten days ahead of time for a Saturday cave tour and the options were already mostly sold out. Book sooner if you know you want to do a tour. Otherwise we stood in line at 8am Saturday morning at the Visitor Center and were able to get the first come first served self tour tickets. This was nice because it’s at your own pace.

The cave was amazing! This was our first time doing something like this. Originally, we were going to hike to the waterfalls, but the cave didn't disappoint. It was really chilly once we entered. There were dim lights to give a clear path, and information on the cave was on signs along the way. This cave is really large, but the tour itself was just a small portion of that. I would recommend seeing it. It was definitely a bucket list item for me. Additionally, it's great to know that Mammoth Cave offers accommodations for lodging and dog kennels, making it convenient for all types of visitors. The gift shop is a nice touch for souvenirs, and there are plenty of hiking trails to explore in the surrounding area, ensuring a well-rounded experience for nature lovers and adventure seekers alike.

Worlds longest cave system, spectacular nature and very cool caves to explore. Be sure to book guided cave tours ahead of time as they book up quickly, all the tour guides were wonderful. We really enjoyed the historic tour and the domes and drip stones tour. Beautiful hiking trails as well and log cabins that you can stay at in the park.

Great historic National Park in central Kentucky. We were surprised to see so many people from all over here. The walking / hiking/ bicycle trails are amazing and challenging for a non-mountainous area. Great kid friendly park with tons of opportunities for picnics or outdoor dining in general. Plenty of free parking and no gate fees but the cave tours will require tickets.

A beautiful beautiful visit! They offer tours with varying levels of difficulty and time. Our family thoroughly enjoyed both of our tours, Kenna and Aaron were nothing short of phenomenal! Everything was clean and well kept. The park was well marked and felt very safe.

It’s a wonderful cave system. Reservation is required for most of the cave tours but don’t worry there is self self-guided cave tour and it doesn’t need reservations. $8 per person for the self-guided tour. There are many hiking trails in the park. Mammoth Cave National Park is really beautiful in the fall. Cave City is the closest city to the park and the park is located in the central time zone.

Absolutely a beautiful and memorable experience. I'm so glad we took the time to do this activity and see it in person. I hope I can be back to do other tours and do some hiking trails. Our tour guide (wish I could remember his name) .. he was great. Informative, educating, and lively with humor. History and science, along with the amazing aspect of nature. It's a must-see.

Amazing dry caves. We did the historic tour but there are many other great tours to choose from. You could easily spend a few days doing all of them. Temperature in the cave was perfect for pants and a light sweatshirt but you do get a little warm with all of the walking. The pace is relatively brisk but felt nice.

One of my favorite national parks to visit! We did the historic tour that was 2 hours long with two small children under 8. This tour was rated as a moderate hike but they were able to do it! There are more ideal hikes for smaller children but my youngest child of 5 was able to do this one. Make sure to visit this park in the fall when all the leaves are changing colors. It is a beautiful park!

This is a great place for exploration. The caves were awesome, and the rest of the park has many things to do. If you want to go in the caves, get your reservations online in advance as they will almost surely sell out.

Definitely a big cave with a very interesting history. Great display in visitors center explaining geological formation and park rangers very knowledgeable. Was able to join tours with no reservations. Different tour options at different times of year, combining any with frozen niagra tour (the one with the formations) gives good overview of variety of cave structures.

I feel bad giving three stars because the cave was really neat and the tour guides we had were nice and informative. But it just seems like another tourist attraction and money grab. I know that it's the biggest cave in the world and it calls for hotels, food, attractions, campgrounds, and gift shops. There were three gift shops and everything was pretty expensive. Even more than the Smoky Mountains (biggest touristy NP) That was surprising to me. They do offer lots of tours. Some self guided and some with a tour guide. The tickets are super easy to purchase online and they give you lots of information for your arrival and such. BUY AHEAD OF TIME; the tour we wanted to do was booked. We booked the week of and were able to get the historic tour but we just made it. They're pretty booked out. The cave is huge and super neat. Lot of focal points. I feel bad though because it's missing all of the cool things a cave should have because of humans. 90% of bats are dead from white nose fungus. Aside from that there's always humans and lights in their territory (I went on a tour, I'm part of the problem, I know) Still can't help to feel bad for invading a habitat. We also happened to be on a tour with adults that didn't know how to act. Constant talking over the tour guide. Doing everything they said not to- flash photography, touching rocks, touching the ceiling. I also feel like kids shouldn't be allowed on tours. Restrict the age to 10+ or something. We had a bunch of young kids that didn't stop screaming and running around. We were unable to do any of the trails in the NP. But those were less busy and looked pretty neat.

Highly recommend! We did the historic tour and our tour guide was so knowledgeable. We would love to come back and do a more adventurous tour.

I can't even begin to describe how incredible my experience was! The guide/ranger was so well-prepared and knowledgeable, it really added to the experience. And the view...oh my goodness, it was absolutely breathtaking. I feel so grateful to have had this opportunity and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an adventure.

First time visiting - lots to see and do. Only negative for me were how many areas all over the park were blocked off as they were “working on them”. Seems summer would be a peak season and those areas would be open. But otherwise - highly recommend the self guided tour and then get in some hiking! Walk around sloans pond - lovely and easy walk and the critters in the pond are fun. The overlooks are beautiful. Definitely a good time.

Second time visiting and so many cave tours its hard to choose. We did Great Onyx this trip, long history told during trip about this one, only cave that has not been verified as part of Mammoth cave 420mi system. Trails are awesome as well and we have seen a few deer and one Coyote.

We did the Historic Tour. It felt very rushed with limited information given. I suspect other tours may be better. it was very lit very low or dim. Often there was poor light on the walkway. The cave is impressive though.

Underwhelming as only option is the self guided tour. Does not take long to get through, and only the main large area part of the cave is shown. If you are looking for more tours make sure they are available or book them weeks in advance. The gift shop is expensive, above average of other National Parks. The park is beautiful and has lots of trails to hike along. Plenty of camping spots as well.

Ranger Tegan and Ranger Emily were great on the Historic Tour, and the Domes and Dripstone Tour. Both were very insightful, fantastic with children, and good natured. the caves were well-maintained. Going during the off season left us with less tour options, but it sounds like less crowds too. We wish there had been more food options but the on-site lodge is undergoing renovations. That said, the woman running the non park owned store was very sweet and kind. Overall it was a great weekend getaway.

I visited in December 2023 and took the Historic Tour. About the tour: The Historic Tour is a good "go-to" tour if you want to see a little bit of everything that Mammoth Cave has to offer. Large rooms, tighter spaces, historically significant areas, it has it all! There aren't any stalagmites or stalactites, this is what makes Mammoth Cave so unique, if you're expecting those, go to a different cave so you don't get disappointed and write a bad Trip Advisor review about something you should've done research on beforehand. If you want a more "intimate" experience, I would suggest a different tour as this tour had over 100 people, including school groups and Girl Scouts. There is a short walk from the visitors center to the cave entrance for the Historic Tour. Then, you go down stairs into the cave itself. There are quite a few very large rooms, like the Rotunda Room, at the beginning of the tour. Near the Rotunda Room, there are memorial stones for Kentucky soldiers lost in world wars. Also, there is evidence of slave workers at the beginning of the cave, and my tour guide went into heavy detail about the history of slave work in the cave. Along the tour, you will see Giants Coffin, Bottomless Pit, Fat Mans Misery/Tall Mans Agony, and Mammoth Dome. Beware of some tight spaces, but if the 6-foot and nearly 300-pound men on my tour could make it through, you can too unless you are larger than that, and in that case, pick a different tour. Me being under 5 feet tall and not even 200 pounds, I didn't need to squeeze in any spaces at all. Some places may be uncomfortable to get through, but nothing is impossible, and very short (no pun intended) in distance. Also, beware that there is a 5-story fire tower of stairs that you will need to go up to get out of the cave near the Mammoth Dome, but there are landings on nearly every story if you need a break. A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY TOUR GUIDE JARVIS! (I apologize for incorrect spelling). He made my experience at Mammoth Cave better than I would have imagined! He went into great detail about several areas of the cave and had a "story-telling" vibe to him and readily asked if we had any questions along the way. He explained the historical significance of the cave in a very impressive manner, and when talking about sensitive topics like slave work within the cave many years ago, he made it known how important it was to the cave's history and what makes it unique from every single other cave on Earth without being insensitive to visitors. THANK YOU JARVIS IF YOU SEE THIS!

Amazing park to cross off your list! For anyone from the Midwest, it's a great time and a quick drive. If you're wondering why this park is so special and think you've seen caves before, you're wrong. The park history is fantastic, the caves truly are unique (it's what's allowed them to survive this long). We took the Domes and Dripstones tour. The tour is classified as moderate for intensity, but know it's a relatively slow walk. If you have trouble going down stairs this tour isn't for you. If you have trouble in tight spaces, also not for you. It is a cave, after all. The climate in the cave is cool and slightly damp. No weird smells, and there's no dripping, at least in late November. I'd recommend shoes with good traction though as the stairs and some areas can get slick from moisture or sand. I'd also recommend trying to be as hands-free as possible, for the stairs and just in general. But also know I saw plenty of people with babies strapped to them (the tour is GREAT for kids). A tip for anyone not familiar with the area, the park itself is in Central time. Don't make the mistake we did and show up for a tour an hour early because we thought they were still in Eastern time 😂.

Very cool experience underneath and above ground. 426 miles of underground trails. It would take you a lifetime to experience all that Mammoth Cave National Park has to offer under ground. But its worth a try.