OT Mammoth Cave - KY/VA vacation

Going to be taking a little trip to Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. Will be stopping at Kings Island (Cinncinnati) along the way. Then we are planning on heading east to Virginia for white water rafting. We will be camping at the caves for a week, then in eastern KY/Virginia for a week.

What other attractions are in those areas that are worth seeing/driving to? Here is what I have so far around Mammoth Cave.

1. Lookout Mountain/Ruby Falls Caves. Chattanooga, TN.
2. Perrysville, Ky. Civil War Battlefield. Is this worth the stop?
3. Jim Beam Distillery. kid friendly?

I know nothing in the eastern KY/Virginia area. Ideas??

Most important is it has to be entertaining for the kids. I need one tractor stop to keep it relevant to this forum.

Thanks,
Rick

If I'm going through Corbin, KY with the kids on I-75, we'll stop at Cumberland Falls State Park. If we just have a few hours, we'll definitely go to the large pool that has 2 long, springy diving boards on the deep end. The kids spend hours jumping and flipping off the boards. In this heat, it's a good way to cool off. If we have a day or two, we might rent a cabin. It's a nice area.

Corvette museum, Bowling Green Ky.

Rick

You can stop by and see my Ford 860 in work clothes. That should keep it tractor related.


Another suggestion...if you or your kids have not seen the Hatfields and McCoys with Kevin Costner, I recommend you do so. You will be passing pretty close to the Tug Fork river where the fued happened.

breaks park ---ky vir border fantastic

Mammoth Cave is awesome. Jack Daniel's distillery is great and kid friendly. Been to Ruby Falls several times and it is great. Also the Lookout Mountain battlefield sites are great.
Never been to Jim Beam.
Richard in NW SC

Bardstown Kentucky is the home of Bourbon, several distilleries in the area with tours and a park that was Stephen Foster's home, an interesting place to spend a day. Head a little west on the KY/TN border and you'll find Dover and Fort Donnelson, the site of the first Union victory and the start of the drive to the sea, big park there and a tour of local historic sites. Many parks and attractions there at Kentucky Lake/Lake Barkley and in towards Paris Tennessee (Paris Landing). In western Kentucky Carter Caves state park. My kids usually did well in the caves, especally in the summer because they were usually fairly cool in the caves. First time I took the kids to Mammouth Caves we took a short tour because we weren't sure how the 18 month old would fare, once we got in the cave she didn't want to leave.

If you visit the Chattanooga/Missionary Ridge battle sites, do a little reading up on them first so you can appreciate what a remarkable victory that was for Grant and Sherman.

And take the kids to See Rock City. Buy a birdhouse.

While you are in Chattanooga, be sure and go to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. Both you and the kids will enjoy it.

Harold H

The kids would love the Tennesse Aquaraim, Ever kind of fish in some nice displays.. Not very costly and kids love it.

WisBaker : Where are you located.. Seem to know a lot about my two home towns.. Maintain a home in Paris and Pretty much live at the farm in Dover. Lot to see in this area.

Big South Fork Railway in Stearns Ky is a nice ride. Doesn't take all day,not far from Cumberland Falls. You can take in both the same day from Mammoth Cave easy enough. Then there's Kentucky Down Under up by Horse Cave,just north of Mammoth Cave. To tell you the truth,I liked the cave tour at KDU better than Mammoth. Mammoth is just a big empty nothing with no formations,like walking down a big hallway.
KDU had an Australian theme,kangaroos that you can get in the pen with,Australian birds,stuff like that. Just google their website.
There's the dams on Lake Cumberland just up 127 over east of Mammoth,or the one on Dale Hollow Lake.
There's the Cordell Hull Homeplace Museum just south on 127 to Tennessee 111 down by Byrdstown,just across the state line. The Sergeant Alvin C York Homeplace and Museum down 127 in Pall Mall Tennessee,not very far from there. If you go down there,stop at the Farmhouse Restaurant on 111 between Byrdstown and 127 (Static) for supper. They've got a buffet that'll leave you about to bust.

When are you going to be there? The huge 127 Yard Sale is going on from August 2-5 (actually starts the first) You'll be right near the absolute heart of that. Like nothing you've ever seen. If it was me,I'd head south on it,down through Albany Ky in to Tennessee. It'll absolutely blow you away if you're going to be there right then. (127sale.com)
Big South Fork Railway

I live about 1 hour from the cave area. It's pretty neat and the kids should enjoy it.

The corvette museum is nice in Bowling Green, but the plant tours are far better.

The distilleries are nice and kid friendly. You can go on the whole bourbon trail to several different ones.

Stop by Louisville at the Louisville slugger museum.

There is KY down under near the cave area that is like a small zoo. Then, there is some kind of dinosaur land thing that has big concrete dinosaurs that you walk through and look at. I don't know how good this one is. Then, there is Guntown Mountain where they put on live western show skits.

There is also a train ride just outside of Elizabethtown. Sometimes they have ones just for the kids.

Dolly wood

After Cincinnati, drive across OH and see the serpent mounds and plenty of other goodies, Hocking hills area and Old Mans Cave are a few. People are easier to understand than the ones south of the border too :roll: ..
Then across to southern WV for some breathtaking scenery (especially in Walmart :shock: ) and loop yourself back thru VA and KY. Have fun.....

The Chickamauga National Battlefield is just a little bit south of Chattanooga. Both Rock City and Ruby Falls on Lookout Mountain are also good to go to. Too many sights close to and in Chattanooga to see in one trip. You will have to, and want to, come back there again.

Harold H

Smokey Mountains!! Been there 5 times through the years. Lousy corn ground, plentiful black bears.

How could I have forgotten to mention Chickamauga? GGF was wounded there. I've been there three times.

The area of the country around Mamouth Cave is very nice however I wouldn't waste my time going through the cave. It's not a pretty cave like you would expect from a cave. It's more like a long miners tunnel with really nothing to see inside. If you want to see a real cave go to Meramec Caverns in Stanton MO.

If you get that far down then Mabry Mill in Va is interesting. it is on the blue ridge parkway close to NC. Ed Mabry used the mill to grind corn, saw lumber, run a wood shop. The park service has added other things on early living in the area. Good luck and have a safe trip. Send pictures!!!

I haven"t found much to see in eastern Kentucky but while you are at the Jim Beam Distillery area, there are distillers all over the place, MakersMark, Old Crow Old Grsnddad and the house of the man who wrote home Sweet Home. I think distilleries are fun and I think the kids would also. Plus just drive around on back roads around Lexington and see how the real rich live. At Lexington is the Kt Horse Museaum. Near the WV/VA boarder is Berkley, WV where you can tour a old coal mine, kind of scary but kids should enjoy. If you have the time, about three hours from Berkley is Charlottesville, VA with U of VA founded by T. Jefferson and his house Monticello is just down the road, plus a number of wineries all around area and at Luray, VA a really great cave with Natural Bridge just down the road.

JM I live in Peshtigo Wisconsin, but lived near Union City Tennessee in the 90's. The company I worked for was headquartered in Cold Springs KY. When we were their my nearest relative was a Cousin in Bowling Green and my FIL lived in Charleston W Va. we went to Kentucky lake or the caves for day trips, spent time in Kentucky on trips to see the in-laws. Prior to that I spent some time in Kentucky when in the service, always thought if I did 20 I'd retire in Bardstown, and it was a halfway point between Michigan and Florida when I was stationed there in Florida.

In Lexington Virginia there is the house where Stonewall Jackson lived while he taught at Virginia Military Institute. Then there is the Cyrus McCormick museum near there. A little further north there is a battle field at Newmarket VA where the cadets from VMI fought. Not too far northeast of Newmarket is Luray where there are some more caverns and right on Rt. 340 in Luray is Page Implement. Stop there and see Leroy Printz. He knows a whole lot about old tractors, especially Fords and has a big collection as well.

If your going far enough South to even think about Ruby Falls, then skip them in favor of some better caverns. I've been to Ruby Falls, and it is OK, but it's a one way in, same way back out tunnel with not alot but a waterfall at the far end. Instead go to see the Lost Sea caverns. It's a rather large underground lake and you take a boat ride around it. Again not alot of formations to see like some of the other caverns but it's worth taking the tour just for the boat ride. Then there are the Forbidden Caverns in the same area. The wife and I went to see both the Lost Sea and the Forbidden Caverns a few years back and both were great. We were there off season and actually got a tour guide just for the two of us at the Forbidden Caverns and that was awsome because we were able to take our time and interact more with the guide asking questions, looking for the little bats that inhabit the cave, etc, etc. Not to mention getting to hear about things that they usually don't talk on a regular tour. Then there are the Tuckaleechee Caverns also in the same area. They are supposed to be one of the largest caverns in the area. Never been there, but they were on my planned vacation for this year until work, getting sick, and everything else that could possibly screw things up put an end to my plans. Hopefully I'll get a chance to go before winter kicks in. Then, if you've got Kids, Rock City is also a really neat place to visit.

If your not wanting to come that far South then check out Lurray Caverns, and the Natural Bridge and Caverns in VA. All three are really neat places to visit.

Beyond that have fun, and above all have a safe trip. Like everyone always tells me, "Just remember, rubber side down, shiney side up....."

Natural bridge state park, KY

Thanks for all the suggestions. I am plotting of all them on a map and will play connect the dots to see how many we can check out in the two weeks.
Rrlund - will be leaving this sat for two weeks.

Rick