Which Cave tours are family friendly?

We are going to Mammoth Cave over Memorial Day weekend and will have our 4 month old daughter with us.

I am curious if anyone has any thoughts on which cave tours to take?

The park restricts baby carriers and strollers, and while I have no qualms carrying her, I don锟斤拷锟絫 want to end up on a cave tour where we are climbing ladders or crawling on our hands and knees.

The Travertine tour looks friendly. I was curious if anyone else had any suggestions of other cave tours in the park or surrounding area that might be 锟斤拷锟絝amily friendly锟斤拷锟?

Which Cave tours are family friendly?

I guess it is too late now but I would reccoment the Historic Tour.

Which Cave tours are family friendly?

Any other Mammoth tours and/or private caves that are family friendly? I%26#39;ll be with a 9, 7 and 3 yo with only two adults.

dpuck,

We just visited the area a month ago. Your kids are a great age for touring Mammoth, imo. Our daughter is 9 and thoroughly enjoyed the two tours we took: Historic %26amp; New Entrance. As long as no one suffers from any claustrophobia or fear of heights, you will be fine. The Historic Tour has a section called Fat Man%26#39;s Misery/Tall Man%26#39;s Misery, which does require stooping %26amp; ducking. At the end of the tour, visitors are required to climb Mammoth Dome, a metal tower with around 140 steps. I have a small fear of heights, but I found it fine as I just didnt%26#39; look down. The steps are pretty substantial and everyone takes his/her time.

The New Entrance Tour focuses more on the few formations of Mammoth and doesn%26#39;t have as many tight spots.

Both of the tours we took last two hours. If you go to recreation.gov or nps.gov and look at the Mammoth section, you will see all tours described in detail plus a tour schedule. Booking a tour in advance is a must during peak season. There are tours to fit every fitness level.

We also enjoyed Diamond Caverns in Park City, and in Horse Cave, there%26#39;s an Australian themed zoo called Kentucky Down Under that has an onyx cave. Of the two, I would prefer Diamond. Your kids might enjoy Kentucky Down Under, however, as they can pet kangaroos, learn to throw a boomrang, see a sheep herding demonstration, and even play a diggeridoo.

I just posted reviews of Mammoth Cave %26amp; Diamond Caverns on this site. Feel free to check them out, and if you have any more questions, let me know.

Enjoy your trip.

Thanks for the awesome input.

Do you think the 3 yo can handle the Historic Tour? Is there any ';danger'; of falling or such?? Will I be able to carry the 3 yo through the ';tight'; spots?

Hi,

I think it depends on the child. Actually in the case of Fat Man%26#39;s/Tall Man%26#39;s Miseries, your child%26#39;s size will be of great benefit. He/She won%26#39;t have to stoop as much. I am not sure if any of the kids on our tour were as young as 3, but I know all the kids got a big kick out of going through while us taller adults struggled more. :) As far as falls, I would be more concerned with some of the uneven passages in the cave than the heights. There are some ';bottomless pits'; on tour, but your child would have to be climbing up to risk falling. Just make sure your kids have on good substantial shoes (no flip flops---not sure when you are planning to go if summer shoes would even be appropriate). One nice thing about our ranger was that he had a message passer system. When those in front of us found an uneven surface, someone would yell ';pothole,'; thus making us look down and take it slowly. I think the risk of falling at Mammoth Dome at the tower I mentioned is minimal since everyone takes his/her time.

I%26#39;m not sure if you could really be able to carry your 3 year old comfortably through the tight spots. IMO, it would be difficult; however, you could certainly take him/her by the hand.

The Historic Tour lasts 2 hours and covers 2 miles of territory, so if you think it might be too much for the 3 year old, you could always consider a shorter tour. You might want to do the Focus on Formations or Frozen Niagara Tours which are much shorter and might be a better start, especially if your young child has never ventured into a cave. You never know how kids react to some things. Check the website just to make sure the tours you might want are offered when you will be there. In the off season, the tours decrease significantly. If you find your 3 year old really likes the cave, you could always book an additional tour.

Also, if you are still uncertain which tour is better for your family, you can always ask the rangers for input. We found the rangers to be phenomenal in their knowledge and they are used to questions/concerns just like yours.

Hope this helps some. Feel free to ask if you think of anything else.

Thanks for taking the time for such an insightful response. I%26#39;ll come back and let you know how it goes. We will be there in April.

There will definitely be less tours in April, and I think there will also be less crowds. The reservations may not be as crucial this time of year.

I don%26#39;t know where you plan on staying, but the new Comfort Inn %26amp; Suites in Cave City is very nice. It%26#39;s only about a year old. I have a review on this site if you want to check it out. Also, I would highly recommend the Sahara Steak House in Cave City. The food is very reasonable and quite good. They also have a kid%26#39;s menu and a nice soup/salad bar. Our family really enjoyed it; the service was excellent!

We all will look forward to a trip report when you come back. Once again, enjoy your trip. I think you will like the area.

Is there any easy way for elderly people to see these caves?

People who have trouble climbing, etc.?

Hi Gloria,

The easiest tour offered at Mammoth is called the Frozen Niagara Tour. It has 13 steps and is a 1/4 mile in length. Can the older person climb 13 steps? There are an additional 98 steps that lead down into the drapery room. If a person can handle going up and down them, it is so worth it. The Drapery Room is lovely and is really the heart of Mammoth%26#39;s few formations. According to the nps website, it%26#39;s recommended for slow walkers and those who need assistance walking (i.e. canes.).

It%26#39;s not on the website, but when we visited, I did notice that the park offers a handicapped accesible tour that takes you down to the Snowball Room by elevator. The Snowball Room is where the food concession stand is located. I believe it allows you time to eat lunch, see the gypsum lined ceiling room and return to the surface via elevator. If this would be of interest to you, I would call the park directly and ask when this tour is being offered. We visited in August, and I am not sure if this tour would be offered year-round. I know they scale back significantly with their number of tours during the off season.

I hope this helps. If you have any additional questions, feel free to ask.

Are the Travertine tour and the Frozen Niagra tour the same?? On this TA the description sounds exactly the same.

I will be going the middle of May, my son will be camping and I will be INDOOR camping in one of the hotel cottages. He%26#39;s 26 and will be doing the wild cave tour, which I definitely won%26#39;t be doing, so I was looking for something nice and easy that doesn%26#39;t include too many steps (bad knee). I%26#39;m looking forward to the short and medium hikes.

Has anyone stayed in the hotel cottages before?? Do I need a heads-up on some things!!!