I have always wanted to visit Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. I finally made the trip this past summer and it exceeded my expectations. There are actually many different tours available that vary in length and difficulty. From the visitor center, tours leave every hour or so, either on foot or by bus to the many cave entrances.

I enjoyed my New Entrance Tour so much the first day that I decided to stay overnight at the Mammoth Cave Hotel, and go on the Violet City Lantern Tour the next morning. That tour leaves on foot as the entrance is near the visitor center. Before walking to the entrance the rangers distribute coal-oil lanterns to every third person since that is the only light used. There are actually electric lights in this section of the cave, but for the most part, they are turned off and lanterns are the only source of light. Your eyes get quite used to the light level and it is an amazing effect going through as the early explorers did. The trail is mostly wide and flat (though there is some up and down), so it is not dangerous or frightening.

The park ranger guide for our tour added a very special touch by getting into character for the different phases of the tour. He acted out the part of different people of the different time periods in history. He was great and has actually appeared on TV for this.

This tour is about three miles, and three hours long. The amazing thing about this particular section of the cave is how large the tunnel is, and how level the rock strata are in places. At the first part there is an introduction to the historical War of 1812 activity of mining saltpeter (potassium nitrate) for making gunpowder and preserving meat. Deeper in is the section where Dr. John Croghan set up a tuberculosis sanatorium in 1842. It was thought that the dry air and constant temperature of the cave would cure the illness. To think how people lived down there for months without seeing daylight and exposed to the smoke of cooking and heating fires was a sobering thought.

Our guide also told of how at one point some entrepreneurs got the idea of opening a hotel inside a section of the cave, but thought better of it when they came up with the name, Mammoth Cave Inn. I'll let you decide if that's true, or not.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience and plan to go back and take some different tours. Although no children under age 6 are allowed on the Violet City Lantern Tour, there are many other tours suitable for children. It is an extremely popular family location and kids love it, as you might imagine.