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And history buffs take note-it’s just a 45-minute drive to Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, where the country’s first Lincoln Memorial sits. Be sure to also set aside time for other outdoor activities, such as hiking, horseback riding, canoeing, or fishing. It’s a great place to settle in for a few nights and use it as home base as you visit the many caves in nearby driving distance, too. Its modern hotel rooms and historic cottages are nestled in a woodland setting, all within walking distance to cave tours and park trails, allowing you more time to roam around this massive park. (For a delicious stopover on the way, go to Corbin to sample farm-to-table cuisine with a craft beer at The Wrigley.)Ī stay at the Lodge at Mammoth Cave offers the closest option for overnight stays in the park.
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Located midway between Louisville and Nashville, this World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve is so much more than just a cave-it’s home to thousands of years of human history and a rich diversity of plant and animal life. It’s the world’s longest recorded cave system, with more than 400 miles explored and mapped.
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Stay overnight at The Cumberland Manor Bed and Breakfast, an 1890 Victorian and former home of a secretary treasurer, which has been proudly renovated and offers Egyptian cotton sheets and a three-course breakfast using organic ingredients every morning.įrom Cumberland, it’s a three-hour drive to the area of Kentucky that’s pretty much cave central, with a multitude of caves to traverse in and around Mammoth Cave National Park. You’ll work up an appetite over the course of the long day, which you can satisfy over microbrews and tasty burgers at The Butcher’s Pub on Courthouse Square in nearby Pineville. If you opt for a summer visit, the most beautiful mountain streams provide cooling relief from the heat. Be on the lookout for the abundant wildlife here, including deer, beaver, fox, bobcat, bear, and over 150 species of birds. Guided tours will take you to historic sites in the park such as Civil War fortifications, ruins of an old iron furnace, and hand-constructed cabins and split rail fences at Hensley Settlement. Whatever you decide, be sure to hike to the Sand Cave for astonishing views and an otherworldly cave consisting of more than an acre of fine sand. With more than 80 miles of trails for hiking and backpacking, take your pick from a simple quarter-mile hike to a longer commitment on the 21-mile Ridge Trail. Head down to Cumberland Gap via a three and a half hour drive along I-75, which will take you right to the site of the first gateway to the West-this is the route where Native Americans, pioneers, and buffalo all roamed westward. For athletic types, there’s no shortage of sporting activities: rock climbing and rappelling, fishing, mountain biking, seasonal horseback riding, 18-hole miniature golf, tennis, and a seasonal outdoor pool. Natural marvels, like the six-foot tall, eight-foot wide Shangri La Arch, will invigorate you-shaped like a long funnel, it’s 50 feet in length. Get up early the next day and enjoy 26 miles of hiking trails, on which you’ll find natural bridges, arches, caves, sinkholes, cliffs, and a boxed canyon. Hall, in the “Kentucky Trail Town” of Olive Hill for small-town Americana charm and old-fashioned bluegrass jam sessions on the Depot Trailhead, whether scheduled or just around the community fire pit. Music lovers may want to check out the birthplace of country music icon Tom T. (Insider tip: book one with a wood-burning fireplace!).įor dinner, replenish with hearty buffalo meatloaf or bison brisket at Tierney’s Cavern Restaurant.
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This fieldstone lodge features 28 rooms with either a patio or private balcony overlooking the surrounding woodlands, and 12 two-bedroom cottages. Take advantage that this is one of 17 resort parks in the state that include a lodge with accommodations, and book an overnight stay at Lewis Caveland Lodge. You’ll discover 20 twisting caverns, and a 30-foot underground waterfall, luminous stone fans, and draped mounds of stalactites and stalagmites during the subterranean adventure, in caves created by nature over millions of years. Take a guided cave or canoe tour (offered year round) in Cascade Cave and X-Cave. It’s an easy 90-minute drive from the airport straight along I-64 in northeastern Kentucky. If you’re not driving here, fly into Lexington, rent a car and head directly to Carter Caves State Resort Park.