Wander Here: History, Culture and New Friends at Mammoth Cave National Park

Wander HereUSA Roadtrip

Apr 1

Written By Candice McCoy

Wander Here: Mammoth Cave National Park Cave City, Kentucky, USA

We descended the steps into the mouth of the cave, feeling the cold, cave air on our faces as the dimness closed in around us. Our guide walked ahead as a hundred others walked behind us…anticipation bubbling up in the crowd. We’ve seen caves before, but I had this feeling deep inside that this one would have something special to teach us, something we’d take with us on our journey.

The Longest Cave System in the World

We quickly learned that Mammoth Cave is the longest cave system in the entire world at 427 miles of explored passages. Its history is both daring + fascinating, but also tragic in so many ways. It’s deep and rich with many different chapters, all of which we explored and deep dove into like kids at a creek in summertime.

Hero of the Cave

We became particularly enamoured with the story of an enslaved man named Stephen Bishop, a guide in Mammoth Cave in the 1830’s. Stephen was an enthusiastic guide, who gave his all to new discoveries as well as showing other folks the beauty and awe of Mammoth Cave and helping them experience it on a level only he could. His hand drawn map of the cave was used for decades beyond his life by geologists and scientists, and places like the bottomless pit are still inspiring awe and wonder because of his courageous explorations.

He gained his freedom in 1856, and just a year or so later, in 1857 passed away at the age of 35.

We meandered through the cave, imagining him guiding people just like us with nothing but his whale oil lantern, and I couldn’t help but think of how his leadership skills and use of the gifts he possessed changed the course of history forever, something he most likely didn’t even realize at the time. Would he have even imagined what a mark he’d leave on the world if he’d tried? Probably not. A book about his life is aptly named “Life Your Light a Little Higher,” and I just love that imagery.

Because when we’re in the midst of life, it’s hard to see objectively. We get so lost in the weeds of our days, that the beautiful forest we’re wandering through goes unnoticed.

We don’t realize how much we matter and how even the seemingly small things we contribute can create ripples of impact. How much more motivated would we feel to get up in the morning and rise to the highest standard we can imagine for our lives, if we truly realized our own power??

Our power is accessible by just a decision to harness it and GO. Go do that thing you’ve been thinking about. Go start that business. Go tell that person how you feel about them. Go write the book, start the club or try the new class.

Do it for yourself. Do it for the person you’ll influence who you might not even know yet. Do it for people like Stephen Bishop who did all they could with what they had and left this world a little too early.

And now for a little list of can’t miss spots in Mammoth Cave National Park + Cave City, Kentucky….

The Historic Tour - When I realized you have to book a tour for the caves, I was a little overwhelmed. But when I saw the number of different cave tours to choose from, I about fell over. It’s a lot! I did a ton of research and decided I thought the Historic Tour would be the most exciting and interesting for the kids…and for us. But it was sold out. I set an alert for cancellations on recreation.gov and was so happy when I got an email saying new spots had opened for it. In the end, I can’t say if it’s the best, but I will say we loved it and the kids are still talking about it! It was the perfect blend of history and adventure. Honestly though, I’m pretty sure you can’t go wrong.
Visitor Center - The Mammoth Cave National Park visitor center is in my top favorites of all 40 parks we’ve been to. We learned a lot and it was super interactive. Definitely a must visit.
Ace Coffee Cafe - one of our favorite things is to find the cool local spots in these small towns outside the National Parks (looking at you Mas o Menos and Bristlecone General Store). So much so that one of our dreams that has developed out of our tour of the national parks is to open up our own local coffee shop/bookstore outside a national park someday. Ace Coffee was just so on point - great coffee, amazing food, cool vibes and a fun little shop.
Above Ground Trails - while not the most epic trails we’ve ever hiked, we did enjoy exploring above ground too! Most of the trails are pretty short, but you can see a couple of other cave entrances and the River Styx Spring that comes out of the cave underground.
Kentucky Fish + Tank Rescue - you may have seen that everyone in our family has a project we’re completing in every state. The girls chose to visit + support an animal sanctuary in every state. It’s been so eye opening! I was excited to see the Kentucky Fish + Tank Rescue in Cave City - only about 5 minutes from our campground. It turns out, the guy who owns it started it in his house and has a plethora of animals he has rescued from a ferret to hundreds of fish to a boa to a lizard. It was crazy and fascinating, interacting and learning about these exotic animals.
Books to Read - Lift Your Light a Little Higher and River Runs Deep are both set at Mammoth Cave. The first is a picture book about Stephen Bishop, and the second is a novel about a 12 year old boy named Elias, who goes to live in the cave under the care of a guy named Dr. Croghan, to be healed by the properties of the cave from consumption. But as he befriends Stephen, he finds out a deep secret in the cave that changes everything for him. We would love this book even if we hadn’t been there. I love the way it weaves in history and geological aspects of the cave.