Wednesday. June 12
Journey to Cave Country RV Campground
After a leisurely start to the morning, we had the trailer packed up and were ready to go by 10:45 a.m. At the dump station, I spent extra time flushing the black tank because the sensor was reading high. Hopefully, this resolves the issue. Meanwhile, Lisa noticed and picked up a bunch of busted balloons that some kids had left around the water pump. It was hard to believe no parent had stepped in to address the mess.
I made a mistake during takedown, asking Lisa to pull forward before I had the tongue jack fully elevated. Thankfully, it caused no harm, but I reminded myself to be more attentive in the future.
The weather during our drive to Mammoth Cave was fantastic, but the trip wasn’t without challenges. I missed a turn, adding over 30 minutes to the drive. At a lunch stop, Lisa clipped a corner too close in a parking lot, causing the trailer to snag on a divider. Fortunately, she stopped immediately, and we were able to back up and get unstuck without any damage.
One disappointing discovery was that the rivers at Mammoth Cave National Park were too high for canoeing, so all the outfitters had closed. I had been looking forward to a canoe trip, so that was a letdown.
Cave Country RV Campground
The campground was small but exceptionally clean and well-landscaped. Our pull-through site was level, with full hookups, including cable. While the lack of shade and the overall “parking lot” feel weren’t ideal, it served our purpose since we didn’t plan to spend much time there anyway.
Cave City, KY
After setting up camp, we headed to the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center to pick up tickets for our tour the next day and get our National Park passport stamped. Driving through Cave City, we noticed that much of the town seemed rundown, with many businesses either permanently closed or closing early. I had hoped to enjoy some of the local activities, but the options were underwhelming.
We did manage to stop at one of the larger gem stores just before it closed. Along the way, we spotted souvenir shops selling Trump 2020 and Confederate flags, a stark reminder of the political climate in the area.
Chaney’s Dairy Barn
BWith little to do in Cave City, we decided to make the 45-minute drive to Chaney’s Dairy Barn in Bowling Green. It’s a popular local attraction and reputed to serve the best ice cream in Kentucky.
When we arrived, the place was bustling, but the service was quick. Lisa indulged in a waffle cone with Strawberry Cheesecake and Salted Caramel scoops, while I treated myself to a Moo Pie—a warm, freshly baked chocolate chip cookie in a cast iron skillet—topped with two scoops of “Wow Now Brownie Cow” and “Peanut Butter Fudge Swirl” ice cream. The cookie was perfectly crispy on the outside and gooey inside, and the ice cream flavors were incredible. We were so full afterward that we skipped dinner entirely.
Evening
On the way back, we stopped for a $20 deluxe car wash to tackle the swarm of bugs that had plastered themselves to the truck during the drive. The wash did a great job clearing most of them off, leaving the truck looking much better.
Despite the bumps in the day, we ended it on a sweet note with delicious ice cream and a bit of adventure in exploring the area. Tomorrow, we’re looking forward to diving into the wonders of Mammoth Cave National Park.
Thursday, June 13
Mammoth Cave National Park
We left for the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center around 8:30 a.m. The weather was chilly, with highs expected only in the upper 70s—perfect for exploring caves. We had two tours planned: the Historic Tour at 10:00 a.m. and the Domes and Dripstones Tour at 2:15 p.m.
To pass the time before our first tour, we browsed the gift shop and chatted with staff at the information desk about activities to enjoy in the park after our tours. Their recommendations gave us a few ideas for later.
Mammoth Cave – The Historic Tour
The Historic Tour began at the largest natural entrance to Mammoth Cave. From the visitor center, we walked down a scenic trail to the entrance, which immediately showcased the massive scale of the cave.
The tour wound through enormous caverns, narrow passageways, and some historical sections with artifacts and remnants of rotting wooden structures. Our guide shared fascinating stories about the cave’s history, including its discovery by ancient Native Americans, its use during the War of 1812 to extract saltpeter for gunpowder, and its role in early tourism, when enslaved African Americans worked as expert guides.
The pace of the tour was brisk, with lots of stairs and low-hanging rocks. Despite her bad knees, Lisa kept up like a champ, though I bumped my head a few times on the rocks above. While the sheer size of the caverns was impressive, the cave itself felt somewhat barren compared to others we’ve seen. Still, learning about its storied past made the experience worthwhile.
Lunch and Museum
After the first tour, we found a shady spot in the parking lot and had lunch at a grassy picnic area. With some time to spare before our next tour, we explored part of the visitor center museum. The exhibits were detailed and informative, though we only managed to get through about half before it was time to leave for the second tour.
Mammoth Cave – Domes and Dripstones Tour
The Domes and Dripstones Tour began differently. Instead of walking to the cave entrance, we were bused to a concrete bunker built into the side of a hill. The ranger explained that this was an airlock, as it was not a natural entrance.
We entered in small groups, passing through the airlock system into the cave. Inside, we descended a steep 280-step staircase into the depths of the cave. The initial sections resembled the caverns we had seen on the Historic Tour, with large chambers and narrow passageways. However, as we progressed, the highlight of this tour came into view: the dripstones.
The formations were stunning—stalactites and stalagmites, columns, and delicate soda straws that seemed to sparkle in the dim light. The intricate beauty of these formations was mesmerizing, making this tour stand out as the most visually impressive of the day.
Heritage Trail
After the tours, Lisa wanted to stretch her legs on a short hike. We chose the Heritage Trail, a half-mile loop from the visitor center that led past the Mammoth Hotel and out to Sunset Point, which overlooks the Green River Valley.
The trail also passed by the Old Guide Cemetery, where the famous black cave guide, Stephen Bishop, is buried. Bishop was renowned for his knowledge of the cave system and was one of the first guides to map it extensively. Interestingly, despite the name of the cemetery, he is the only guide buried there; the other graves belong to tuberculosis patients who died during an ill-fated experiment to treat the disease with cave air.
White Squirrel Brewery, Bowling Green, KY
Initially, we planned to have dinner at the Train Station Restaurant in nearby Park City, but it was closed for a private event when we arrived. Instead, we headed to Bowling Green to dine at White Squirrel Brewery.
The brewery had a vibrant atmosphere with an open-concept design that extended from the restaurant to a patio through large garage doors. We sampled several of their beers on tap, including Grolsch, Irish, Pale Ale, Hefeweizen, and Brown Nut. For dinner, we shared a plate of Spicy Chicken with Rice Noodles.
The day had been long but packed with adventure, history, and memorable experiences. Tomorrow, we look forward to more exploring and seeing what else this area offers.
Friday, June 14
Wigwam Village #2, Horse Cave, KY
We decided to explore areas north of us today.
First, we visited Wigwam Village Inn #2 which was only a short distance from us. This was a motel where the hotel rooms were fashioned in the shape of wigwams. Built in 1937 as a gimmick to attract tourists, it was obviously still in use today as we saw plenty of cars parked next to various tee-pees.
Unknown Confederate Soldier Monument, Horse Cave, KY
We then drove out to the site of the unknown Confederate Soldier monument. The monument consists of a 12-foot pile of geodes cemented together that supposedly honors an unknown foot soldier from the 11th Louisiana Infantry accidentally discharged his loaded weapon into his head while on a tree cutting detail. Local tradition says that the monument was built over the grave in 1934 fearing that the grave might become lost. The monument is technically on private property, but a path through the evergreen trees allows visitors access. A Confederate Naval Jack flies beside the monument.
We drove past the site a couple of times before we found the monument. There was no parking area nor a place to really pull off near the monument. The path through the hedges was not very worn so we both felt funny squeezing through the hedges to get to the monument that was about 50 yards away from the road. I decided to walk up to the monument anyway assuming that hundreds had done it before me without a problem but Lisa decided to stay near the hedges. It definitely looked odd standing in the middle of nowhere with only a couple of farmhouses nearby.
Kentucky Stonehedge, Munfordville, KY
The next oddity was the Kentucky Stonehenge. Once again, this was on private property, and not obvious whether tourists were invited. There was no parking area and only a circular driveway that went to the house beside the rock structures. I finally noticed a hand-painted sign on the circular drive that said “Parking” on the section of the circular drive away from the house, so we took a chance and took the driveway to that spot.
Kentucky Stonehenge is not a scale replica of the Stonehenge in England, but rather just copies some of the monuments seen there. It is an impressive privately owned rock garden that is actually divided up into several sections with only one of the sections set up similar to Stonehenge. We were both very impressed with how interesting and well maintain the gardens were though and we enjoyed walking around them and exploring.
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park
Our next stop was at the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park. It was rather a strange little park that honors the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. On top of a hill in the middle of the park was a large neoclassical building with 56 stairs (representing the number of years in his life) going up to it. Inside this building was a replica of a one-room cabin that was typical of the one that Lincoln would have been born in.
The visitor center had a small museum and film about Lincoln’s early life and his family. It was interesting seeing and reflecting on the influences of his early life that shaped the man that became President.
Abraham Lincoln’s Boyhood Home at Knob Creek
While we were in the visitor center at the Lincoln Birthplace State Historic Site, the ranger suggested that we should visit Lincoln’s Knob Creek Farm which was about 12 miles away. They made it seem interesting, so we headed that way.
Lincoln’s family was forced to move from his birthplace when he was 2-1/2 years old and leased a 30-acre farm at Knob Creek. Lincoln recorded several stories about the place including that he had almost drowned in a nearby swollen creek until a neighbor rescued him. It was also at Knob Creek that Abraham first saw slaves being taken south along the Bardstown – Green River Turnpike, part of the old Cumberland Road. In December 1816, his family moved to a homestead in Indiana which is now preserved as the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial.
The log cabin on the site was not Lincoln’s but a restored 1800’s cabin moved to the site to reflect what the Lincoln cabin would look like. There was also a historical 1933 tavern on the site called the Lincoln Tavern. It actually had no ties to the Lincolns but was built to take advantage of the tourism in the area.
The tavern was locked up and being renovated, but we did explore the cabin and walk over to the creek. The creek barely had a trickle of water in it, but a sign indicated that flash floods could make it dangerous.
The most interesting thing I learned was how often title disputes caused people to lose their land in this area. The Lincoln family was forced from Lincoln’s birthplace because of a title dispute. Often land was given for military service or other purposes by the government that then forced settlers who might have been there already. One of the reasons we were told that the family moved to Indiana was because of new land ordinances better defined and standardized surveying methods to create a grid of small plots of land across the territories. This enabled the small farmed to get clear title to their land.
Maker’s Mark Distillery
It was now about noon, so we decided that we should try to visit some of the distilleries in the area. Our first stop was the Maker’s Mark distillery. Surprisingly this distillery was located away from any city far off in the country. Knowing the popularity of the bourbon, it was hard to understand how it could possibly distribute the quantities that I knew were in every bar and liquor shop in the United States from this remote location.
After travelling down miles of country road, we finally arrived at the distillery which looked more like a landscaped ranch complex. We followed the signs to the Visitor Center which was located in a old but large country home When we checked in at a reception desk in the main lobby area, we were informed that it was National Bourbon Day therefore all tours were free!
The property was beautiful, and a cute college intern guided through several buildings on the complex where they distilled the spirits, printed the labels, stored the barrels, and finally where they packaged the bourbon and gave it its distinct wax seal. Afterwards we were taken back to the old farmhouse and given six tastings of their different bourbons at the end of the tour. At the end of the tour we were directed to the gift shop where we could buy a bottle of Maker’s Mark and seal it with wax ourselves.
Overall it was an excellent tour. Besides learning about how bourbon is made and customized, and the distilling techniques that makes Maker’s Mark different, I especially enjoyed learning about the influence Margie Samuels made. Some of her influences included its name, unique bottle shape, and distinctive wax seal. She was also responsible for how beautiful the distillery grounds were.
Bourbon Heritage Center
We had spent a lot of time at Maker’s Mark Distillery, but we wanted to try to fit one more bourbon tour in so we took off for Bardstown and the Bourbon Heritage Center that was operated by Heaven Hill Distillery. We made it just in time for the last tour of the day which unfortunately was not much more than a short film and some bourbon tastings. When we arrive, we discovered that their distillery had burned down in 1996 and now most of their production is handled by other distilleries. Even the Bourbon Heritage Center itself was closed for expansion.
The guide did an excellent job leading us through the tastings and we were able to taste a $250/bottle bourbon as well as six others. Their bourbon did give me more “Kentucky hugs” than the Maker’s Mark bourbon did.
Mammy’s Kitchen & Bar, Bardstiwbm KY
We went to Mammy’s Kitchen & Bar in Bardstown for dinner. We split a chicken fried chicken special with mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans that were excellent. I ordered a Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale while Lisa had a Coors lite. A guitar player was up on stage playing live music which further improved our time there.
Downtown Bardstown, KY
After dinner, we walked around the historical town. We passed numerous historical markers and house signs announcing that they were pre-Civil War buildings throughout the town. It was definitely a tourist town that looked like it would be fun to stay in for a vacation. We also saw numerous banners announced a Bourbon Festival that weekend, but unfortunately would have to miss it.
As we headed to the truck to go home, we heard what sounded like a festival taking place a couple of blocks away. We walked toward the sounds and found a small festival where a one-mile race was being held near their Bourbon Museum. The winners stood on bourbon barrels cut to different heights to receive their medals.
The museum was open, so we went inside an saw a nice display of the history of bourbon in the area.
Afterward we called it a day and headed home.
Saturday, June 15
Cedar Sink Trail, Mammoth Cave National Park
We started our day by taking a walk on the Cedar Sink Trail in Mammoth Cave National Park. I read that this was a must-see trail so I was excited to hike it.
This trail was only one mile long and was very well maintained. The trail and then stairs went through a large sink hole where you saw a part of a river that exited and reentered the earth about 100 yards later. There was also neat rock overhand that had a nice observation platform built under it. It was pretty amazing to both of us to see and learn about how these sink holes form.
National Corvette Museum, Bowling Green, KY
Bowling Green is the home for the manufacturing plant for Corvettes, but it is also the home of the National Corvette Museum, a non-profit museum that showcases the history of Corvettes. The museum was full of various models of the Corvette and those previously owned by celebrities such as race car drivers and astronauts.
It is also famous for a sink hole that formed under the museum in 2014 that swallowed several priceless Corvettes. Today all that remains of the sink hole is an exhibit hall featuring the sink hole disaster, a taped outline of where the hole was, and a glass covered hole showing how deep the sink hole was.
I thought the lobby was one of the more interesting areas as it had new Corvettes that were bought by new owners that had not taken possession of them yet. They have some delivery program called the NCM Experience that includes a VIP tour and other benefits for those people that buy a Corvette and choose to take delivery at the museum. There is even a web cam that allows you to see your corvette in the display area before you take possession.
1921 Chevron Gas Station
We then took a quick drive into the historical center to see a 1921 Chevron Gas Station that had been converted to a public park bathroom. Lisa also took this opportunity to mail out a couple of postcards.
Back to Chaney’s Dairy Barn
For lunch, we decided to go back to Chaney’s Dairy Barn. As expected, it was a little more crowded since the temperature was a little warmer and it was a Saturday. This time we decided to try some of their food. I ordered a Pimento (Dairy-aire) sandwich and Lisa ordered a Turkey sandwich. It took over 45 minutes to get our order but both sandwiches were good though
Octagon House
We then visited the Octagon House where I only intended to make a quick picture stop, but the house looked so interesting that we decided to spend the $5 admission to peek inside. We were given a short history of the home and invited to walk around at our leisure.
The house was full of eclectic Civil War era junk that had been collected by the owner, Billy D. Byrd and had really little to do with the home. Andrew Jackson Caldwell, a mason and slave owner, built the home in 1859, and threw his support to the Confederacy during the Civil War. The home was known as a safe haven for Confederate soldiers and it had several hiding places where they could hide. The farm was also the site for several encampments by both Confederate and Union soldiers. When the owners bought the place in 2001, it had been used as rental property and was in bad shape. He has since renovated and converted it to a non-profit museum.
There were several pictures on the walls that claimed to be of ghosts. One legend stated that it was a picture of a seven year girl that caught herself on fire in the kitchen and died. There are many other ghost stories related to the house that include injured Confederate Soldiers and other Caldwell family members.
We talked with the owners in the dining room for awhile and they shared various stories about how they had acquired the property, how he had collected his Civil War artifacts, and about the various paranormal activities they had observed. They were very pleasant to talk with and added a lot to our time there.
Outside, there were a couple of buildings such as a summer kitchen and a slave cabin that had been destroyed by termites.
South Union Shaker’s Village
The next stop was the South Union Shakers Village. This village was the most southern and western of the Shaker villages, and it was caught in the middle of the slave trade and civil war battles in the area. The Shaker village had been sold in 1922 in a public sale, but several of the buildings were restored in later years and made into a museum.
We arrived one hour before they closed but this turned out to be sufficient time to watch a low-resolution short film that briefly explain the history of Shakers and the village. We were then able to walk through one of the restored buildings, the Centre House, which used to house the single men and women of this communal community. It was a beautifully restored building and each of the rooms of this large four story building had displays about the Shakers life and beliefs. Some of the more interesting facts learned were that they considered God as both male and female, and that they were the creators of the flat broom.
After they closed, we drove around the area and looked at the foundations of other houses that had been destroyed after the sale either naturally or by demolition.
Father’s of Mercy
As we were driving around, we saw the Father’s of Mercy Catholic Church and monastery next door that had a beautiful church. It did not look like they were open to the public so we just admired it from the street.
Chaney’s Dairy Barn
Since we were in the area, we went back to Chaney’s Dairy Barn for some ice cream. We both had waffle cones with two scoops. Again, the ice cream was excellent, though I thought the waffle cone could have been more crunchy.
Cave City
We then headed home to grab our dirty laundry and heat to a Laundromat. The camp laundry only had two washers and two dryers, so we decided to go to one in town. This also allowed Lisa an opportunity to get some supplies at the Dollar Store near it. The nicer one in town was getting ready to close, so we had to go to one that did not have very good reviews. It was definitely old with old machines, but we were able to get our clothes washed and dried in about an hour. We are now ready for the next week.