Are you heading to Kentucky soon? From remarkable caves to historic landmarks, impressive car museums to quirky landmarks, there is so much to see and do in the Blue Grass State!
Our family went on an incredible week-long trip to explore Kentucky. When I started planning out the trip, I knew I wanted to hit up Mammoth Cave National Park and Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, but other than that, I had no idea how we were going to spend our time.
Once I started researching, I was surprised at how much there was to do. Here are some tried-and-true things to add to your Kentucky itinerary.
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8 Things to Add to Your Kentucky Itinerary
Mammoth Cave National Park
One of the biggest draws to Kentucky is the Mammoth Cave National Park. I mean, who wouldn’t want to hang out in the world’s longest cave system? Mammoth Cave National Park offers several incredible tours that help you delve deeper into the history of the caves.
And believe me, there’s plenty of history. The oldest portions of the cave date back 10 million years!
We found the 2-hour Historic Tour super informative and fun.
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park
We’ve been following Abraham Lincoln’s footsteps for the last few years. We’ve visited the White House, Ford’s Theater, and the Petersen House, so it only made sense that while we were in Kentucky we popped in to check out his birthplace.
Seeing Lincoln’s humble beginning was pretty incredible and made my little nerd heart so happy. We enjoyed our time walking around the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, exploring the trails, and visiting the spring where Lincoln took his first sips of water.
Lost River Cave
The Lost River Cave was probably one of my favorite things we experienced while we were in the Bluegrass State. Beneath the town of Bowling Green, is an underground river that you can explore on a boat tour. And believe me, this cave has seen it all! Not only was it once a hideout for Jesse James, but it was also a nightclub at one point!
National Corvette Museum
Did you know that Bowling Green is the only place in the world where Corvettes are built? The Bowling Green Assembly has produced over 1.1 million Corvettes since it opened in 1981.
In 2014, the weight of the museum helped cause a 35-foot sinkhole to open up. The sinkhole was directly below the Skydome, the portion of the museum that held some of the museum’s most historic vehicles. 8 Corvettes were damaged in the accident.
The museum is very well done and is a great attraction for families. Our boys are obsessed with cars and enjoyed being able to get up close and personal with some pretty rad cars. Our daughter loved the kid’s area where she was able to design her own Corvette. I was impressed by how many interactive elements they had for kids explore.
American Cave Museum
You can’t visit the Kentucky caves without making a trip to the American Cave Museum. The museum is the only one in the US that is dedicated solely to caves. It showcases the history and science of America’s caverns. During our visit, we learned about how the caves formed, the different ways that they have been utilized, archaeology, cave wildlife, and groundwater. Even better, the museum is free!
The museum is attached to the Hidden River Cave. The cave features the world’s longest in-cave swinging bridge. Check out the ticket information.
Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park
During our trip, we were hosted by Yogi’s Jellystone Park Mammoth Cave. Our kids love Jellystone, so they were stoked to find out we’d be visiting a new park. The Mammoth Cave location is less than 5 miles away from Mammoth Cave National Park.
It was the perfect place to spend some quality time as a family. We spent a lot of time swimming in the lake, racing pedal carts, playing putt-putt, jumping on the pillow pad, and much more. This is the ultimate place for families to stay when they are in the area.
Aviation Heritage Park and Museum
While we were in Bowling Green visiting the Corvette Museum, we stumbled upon Aviation Heritage Park and Museum. The museum and park feature historic airplanes and aviation memorabilia.
The museum and park are free and open to the public. Fighter jets and helicopters are on display outside for visitors to touch, inspect, and take photos with, including an F-4 Phantom, an F-111 Aardvark, an F9F Panther painted in Navy Blue Angel livery, an SH-3H Sea King Helicopter in Marine 1 configuration, and a “Huey” helicopter. All of these aircraft were curated because they all connect in some way to aviators from this region.
Kentucky Stonehenge
When I plan out our trips, I always hit up Google Maps to check out what is in the area. While mapping out our trip, I discovered a place called Kentucky Stonehenge.
This quirky little attraction is located in someone’s sideyard. It was created by Chester Fryer in the early 2000s as a tribute to his late wife. Fryer spent months collecting the rocks and construction the monument by hand.
Save a Pin & Start Planning Your Adventure
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While we were in the area, we also visited Mammoth Cave National Park, Yogi’s Jellystone Park: Mammoth Cave, and Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace National Historical Park.
