YOGI BEAR'S JELLYSTONE PARK - 5 Suitcases

Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Mammoth Cave, Kentucky

Elle MacRae — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 16:16:17 +0000

Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Mammoth Cave is a must-do if you’re visiting Kentucky. This camp-resort features cabins as well as RV and tent sites nestled in the scenic mountains between Nashville and Louisville. It is located within just miles of the magnificent Mammoth Cave National Park. There is plenty in the area, and at Jellystone Park Mammoth Cave, to keep you busy for days!

What is there to do at Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Mammoth Cave?

We were incredibly impressed by how much there was to do at the park. From sunup to sundown (and beyond) we stayed busy!

Splash ground
Swimming Pool

Beach Area/Lake
- Swimming
- Paddle Boarding
- Floating Obstacle Course
Gem Mining
Pedal Cart Track
Fishing
Putt Putt Golf
Arcade
Playground
Jump Pillow & Pad
Planned Activities

Some of our favorite attractions were Karst Beach, putt putt golf, the jumping pillow, and the pedal cart track.

We strongly suggest renting or bringing a golf cart for your stay. The park is spread out over several acres and having a golf cart made zooming around a breeze.

The Attractions

Please find below the corrected version of the message:

- Splash Ground – The splash ground is the perfect spot to cool off after a round of mini-golf or a pedal cart race! The splash ground features water cannons, fountains and other water features that your kids will absolutely love!

- Swimming Pool – Adjacent to the splash ground, you’ll find the swimming pool. The pool is surrounded by lounge chairs and umbrellas to help you unwind after a long journey.

- Beach Area/Lake – The highlight of the Jellystone Mammoth Cave is Karst Beach. The 2.3-acre lake with a sandy beach features a 1300-square-foot Wibit (a floating, inflatable obstacle course!). The beach also features volleyball and Corcl (small boats). The beach is lined with beach loungers and chairs. It is conveniently located right next to the camp store which features full food services, including Nathan’s Famous Hotdogs and Hunt’s Pizza.

- Gem Mining – You can’t visit cave country without doing a bit of mining. Lucky for you, you can mine for gems without even leaving the park! Several bags and buckets, ranging in prices and quality, are available for purchase.

- Pedal Cart Track – Whew! The pedal carts are a workout, but boy are they fun! Challenge your kids to a race around the pedal cart track. The pedal carts come in various sizes, and the seats are easy to adjust.

- Fishing – Bring your fishing poles! Jellystone Park offers two different fishing holes. Live bait is available in the shop.

- Putt Putt Golf – Who doesn’t love a round of mini-golf? The park has an 18-hole course that is free to play. The back 9 is a bit challenging and loads of fun!

- Arcade – Looking for a fun spot to cool down? You’ll find a super cool arcade located right next to the putt-putt golf course.

- Playground – Our kids had so much fun playing on the playground. The playground is located next to the pedal cart track, Jumping Pillow, and mining sluice. Be sure to play a round of Gaga Ball while you’re there! This is our family’s new favorite game!

- Jumping Pillow Pad – While the beach, pool, and splash pad may be hoppin’ during the day, the inflatable jumping pillow and jumping pad are where it’s at during the evening hours. And yes, grown-ups can jump, too.

- Planned Activities – Throughout the day, there are various activities throughout the park. These include character meet and greets, ice cream socials, wagon rides, crafts, relay races, parades, and much more! We downloaded the app, and notifications were sent to my phone 15 minutes before the events began. It was a super convenient way to keep up with all of the wonderful planned activities.

Our Experience

We were graciously hosted by Jellystone Park Mammoth Cave during our stay. That being said, all thoughts and opinions are our own.

After an 11-hour drive from Florida, we arrived in Kentucky. We unloaded our belongings into our cozy cabin, put on our bathing suits, and immediately headed to the lake so the kids could burn off some energy. The water was extremely refreshing, and the kids had a blast showing off all of their best moves.

When the lake closed at 6, we ventured over to the splash area, jumping pillow, and pedal carts for some racing. It was a perfect way to spend an evening!

Our kids wake up early, which ended up working to our advantage. It started pouring at about 9:15 – the storm lasted the entire day. However, by the time the rain came, we had already played on the playground, raced pedal carts, played mini-golf, jumped on the pillow pad, and completed an art activity in the rec center.

The rest of the day was a bit of a wash, but Jellystone Park still had plenty of activities to keep everyone happy, and even had backup plans for activities that weren’t feasible with the weather.

On our last morning there, we spent a bit more time at the pedal cart track and playground. We played a round of our new favorite game, Gaga Ball, before we checked out.

The staff at Jellystone Mammoth Cave was extremely helpful and friendly. We enjoyed our stay there, despite the weather. The park was clean, comfortable, and offered several activities and amenities. There are countless things to do around the park, so we never ran out of stuff to do.”

Where is Jellystone Park located?

Yogi’s Jellystone Park Mammoth Cave is located at:

950 Mammoth Cave Rd, Cave City, KY 42127

Day Trips from Jellystone Mammoth Cave

Mammoth Cave National Park
Hidden River Cave Adventure/American Cave Museum
Diamond Caverns
Lost River Cave
Mammoth Onyx Cave
Outlaw Cave
Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace National Historic Site
Kentucky Museum
National Corvette Museum
Kentucky Stonehenge

Our Kentucky Itinerary

Check out our full itinerary to see how we spent 4 days exploring the Bluegrass State with our kiddos!

Our trip included visits to:

The National Corvette Museum
Mammoth Cave National Park
Lost River Cave
Kentucky Stonehenge
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park
Yogi’s Jellystone Park at Mammoth Cave
Aviation Heritage Museum
and much, much more!

If you need help planning your road trip, we’ve got you covered! Learn how to plan a road trip the whole family will love, see our road trip essentials, check out our car packing tricks, or listen to our family-friendly playlist!

Save a Pin & Start Planning Your Adventure!

For future reference, save our post: Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park: Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. Pin one of the images below to Pinterest. Go ahead and follow 5Suitcases on Pinterest while you’re at it!

Be sure to give us a like on Facebook or follow us on Instagram and Twitter for more travel tips and tricks. See you next time!

10 Best Day Trips from Jellystone in Golden Valley, NC

Elle MacRae — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 17:35:00 +0000

We were ecstatic when they opened up a Jellystone in Golden Valley, NC. We have family in the area, so instead of staying at an AirBNB, we’ve been booking cabins at Jellystone. It costs about the same as an AirBNB, but you get a ton of amenities.

Since we are so familiar with the area, we have several day trips from Jellystone in Golden Valley, NC that we can commend for you and your family! Whether you’d like to spend the day at a farm, on an adventurous rope course, touring an iconic house, or driving on one of the most scenic highways in the country- we’ve got you covered in our list of the best day trips from Jellystone in Golden Valley, NC!

About Jellystone in Golden Valley, NC

Yogi Bear’s Jellystone in Golden Valley, North Carolina is a multi-million dollar RV Resort that offers tent camping, RV sites, and several different styles of cabins.

During our visits, we rent cabins. We have stayed in both the Blue Ridge Bungalow and the Carolina Belle Cabins. Check out our tours of each of these cabins in the videos below!

They have lots of great amenities like a swimming pool, a water park, a lake with recreational rentals, and zip lining. They also offer gem mining, laser tag, putt putt golf, tons of play areas of kids, and planned activities throughout the day. In 2022, they opened up a super-awesome inflatable obstacle course on the lake. Check out our video of us trying to tackle this monster!

The Jellystone also has restaurants that serve up a variety of food ranging from breakfast foods to pizza, hamburgers, sandwiches, chicken tenders, and ice cream.

About Golden Valley, NC

Golden Valley, NC has been home to a slew of different people…some think that even Abraham Lincoln was once called this region home. The area was one home to Indigenous hunters. Evidence of their existence can be found in the form of pottery, arrowheads, and spear points.

During Colonial times, European settlers arrived in the area. They sectioned the land into districts and named this area the Morgan District. The district was further divided into fourteen different companies- each with it’s own “captain” (similar to a mayor), who was in charge of taxes, the local militia and maintaining order.

Following the Battle of Kings Mountain, which was the first major patriot victory during the Revolutionary War in 1780, all was relatively calm. That is…until the discovery of gold. In 1828 gold was discovered in a stream in Brindletown. Within weeks, every creek within a hundred miles was filled with prospectors. It was then that this area became known as Golden Valley.

There is a school of historians and biographers that claim that Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was not born in Kentucky. Instead, they believe he was born on Puzzle Creek, near the town of Bostic, in Golden Valley.

Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Hanks, was placed in the care of Abraham Enslow and his family. The Enslows lived in Rutherford County before moving near Cherokee, NC. While in Bostic, she was a member of the Concord Baptist Church. During this time, she allegedly gave birth to a baby that she named Abraham. It is believed that she then left the area and married Tom Lincoln in Kentucky. The minister who performed the ceremony wrote of the young boy’s presence in his account of the nuptials. The Bostic Lincoln Center is dedicated to this school of thought and is well worth the visit if you are a history fan.

The Best Day Trips from Jellystone in Golden Valley

Bostic Lincoln Center

As stated above, there is a school of historians that claim that Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was actually born near the town of Bostic, NC- rather than in Kentucky. The Bostic Lincoln Center provides evidence these historians have collected to support this theory. While at the center, be sure to ask for directions to the ruins of the cabin these historians believe Lincoln was born.

Distance from the Park: 11 miles

Cherry Mountain Farm

Spend the day at Cherry Mountain Farm hanging out with the most adorable Angora goats! Learn all about the history of this super cute breed of goats. You can even purchase some yarn made from their shaggy coats.

Distance from the Park: 12 miles

South Mountains State Park

South Mountains State Park is a great location to spend the day outdoors with your family. There are 40 miles of trails perfect for hiking or mountain biking. The park also boasts a 60 foot waterfall, High Shoals Falls. Even better, the park is just 20 miles away from Jellystone! This great state park is one of the best day trips from Jellystone in Golden Valley.

Distance from the Park: 20 miles

Beanstalk Zipline

Beanstalk Ziplines offers 5 interconnected zips ending in a 520 foot epic zip! The park offers $10 off any regularly priced Zip Tour with the mention of Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park or the use of the promo code: YOGIGOLDEN at check out.

Distance from the Park: 24 miles

Lake Lure

Lake Lure is one of our favorite spots in the region! Consider booking a boat tour if you’re visiting during the warmer months. You can also spend the day swimming at the lake, popping in and out of cute shops.

Distance from the Park: 33 miles

Chimney Rock

Chimney Rock State Park is one of the most popular parks to visit in North Carolina. Each year more than a quarter of a million visitors come to climb 499 steps (or take the super convenient elevator) to the top of the outcropping for absolutely breathtaking views. From its top, you’ll discover 75-mile panoramic views of Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake Lure. Trust us, it’s definitely worth the drive out to Chimney Rock State Park. This is hands down one of the best day trips from Jellystone in Golden Valley!

Distance from the Park: 36 miles

Linville Caverns

The Linville Caverns are the only caverns open to the public in the entire state of North Carolina! Explore inside the Blue Ridge Mountains and learn all about the geology of the stalactites, stalagmites, and other formations on your guided tour. You’ll also learn the history of these caverns and how they were once used as hideouts by Civil War deserters.

Distance from the Park 42 miles

Green River Adventures

Want to try something a little bit more action packed than paddling around Jellystone’s lake? Green River Adventures offers whitewater adventures, kayaking, guided hikes, waterfall treks, ziplining, and rappelling and canyoneering trips for the whole family!

Distance from the Park: 46 miles

Biltmore Estate

Do yourself a favor and plan on spending a day at the Biltmore Estate in nearby Asheville. The Biltmore Estate is a Châteauesque-style mansion built by George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889 and 1895. It is the largest privately owned house in the United States. The 178,926 square foot home is stilled owned by his descendants.

Tour the grand dining room, library, atrium, a handful of bedrooms, the servant’s quarters, the indoor pool, billiards room, and much more! This cultural experience makes for one of the best day trips from Jellystone in Golden Valley! Be sure to save time to explore the Biltmore Village.

Distance from the Park: 54 miles

Blue Ridge Parkway

One of my favorite things to do in the mountains is to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. The parkway is 252 miles of scenic winding roads. Be sure to stop at the scenic pull offs for incredible views of the landscape. Along the parkway you’ll find plenty of spots to hike, bike, swim, or explore the local cultural sites.

Distance from the Park: 56 miles

Free Family Road Trip Starter Kit

Ready to hit the road with magic in the speakers?

Don’t forget to grab our FREE Family Road Trip Starter Kit — packed with printable checklists, kid-approved games, and snack ideas for your next adventure!

Includes:

Packing checklist
I Spy game
Travel Bingo boards
Snack list
Activity ideas

Click here to download yours now!

Save a Pin & Start Planning Your Adventure

Save this post to Pinterest
Follow us on Instagram @5suitcases
Follow us on Facebook @5suitcases
Subscribe on YouTube @5suitcases

Updated: 4/29/25

Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park: Golden Valley, North Carolina

Elle MacRae — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 00:08:12 +0000

Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Golden Valley is a must-do if you’re visiting western-North Carolina. This camp-resort features cabins as well as RV and tent sites nestled in the scenic mountains between Charlotte and Asheville.

What is there to do at Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park?

We were incredibly impressed by how much there was to do at the park. From sunup to sundown (and beyond) we stayed busy!

Water Park with slides and a splash area
Swimming Pool & Hot Tubs
Lake
- Swimming
- Kayaking
- Canoeing
- Paddle Boarding
- Pedal Boating
- Fishing
- Inflatable Obstacle Course
Gem Mining
Putt Putt Golf
Laser Tag
Zip Line
Hiking Trails
Playground
Jump Pillow & Pad
Planned Activities

The park also has two restaurants, Scout’s Table and Creekside Café.

The Scout’s Table features a brunch menu and is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9AM until 3PM. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. There is a coffee bar in the restaurant if you’d like to just grab a cup of coffee or a la carte breakfast. Scout’s Table also serves mimosas and cocktails.

The Creekside Cafe is located right by the pool and water park making it super convenient for lunch. It is open daily from 11AM until 8PM. They serve pizza, burgers, chicken tenders, sandwiches, hot dogs, ice cream, and more.

Right across from the Creekside Café is the Blue Ridge Tavern. Here, you can grab an adult beverage from 12PM until 8PM on Sundays through Tuesdays, and from 12PM until 10PM.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Elle Swim (@5suitcases)

The Attractions

Water Park– The water park features 2 large slides, 2 medium-sized slides, and a small toddler splash area. There are water cannons and a large water tour that periodically dumps out water at the center of the water park.

Swimming Pool & Hot Tubs– Adjacent to the water park, you’ll find the swimming pool and hot tub. The pool is shallow and has basketball hoops and a few built-in benches and seats for you to relax. Rental cabanas line the pool area. The cabanas feature patio furniture, a fan, a tv, and a refrigerator and would be great for those who want/need a bit of shade.

Lake- Not far from the pool and water park, you’ll find the centerpiece of Yogi’s Jellystone Park, the lake. The lake is a great option for swimmers who want to get away from the crowds. Visitors can also fish or rent kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, or pedal boats for $5 an hour.

Obstacle Course- New in 2022, the super awesome inflatable obstacle course is sure to become your favorite thing to do on the lake. Climb, crawl, and leap to make your way around the whole course!

Gem Mining- You can’t visit western North Carolina without doing a bit of gem mining. Lucky for you, you can now mine for gems without even leaving the park! Several bags and buckets, ranging in various prices and quality, are available for purchase at the Ranger Station (shop) or at registration.

Putt Putt Golf- Who doesn’t love a round of mini-golf? The park has an 18-hole course that is free to play.

Lazer Tag– Want to know what’s cooler than hide and seek? Playing hide and seek with laser guns! The laser tag sessions last 30 minutes. A fee is required to play.

Zip Line- Sure, jumping off the dock into a lake is great, but imagine zip lining into the lake. Now you can! The zip line starts at a tower on the edge of the lake and drops you in the center of the lake! AWESOME!

Hiking Trails- The park as an extensive trail system the weaves throughout the park. We suggest hitting up the trails before heading to the water park.

Playground- Our kids loved the playground at the park. Our oldest kid was a huge fan of the Ninja Warrior-style obstacle course.

Jumping Pillow & Pad- While the pool and splash park may be hoppin’ during the day, the inflatable jumping pillow and jumping pad are where it’s at during the evening hours. And yes, grown ups can jump, too.

Planned Activities- Throughout the day there are various activities throughout the park. These include character meet and greets, ice cream socials, wagon rides, crafts, relay races, parades, and much more!

Our Experience

We had no idea what to expect when we booked our trip to Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park. Sure, we had seen all of the amenities that they offer but, we didn’t realize quite how awesome this place was going to be. We were super impressed!

The kids loved the waterpark, the pool, and the lake. We rented kayaks, paddleboards, and a pedal boat. I will say that the paddleboards that they had on site were not nearly as stable as my paddleboard. I imagine it would be tricky to maneuver for a newbie!

We really enjoyed swimming at the lake. Smiley had a blast jumping off the dock. It was such a nice change of pace from the Florida beaches.

Each day we would look at the schedule of planned activities. We got to meet Yogi, Boo Boo, and Cindy Bear pretty much every day. We’d eat breakfast at Scout’s Table every morning and then head next door for arts and crafts. Our favorite art activity was creating boats out of cardboard boxes for a boat race on the lake. Other activities included a jump party, tractor rides, ice cream socials, and much more.

Weirdly, the kids favorite part was riding the golf cart we rented. We zoomed all over the hillside and park on that bad boy.

Where is Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Located?

Address:

182 Jellystone Pkwy
Bostic, NC 28018

Day Trips from Jellystone

There are a ton of fantastic day trips from the park. Here are some of our favorites:

South Mountains State Park (20.6 miles)
Lake Lure (33.5 miles)
Chimney Rock (36.8 miles)
Linville Caverns (41.9 miles)
Biltmore Estate (54.6 miles)
DuPont State Forest (64.7 miles)

For more information about Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park, check out the parks official website.

Save a Pin & Start Planning Your Adventure Today!

Be sure to pin this information for your trip! Give us a like on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more great cruising and travel information. See you next time!

**This post contains affiliate links. This means that I receive a small commission from your purchase at no extra cost to you**

Post updated: 6/17/22