Mammoth Cave, Kentucky

It is a full day’s drive from Pigeon Forge, TN to Diamond Caverns, KY.  Diamond Caverns RV & Golf Resort is located just outside of Mammoth Caves National Park in Kentucky.  With all of the Cave Systems that riddle this part of Kentucky, you sometimes wonder if you will just fall through the earth as it must look like Swiss cheese just below the surface.  The TT park here was acquired with the Mid-Atlantic purchase.  When arriving at the park, don’t be alarmed by the fact that there are no RV’s visible from the registration building.  The park is up an unmarked road that is located across the street from registration.  The registration building is bright and pretty and is located in the same parking lot as Diamond Caverns, a privately run caverns.  The clerk at the desk directed us to the campsite, and once in the campground a camp host helped us find a very nice and suitable site.  The park has two sections of 50 amp. and a larger one of 30 amp service all with full hookups.  It is well maintained and has good drainage (which we appreciated as the rain continues to plague us).  We were able to get wifi (Milenecom/Verizon) and Direct TV without a problem, however, most of the state of Kentucky is roaming for Verizon.  This is of little consequence if you have a Verizon contract, but since we have been trying to cut back on our phone bills, we are using Verizon’s $50/month unlimited service without a contract.  Unfortunately, this means that we are subject to a roaming charge at 20 cents a minute.  Therefore, we made few phone calls, but texted a great deal as roaming did not apply to texting.  The park has a pool (not opened yet) a workout room, a hot tub (closed), basketball courts, walking trails, and a nice miniature golf course.  It also has a nice golf course that is open to the public across the road and down a bit from the park.  We occasionally had a hard time finding someone in the office, but after complaining the manager and camp host stopped by to let us know how to get a hold of them.  We appreciated their prompt responsiveness and it more than assuaged our concerns.  We would probably give this  park a 10 on the Moore scale of 1-10, but since the pool and hot tub were both closed, we have to award them with a solid 8.  Here are a few pictures of the park.

The Mammoth Cave National Park Visitor’s center is just a short drive from the park and we had a wonderful time visiting the cave.  The Cave is the largest in the world with over 365 miles of surveyed passageways and another 600 miles that geologists believe are not yet explored*. In addition to the underground wonders, the surface areas of the park should be explored.  The park was named a World Heritage Site in 1981 and became the core area of an International Biosphere Reserve in 1990*.  It boasts 53,000 surface acres of land.  There are self-guided and ranger led tours both above and below the surface, bicycle trails, walking trails, bird watching etc.  Plan on spending at least a few days for exploration.  Here are a few pics.

After you have seen the park, plan on moving on as there is not much more in the immediate area.  There is a Walmart in Glasgow, KY about 15 miles away and a few small restaurants in Park City or Cave City, but your best bet for shopping and dining is in Bowling Green, KY about 20+ miles south of the RV park.  We went over to the Walmart a couple of times, and while there Lynda had her first (and apparently last) White Castle.  She supposes that it is an acquired taste … but kept biting past the burger.   Here’s a picture of Kim savoring the oniony 2X2 treats!

Until next time, keep doing what you love.

*From the Mammoth Cave National Park Brochure

*From Mammoth Cave Brochure – U.S. Department of the Interior