Both of my kids were on Spring Break last week, so we took the opportunity to get out of town for a couple of days and do something exciting. While the trip didn’t quite go as initially planned, it was still a fun and memorable experience.
We had originally planned to drive west to the town of Horse Cave and visit Kentucky Down Under, a unique little zoo that features many animals commonly found in Australia. Unfortunately, as we got closer to the trip the weather reports were getting progressively worse. With a forecast full of rain and the potential for severe storms, we made the decision to change plans and try for a cave tour instead.
It rained extremely hard on us a few times on the way to Horse Cave last Thursday, but we made it safely to our hotel that afternoon. The first order of business was getting food and getting the kids into the hotel swimming pool as quickly as possible.
We ended up eating at a nearby place called Farmwald’s Restaurant and Dutch Bakery. It was really good, and the next time we are over in that area I definitely would like to stop there again.
After eating, the kids got a few hours of pool time in before we all went to bed early after a long day of travel. Our sleep would be interrupted on several occasions throughout the night, however, as strong thunderstorms brought a ton, and I do mean a TON, of lightning strikes to the area. The accompanying claps of thunder were very loud, and the rain was once again coming down in sheets. I don’t think the winds got up too high, but by the next morning there was standing water everywhere.
After breakfast, we took off for Mammoth Cave. It was early, so traffic was pretty light. On our way into the park we drove through several spots where water was covering the roadway. On a couple of occasions I was actually a little nervous to drive through it, but we soon arrived at the visitor’s center without incident.
Both my wife and I had been to Mammoth Cave before, but it was many years ago, and never together. It is a trip that we have discussed taking the kids on a few times in recent years, once both were able to handle all the walking.
The longer, more informative cave tours were all booked up for the day of our visit, so we ended up doing the self-guided tour, which allows you limited access to the cave as you walk around and explore at your own pace. It turned out to be a good option for us, as I don’t think my daughter would’ve lasted much longer than the hour that we were underground. At that point, she was getting tired and wanted to head back up to the gift shop.
I had forgotten just how massive Mammoth Cave is, and once I was back inside I thoroughly enjoyed having my first look around since I was just a young kid. The four of us walked and took it all in while keeping an eye out for any bats that might come flying by, but we never saw any. Once we were back up top we were ready for a snack and to get back on the road for home.
Weather conditions were fantastic for the drive home. We stopped off for a couple of hours in Somerset before finally making our way back to Corbin, arriving a couple of hours before dark.
It was a short trip, but overall I would call it a success, especially considering how potentially dangerous the weather situation was. For close to 48 hours we got a change of scenery, ate some good meals, and hopefully gave the kids a few good memories along the way.
