Louisville Mega Cavern

roadsideamerica.com (one of my favorite web sites) recently linked to an article about the Louisville Mega Cavern.

Wow! I had the opportunity to check this place out this weekend. I am a little speechless.

Frankly, while on my tour, I did try to listen to the stats, numbers, and figures, but I was so amazed looking around that I missed out on a lot. I am going to have to take this tour again VERY soon.

In a nut shell, the Louisville Mega Cavern is a bit of a work in progress. It has been around for about 50 years if I remember correctly. It is 17 miles long. It is very secure, and the temperature, like in a cave, stays a constant 58 degrees. It is now being used as a very secure place for companies to store candy, wine, vehicles, etc. According to our guide, MGM stores some of their original films there, including the Wizard of Oz. Tell me that isn't cool!

Also, there is a large scale life size diorama showing what life might be like if the Cavern took on residents during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The diorama is very big, and very strange. On the tour, they note that 50,000 people had been invited to come in and live there, if needed. It was a very secret situation. They actually show a short film, in the Cavern during the tour on this.

The tour seemed to last nearly an hour and a half, and it was all on a train car. There is no walking involved at all, which is good and bad. I do like walking on a tour, but the riding has a lot of benefits too. I know of some relatives that have trouble walking even short distances. I think this would be a great adventure for them. It was actually relaxing and fascinating.

There are signs as you ride around noting that you are exactly under K-Mart, Wendy's and the Zoo. We had lunch at the Wendy's after our tour, thinking about the tours going on underneath us.

Maybe I should warn you, the end of the tour is a bit creepy. Our tour guide, Woody, ate a worm from the worm farm in the Cavern. Seriously. I am not kidding. Let me say it again. He ate a worm. I asked him if it is OK to assure others who come to the Mega Cavern that they will also get to see this. He told me that it is part of EVERY tour. That alone is worth the price of admission.

So, the Louisville Mega Cavern is just cool. I could see taking any school group there. Also, it has the very creepy life size diorama displays (the way they are posed, and the way the light moves around them as you ride around them, they reminded me of slow moving zombies from old 70's horror films). I could also see taking any fan of caves or of history there.

The only disappointment about Mega Cavern is the gift shop. They have lots of rocks, and pretty generic "cavern" stuff. They need to get to work on their exclusive items. I always pick up patches and postcards when we travel somewhere unique. The gift shop had neither. Also, after the tour, I was craving MORE info on this place. The generic "factoids" posted on the walls, and the bits of information in the pamphlets weren't enough for me. This place is begging for a 300 page book to be written about it. The gift shop is in need of such a book too.

Also, as far as a tourist stop goes, Louisville Mega Cavern is VERY young. They do have some things to iron out. The tour is still a bit raw. Get down to Mega Cavern and enjoy that rawness while you can. Over the next few years they will without a doubt shape the tour up, and give it a glossy coat. There has to be a legal issue with making your tour guides eat worms. I can see myself bragging to my friends in 20 years, "I took the Mega Cavern tour back when they made the tour guides eat worms!" Surely that can't continue!

I hope they exploit the Caverns to their fullest potential. It would be a great place to have a Halloween party or haunted house. Camp outs would be cool. 17 mile multi day hikes would be something to brag about too. Check out their web site.

http://www.louisvillemegacavern.com/