Hidden River Cave & The American Karst Center in Horse Cave Kentucky

We have been through the city of Horse Cave many times.  I remember going there a couple of times with my drama class in high school to see plays at the theater!  Anybody else remember doing that?

But, I realized that I had never actually been to Hidden River Cave in Horse Cave.

We arrived early one morning and bought our tickets.  There is a VERY nice cave museum here that is included with your ticket.  I really like this, because you can check things out before your cave tour.  In fact, if you were going to spend several days in this area exploring caves, this might be a great starting point!

AND, the museum gives a lot of information about caves in Central Kentucky.  Floyd Collins and the cave wars (two historic stories that are just as much a part of the Kentucky cave legends as the caves themselves) are covered here.

Our tour guide Anthony talked some about sinkholes in the area...  and he discussed how garbage had been dumped in the holes and caves in the region.  Also, there is a stream in the cave....  and sewage leaked into it at one point.  The cave in Horse Cave was problematic, and unexplorable for some time.

It has had its good days too though.  Tennis courts were built beside it at one time.  With the sewage issue resolved now, the cave is open again for tourists!  Now, the museum, zip-lining, and nice downtown shops surround the cave.

Even though a small town has built up around the cave....  There is something very cool about seeing the cave entrance under the downtown buildings (see my top photo).  If I was unfamiliar with this place, I would see a photo like that and instantly add the place to my bucket list!

Our cave tour was relatively short and strenuous.  My legs were wobbly afterwards, as there is a good amount of stair climbing here.  They are building a bridge in the cave, Anthony showed us, so that tours can go a bit farther in.  I will have to go back once that is finished!