Mammoth Cave National Park-Mammoth Cave, KY

On the second day of Alyssa's 12th birthday trip we had two surprises planned. Here is the first stop of the day and the second surprise on her trip: Mammoth Cave National Park. 

We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Horse Cave, Kentucky which is conveniently located right off I-65. (Best hotel we have ever stayed in! Friendly staff, really lovely room, fun pool, fantastic morning breakfast. We always make a point to stay at a cheap, clean hotel. This one takes the cake! We will definitely be back soon.) That night there was a really heavy downpour and some crazy strong winds. After eating a delicious breakfast we ventured out into some very light rain. We had already planned to take the back road into the park in order to avoid traffic, avoid some tourist traps in Cave City, KY (namely Dinosaur World) and to appreciate the Kentucky countryside. There were many downed tree limbs on the road from the night before, but thankfully none of them blocked our road. Let me tell you that the drive did not disappoint at all!   

Unbeknownst to us at the time, there are over 90 cemeteries and 3 churches inside Mammoth Cave National Park. As we drove along we passed two beautiful cemeteries and one church. If the ground had not been so soft and muddy from the previous night's storm then I would have wanted to return to photograph both cemeteries.

We stopped at the Mammoth Cave Cemetery to check out the beautiful Mammoth Cave Baptist Church established in 1827. The current building was built in 1927 and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. The door was open and we just had to sneak a peek!  

Looking through the windows toward the cemetery gave us quite a view! What a peaceful resting place.

Hotch found this old abandoned outhouse in the back of the church. The kids thought that was the coolest!

The most prolific animal in Mammoth Cave National Park is the wild turkey. As we drove we saw at least 10 turkeys. I was driving and Hotch isn't the best photographer. That combination along with the flightiness of the turkeys meant we managed not to take any good photos of the turkeys.

When visiting Mammoth Cave National Park taking a cave tour is an absolute must! There are lots of different cave tours to choose from especially during the summer. We chose the Frozen Niagara Tour which is an easy 1/4 mile hike that has 12 mandatory steps and 98 optional steps (these optional steps lead you down to the Drapery Room). It only takes about 1 hour 15 minutes. The Frozen Niagara Tour is prefect for families with small children and those looking for a nice, short introduction to caves.

You would never know that an incredible cave is just beyond those rocks and the cinder block cave entrance. We were at the end of the group so I could have more time to take photos. Unfortunately the photos that follow are really poor quality. My camera was having a really difficult time taking photos inside the cave, but we had a blast!

On our way down to the Drapery Room. Totally worth all the steps.

Wish we could have spent a few more minutes down in the Drapery Room so I could have gotten a really great photo. Guess that this will have to do until we visit again. I love my family! Spending time with them is my favorite thing to do because they totally rock!

When we exited the cave the humidity outside fogged up my camera. It was such a contrast to the cave which felt amazing inside because it stays constantly around 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit. 

We had the coolest tour guide. He was so knowledgeable and funny!

My family is crazy and I wouldn't have them any other way!

We love the National Park Service and are so grateful to be able to tour to see so many of them. Before we visit a national park, national battlefield, national forest or national historical site we research whether or not it has a Junior Ranger program. The kids love earning their badges! We weren't able to finish the Junior Ranger program before we had to leave so next time we visit Mammoth Cave National Park we will make sure to get their badges.

We had to cut our visit short because there were more surprises around the corner for Alyssa. We enjoyed the Kentucky countryside as we drove down to have lunch at Cracker Barrel. We love Cracker Barrel!

Kentucky is a favorite of ours and we hope to come back to Mammoth Cave National Park again next summer. We plan to camp there next time so we can enjoy the countryside, explore more caves and discover all the hidden treasures of the park along with its surroundings.

The International Museum of the Horse & the Al-Marah Arabian Horse Galleries

The Kentucky Horse Park has two museums and one large gallery which are all free with admission to the Horse Park. We were only able to fit in The International Museum of the Horse and Al-Marah Arabian Horse Galleries. We started off in the International Museum of the Horse which provided us with much needed relief from the heat and nasty humidity.

Obviously, everything there was horse related. I learned more than I ever thought was possible about horses. Alyssa just soaked it all up! She could have spent all day there.

When I was a little girl I was obsessed with Egypt and King Tut. Seeing these two plaques which were part of a golden fan found inside the tomb of King Tutankhamun was thrilling for me. They depict the original hunt 3,300 years ago.

If you want to get your horse on and learn a lot about horse history this is the place for you! There was so much to see and more information than my brain could handle after being in the hot sun all day.

Braxton really loved this diorama of a western town in winter. 

The International Museum of the Horse has a very unique lay out. As you start through the museum you slowly wind up hill through the history of horses and their impact on mankind. At the top of the spiral museum is this large open room with hanging horse-drawn vehicles. It was the highlight of the museum, in my humble opinion.

Loved the fact that there was so much history for Alyssa to learn about. Each item could have opened up a different historical discussion. Since we are huge history buffs it was cool!

I know nothing about horse-racing since we don't gamble at all or follow any kind of racing event. It was interesting to learn more about Man o'War since he was such a beloved race horse.

They all cracked me up by spending quite a while here looking through the computers at different horse breeds. I think Alyssa was the only one interested in really learning about them. Hotch probably wanted to sit and chill so he did the obligatory perusal. Brax and Lane just wanted to play with the computer because it was so cool!  

Once we were at the top of the International Museum of the Horse we needed a bathroom break before taking the elevators down. (It is a one way kind of museum. Everybody just goes up to the top.) When we were getting ready to go downstairs we noticed a door to the Al-Marah Arabian Horse Galleries. Since we there we decided to check it out too. Totally worth your time! 

As you enter there is a really neat interactive program to start. You grab a card, scan it, choose a horse and its name. The card will save your info on it so throughout the gallery you can learn more about your chosen horse while playing some educational games.

The first stop is here where you learn about your particular horse and all of its body parts. The kids were able to learn how Arabian horses were well adapted for their surroundings and jobs.

Another interesting aspect of the gallery is learning all about the Bedouin culture. The children really enjoyed climbing into the tent and listening to a story by "campfire."

They all wanted to play the interactive games. There was so many hands on things for the kids to do. I loved watching them dive into learning!

We took the elevator down to the first floor where the doors opened to the Black Stallion Experience exhibit. It was really aesthetically pleasing with an emphasis on children's literature about horses.

As we finished looking at the Black Stallion Experience, we started to wonder if we would ever be able to leave the museum. We were tired and the museum never seemed to end. It is like a maze! There was a huge trophy room and then finally the horse-drawn vehicle room.

We were exhausted at the end of our day, but everyone had a blast. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes and prepare to be on your feet all day. Kentucky Horse Park it was a pleasure to visit you!