National Parks are often depicted with some of the bigger parks out west, such as Arches or Yellowstone; however, there are some great and unique national parks east of the Rockies! Mammoth Cave National Park is located in Kentucky and a fun stopping off point. Unlike the majority of parks, Mammoth Cave is nestled underground and provides visitors with the opportunity to explore an expansive cave! The park offers a variety of tours for visitors to go on; however, there is also biking, hiking, canoeing/kayaking/boating, fishing,horseback riding, and camping at the park. And although the park is known for what is below the surface, the natural area on top of the caves is quite lovely, making for an ideal place to enjoy nature. Throughout the park there is also historic churches and cemeteries of the families that previously lived there. The different activities allow visitors to stop by for a quick visit while driving through or a longer stay to relax and enjoy.

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When we visited, it was for a couple hour visit on the way between family and home. The route there is quite rural, so make sure you have snacks and gas! Once you are there, we recommend stopping at the visitor center to get yourself acquainted with the park. Additionally, if you plan on going on a tour, the tour leaves from behind the visitor center. After perusing the gift shop and exploring the grounds a bit, we went on our tour. We bought tickets ahead of time and were able to easily access our tour. There are a variety of tours, but for ours, once inside we were free to wander about on our own. Along the way there are signs describing different historical and geological facts about the cave that provide context for the structure and previous uses. We both thoroughly enjoyed exploring the cave and found it to be a fun detour. We hope at some point we will be able to visit again and explore not only below the surface, but the natural area above it.