December 1, 2012
What: Gothic Avenue Tour, Winter Saturday only tour, $11/person
Where: Mammoth Cave National Park, 100 miles south of Louisville, KY
Trail: Ranger-led oil lamp tour. The tour started at the historic entrance which took us down a flight of stairs to a gated door. Once inside, we followed a well trodden path down into the heart of Gothic Avenue. Though the entrance area had a 5 foot tall opening, the rest of the cave opened up. Mammoth Cave, true to its name, proved to be very large with 20+ ft ceilings and rooms so wide they used to hold church sermons and wedding ceremonies. The passageway through the cave was well maintained with sections of dusty cave floors, wooden walkways/stairs, and cement trails. The lamp tour ended after we visited the Giant's coffin and the area where patients with tuberculosis lived for a year in 1839. Our ranger then turned on the lights for the last part of the tour which comprised of viewing "historical graffiti," rock monuments, and the bridal altar. Note* The cave was cold so be prepared for 50 degree F temps for 2-3 hours.
Pros: Large area, limited number of people on tour, see historical areas of the cave
Cons: Bad ranger tour guide (complained about Kentucky who wanted to get away from the caves and go out west), no interesting geological features
Nearby Attractions: Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park, Bourbon Heritage Museum, Maker's Mark Distillery
Where: Mammoth Cave National Park, 100 miles south of Louisville, KY
Trail: Ranger-led oil lamp tour. The tour started at the historic entrance which took us down a flight of stairs to a gated door. Once inside, we followed a well trodden path down into the heart of Gothic Avenue. Though the entrance area had a 5 foot tall opening, the rest of the cave opened up. Mammoth Cave, true to its name, proved to be very large with 20+ ft ceilings and rooms so wide they used to hold church sermons and wedding ceremonies. The passageway through the cave was well maintained with sections of dusty cave floors, wooden walkways/stairs, and cement trails. The lamp tour ended after we visited the Giant's coffin and the area where patients with tuberculosis lived for a year in 1839. Our ranger then turned on the lights for the last part of the tour which comprised of viewing "historical graffiti," rock monuments, and the bridal altar. Note* The cave was cold so be prepared for 50 degree F temps for 2-3 hours.
Pros: Large area, limited number of people on tour, see historical areas of the cave
Cons: Bad ranger tour guide (complained about Kentucky who wanted to get away from the caves and go out west), no interesting geological features
Nearby Attractions: Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park, Bourbon Heritage Museum, Maker's Mark Distillery
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| Historical Entrance into Gothic Avenue |
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| Historical Entrance into Gothic Avenue |
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| Looking back at Historical Entrance |
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| Getting into Gothic Avenue, cemented walkway |
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| Oil lamps in hand, viewing salt mines |
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| Salt mines when the lights were turned on |
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| Salt mines in Gothic Avenue |
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| Graffiti in the cave |
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| Tuberculosis hut/office from 1839 by Dr. John Croghan |
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| Oil lamp in Mammoth Cave's Gothic Avenue tour |
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| Walkway in Gothic Avenue |
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| Cave wall |
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| M and his lamp |
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| We put our lamps away and the lit section of the tour. Ranger talking to us about the graffiti on the ceiling |
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| Graffiti on cave ceiling |
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| Graffiti on the cave walls |
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| Walking over to the monuments and bridal altar |
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| More graffiti and small stalactite |
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| Monuments and more stalactites |
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| Monument room in Gothic Avenue |
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| An old newspaper from the 1920's on one of the monuments |
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| A column in the cave |
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| Bridal altar in the middle. Wedding ceremonies were held here |
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| Bridal altar in Gothic Avenue |
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| Walking back through the Monument Room |
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| Going up the stairs, out of the cave |
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| Exiting the cave |
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| Turning off the oil lamps |
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| Back at the beginning, salt mines area |
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| Near entrance into Gothic Avenue |
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