If you enter Kentucky from the North (Indiana, for example), you’ll be blown away by the lush tree-covered mountains and rolling hills. Having never been to the state, I was excited to see its natural beauty. Adults will enjoy the area’s popular attractions, such as the Lost River Cave, Guntown Mountain, or Corvette Museum. If you’re coming with little kids, we’ve discovered many fun things to do in and around Bowling Green. Wherever you go, you will find that famous southern hospitality. Bowling Green is just 1.5 hours south of Louisville and less than an hour north of Nashville. It’s the home of the GM plant and the Corvette museum. But many of the attractions are located just 30 miles north around Cave City. Caves are one of the highlights of any trip to Kentucky – there are plenty around, with Mammoth Cave being the most famous one and our first stop.
Mammoth Cave
This national park is a sprawling beauty. According to our ranger, many parts of this land were once privately owned (including the caves on them), but the commonwealth of Kentucky decided to unite the cave into one national treasure, so everyone can enjoy the entire cave. This cave is the longest in the world – longer than the 2nd and 3rd longest caves combined. Currently explored about 300 miles in, the cave is still being mapped out and explored in every year. The park offers some gorgeous views – at higher elevations (note that for squirmy babies, even my ears were popping in areas), and amazing formations underneath in the caves. You will feel completely removed from the daily grind, in a place to enjoy nature, where the cell phone connection is non-existent. There are quite a few tours for everyone’s picking. 
While some have age restrictions, none of the descriptions are really obvious on the age the kids need to be to truly enjoy it and be physically able to go through the cave. My advice is to pick the self-guided tour for anyone under 4. Frozen Niagara tour is the next good tour choice for little kids, since it’s short and with a small number of steps. While you may not see a lot of the cool stalactite/stalagmite formations you find on other tours, you will not have to chase the group or spoil the fun for the adults that will be obviously disturbed by fussy kids. I ventured on the New Entrance tour with my fairly active 2-year old (my older son picked the self-guided tour) and it turned into the best workout I’ve ever had. First, you are taken by bus to the new cave entrance (man-made entrance) where you will proceed to descend down almost 300 steps in a fairly narrow cave. 
You will see interesting formations throughout, however the tour moves swiftly, so you don’t really get to take a lot of pictures but rather enjoy the sights. The ranger, your tour guide, will share a lot of interesting facts with you during the 3 rest stops you will take along the route. The most interesting part is at the end – the Frozen Niagara – a formation that looks like a frozen waterfall. Beware not to touch the cave, as it stops it from growing. There are bats and other creatures in the cave but they will not come out near the people, especially those coming in large groups. This tour is an excellent hike at around 2 miles with lots of steps up and down and many steep hills up and down, it’s narrow and low in a lot of areas, but the views make it worth it. My advice for those coming with little kids is to either take the 2 tours I mentioned above or stay at the end of the group, not to slow the pace of others, and wear comfortable walking shoes. 
Jackets are nice, since it gets down to low 50s in the cave, but at the speed we were walking and the amount of steps, plus often having to carry my tot, I ended not needing it. Everyone will have to walk down Lysol-disinfecting mats at the end of the tour, so get your kids prepared for that. There are plenty of trails around the caves, if you are not worn out after the 2-hour hike. If you are looking for a bite to eat, head on down to Glasgow (just south on I-65) for some off-the-beaten path local restaurants. We tried the Gondolier in Glasgow and everyone just loved their delicious pizza. There are quite a few caves in the area (it’s called Cave City, after all), and Diamond Caverns are another popular destination nearby.
Dinosaur World
Although this is a chain (there is one in Florida and one in Texas), it was probably the most fun my kids had on the entire trip to Kentucky. If your tot is a dino lover, this is a must, but anyone else will enjoy it. Located just a few miles from Mammoth Cave (making it easy to combine the two activities), this little gem is perfect for kids big or small. The highlight of the park is a long shaded trail featuring real-size colorful dinosaur replicas – over 150 life size dinosaurs total! The walk is stroller friendly but expect some rough surfaces, especially in the mammoth garden, and bring your bug spray. 
Smaller sculptures are within reach while real large dinosaurs, like Brachiosaurus, are behind the rope in the woodsy areas making it so much more lifelike. At one point, the walk takes you to the Mammoth garden with a few mammoth sculptures, and kids enjoy being right next to these giant sculptures.
If you want to take a break, there is a shaded picnic area with an adjacent dino-inspired playground for tots and bigger kids full of slides, climbs and other equipment. Nearby, step in for a movie on dinosaurs, more appealing to older kids. The museum is a good way to chill from the heat, but more importantly it offers interesting exhibits even little ones will enjoy – like the variety of dinosaur eggs.
Young paleontologists will love the two digging areas – Boneyard and Fossil Dig. Little diggers can brush through the sand covered dinosaur bones as they make unique finds, while parents sit on comfortably shaded rows and wait. Fossil Dig is a special part of the visit, as you get to take a few “fossils” with you. 
There are scheduled times for the Fossil Dig throughout the day and you will need to sign up for it when you enter the park. Armed with a sifter, kids discover rocks and “dinosaur” fossils and get to take a little memory of the park home with them. This area is completely shaded, so it makes for a nice break after the long walk. Before you leave, do not miss the gift shop with thousands of dinosaur related artifacts.
Right nearby, there is the Guntown Mountain, an old western style town, which sounds like a lot of fun but more appropriate for older kids, so we didn’t visit this popular attraction in Cave City.
Historic Railpark & Train Museum
While not the largest train museum we have ever visited, the Historic Railpark & Train Museum in Bowling Green was a stop that satisfied my kids’ everlasting curiosity about trains. You will see the trains parked at the depot which was operating from 1925 to 1979, and make sure you arrive well before 4 pm to get a guided tour of the rail cars. 
The rail cars are very entertaining and will take you back in history – the dining car from 1949, the post office car from 1921, or a 1978 caboose. Inside the museum, start off at the gift shop which has a mini train for little ones to climb in, in addition to the train table.
My kids were mostly entertained by the first floor of the museum which featured a working model railroad – giant interactive display of Bowling Green with all kinds of trains and other vehicles going about. All the kids at the museum were glued to this miniature town pushing the buttons that made various trains move. Plan to spend a good amount of time there. Nearby there is a mini Thomas the Train that is so fun to climb on – a perfect photo op. 
Also on the first floor, there is an interesting radio broadcast of the daily passing of the Pan American – history buffs will love that. Second floor has an interesting set up showing the people that once worked on the railroad – engineer, cook, conductor – and you can hear interactive questions and answers from each one. There is a lot of history there, including segregation, civil war and Lincoln’s association with the railroad, but adults and teens may have more patience for these retrospects than kids would. Don’t forget to stop in for a railroad history movie at the railroad theater.
Chaney’s Dairy Farm
I have to admit, Chaney’s Dairy Farm visit was just a quick ice cream treat, but once there, it turned into one of my kids’ favorite attractions in Bowling Green. 
First off, the ice cream is amazing, probably thanks to those happy cows grazing nearby. The big surprise was the giant playground the farm created out of recycled equipment – the huge tube slide was a must and kids loved rolling around in the other tubes. There was a climbing bar structure, a sand box and a little tractor to sit in. Parents enjoying their ice cream were able to relax in the shaded area where everyone tried their hand at the beanbag toss. Add to that lots of space to run around and you got a huge hit with the kids. I hear they have a fun corn maze in the fall too. We were also surprised to learn that the farm screened kids’ movies once a week and our visit happened to be right when they were showing one (and it’s free!) – so bring a blanket or a folding chair with you. Chaney’s Farm restaurant offers some homestyle cooking, and many families looked like they were enjoying the food. And though we came after dinner, we definitely enjoyed that famous Southern hospitality, along with our ice cream, of course.
A side note, on the way to Chaney’s Dairy Farm, we passed The Aviation Heritage Park , which looks like another fun (though definitely quick) stop featuring a few airplanes.
Other Attractions
There are a few other attractions in the area that are worth mentioning. I will not offer a full review, since these attractions are better fit for older kids and their families. The only exception is the charming downtown Bowling Green.
Corvette Museum is a must-see destination in Bowling Green. With a fascinating look at the auto history, car fanatics will love this spot. Make sure to stop for lunch at the Corvette Cafe with an old diner look.
There are many caves in and around Cave City, but Lost River Cave is perhaps the most popular cave in Bowling Green. It combines the cave tour with a 20-minute boat ride, and there is a beautiful butterfly garden everyone will enjoy.
Barren River Imaginative Science Museum is a fun destination for budding scientists.
If you are looking for adventure, Beech Bend Park is a full-day destination with tons of rides, a waterpark, and fun for every age. Right next to the amusement park, the Beech Bend raceway is another exciting Bowling Green attraction. Shootouts, drag and oval racing programs run March through November. As pictured, special nostalgia races are scheduled so audiences experience a bygone era at the drag strip.
See these and more Kentucky pictures in the CafeYak.com’s photostream.
