Summertime is coming to an end, so we booked a family weekend getaway to Cave City, Kentucky. Although this area is only an hour north of Nashville, it seems like a world away. We worked with the local visitor bureau to uncover the best things to do in Cave City, Kentucky, so we could squeeze in as much fun and delicious food as possible into our road trip adventures.
We want to thank the Caveland Marketing Association for this paid partnership. My family and I enjoyed supporting your local businesses and sharing our adventures online.
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Weekend itinerary in Cave City, Kentucky
If you’re looking for family-friendly adventures, Cave City has a lot to offer without breaking the bank. It is about halfway between Nashville, Tennessee, and Louisville, Kentucky. From our home, we got there in about 90 minutes. Here’s everything we did during our visit to Cave City.
Saturday
- Lunch at Bucky Bee’s
- Visit Dinosaur World
- Onyx Cave tour
- Mammoth Cave National Park hike
- Dinner at Cave City Pizza
Sunday
- Breakfast at Watermill Restaurant
- Explore Mammoth Cave Wildlife Museum
- Escape room and games at Raven’s Cross
- Lunch at El Acapulco
- Ice cream and coffee at Cave City Creamery
Learn about other attractions and restaurants at Visit Cave City, the local visitor’s bureau.
Family-friendly activities in Cave City
We’re always looking for family-friendly activities that are both fun and educational. As our kids grow up, it can be challenging to keep them entertained. Fortunately, Cave City has a ton of attractions to choose from for kids of all ages (including us adults who are kids at heart).
Dinosaur World
- Cost: Adults are $18.95, kids 3 to 12 are $14.95, and kids two and under are free.
- Add-ons: Fossil dig is $3, train rides $4, and panning for gems is $10
- Packages: Excavation Pass includes admission, gem mining and fossil dig. $28.95 for adults and $24.95 for children.
Dinosaur World offers the perfect mix of learning and entertainment. This attraction features a variety of activities, so consider planning to stay here for a few hours. When you arrive, there’s a 5,000-square-foot store filled with souvenirs, gems & minerals, and more. Hold off buying anything until you’re ready to leave, so you don’t have to carry it everywhere.
The dinosaur exhibits are the main draw as you meander through a winding path that takes you past dozens of life-sized dinosaurs. Every station has an informative plaque that shares how to pronounce their name, what they eat, and how they live.
The trail ends at the gift shop, allowing you to continue your visit and enjoy the other attractions inside Dinosaur World. For families on a budget, don’t worry. Many of these are free. A dino-themed playground features slides, swings, and dinosaurs to climb on. You can also enjoy a free round of mini golf or explore the museum.
If your time and budget allow, there are several other attractions available. Dinosaur World has Uncle Rex’s Gem Mine ($10), Aunt Cera’s Fossil Dig ($3). We had a lot of fun digging for gems and fossils as a family. There’s also a small train ($4) for younger children to ride.
Guests can also bring a cooler into Dinosaur World to enjoy snacks or drinks between exhibits. Travelers with dogs are also welcome as long as Fido is friendly and stays on a leash.
Onyx Cave and Rock Shop
- Cost: Adults are $11, kids 5 to 11 are $7.50, and kids 4 & younger are free.
Kentucky has caves dotting its landscape all across the state. Whenever we get a chance, we love touring caves to explore these underground wonders. The rock formations are magical, showing that no matter how fast life moves above ground, Mother Nature is slowly working her magic underground. Cave City has nine caves featuring 21 different tours for all experience levels.
Onyx Cave and Rock Shop was super convenient because it’s directly across the street from Dinosaur World. With tours departing every 30 minutes, you’ll never have to wait long for another tour to start. Onyx Cave was found in 1971 during the construction of a parking lot for an existing business. It opened as a show cave in 1973 and features a 30-35 minute tour that travels about 60 steps down into the cave.
Each tour is led by a guide who shares the history of the cave, points out interesting formations, and ensures that guests treat the cave with respect. If you’re not familiar with “wet” caves, you’re not supposed to touch the walls because the oil and dirt from your hands clog up the rocks, which causes them to die and turn black.
When the tour is over, you can explore the rock shop. It features numerous souvenirs, geodes, gems, and other goodies that kids and adults can collect.
Mammoth Cave National Park
- Admission: Free
We’ve done cave tours at Mammoth Cave National Park during previous visits to Bowling Green and Horse Cave, Kentucky. So, hitting the aboveground trails for a hike was a nice change of pace. Plus, there’s no cost to enter the National Park and the trails are free. So, this activity is perfect for frugal travelers or when you want to save your travel budget for other attractions.
There are numerous trails you can take depending on your ability level and how much time you have. If you’re unsure which trails to take, visit the Mammoth Cave National Park visitor center to speak with a park ranger or download the park’s mobile app (Apple, Google). Rangers can recommend trails based on what you’re looking for. On their recommendation, we walked down to the River Styx and followed the trail back to Sunset Point. The trail was a little challenging at times, but it was mostly flat.
Mammoth Cave Wildlife Museum
- Cost: Adults $8.95, 11 & under $5.95, and ages 2 & under are free.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Mammoth Cave Wildlife Museum. As an animal lover, I’m not a big fan of taxidermy since I worry about how the animals were treated before being preserved. But, I opened up to the value of these exhibited after speaking with the owners and taking the self-guided tour.
As you venture through the halls of the museum, you’ll come face to face with numerous exotic animals from around the world. The kids stood next to some of the animals and were astonished at how big they were. Educational experiences like this help kids learn about the animal’s history and habitat, as well as encourage discussions with parents about how to protect them.
Of course, we also took opportunities to growl and hiss at each other as we saw a variety of animals, reptiles, insects, and butterflies. Once the tour is over, the museum has a massive souvenir shop filled with stuffed animals, clothing, rocks, and more. Before leaving, don’t forget to check out the butterfly and insect exhibits near the exit.
Raven’s Cross
- Cost: Escape Room $25, Gellyball $5, Immersive games $5
Raven’s Cross Village of Adventure is several attractions in one location in Cave City. It features two escape rooms, a Gellyball arena, immersive games and more. In the fall, Raven’s Cross also features a nationally-recognized haunted house that we can’t wait to come back and try.
We arrived at Raven’s Cross a little before opening time, and the owner was kind enough to open the shop early. We chatted with her while petting her cats and exploring the shop. She has two escape rooms: The Final Chapter and The Nautilus Incident. We chose The Final Chapter, and it was really challenging. The host was helpful without giving away too many secrets, and I’m happy to report that we beat the game with less than 20 seconds to spare!
During our visit, we also battled it out on the Cave Country Gellyball field and played a few interactive games. I’ve played paintball numerous times, but this was my first time playing Gellyball. Gellyball offers all the fun of paintball without painful shots or ruined clothing. And the interactive games were a blast. They were so immersive, especially when wearing the VR headsets.
The best places to eat when visiting Cave City
During our visit, we sampled so much good food while supporting local businesses. There were so many options to satisfy our foodie cravings.
Bucky Bee’s BBQ
We started off with yummy BBQ from Bucky Bee’s BBQ. There was so much to choose from, we couldn’t decide what to order. So, we got one of just about everything: ribs, turkey, brisket, pulled pork, and pork chops. Plus, we ordered sides of tater tots, onion rings, and Mac N Cheese to round out our meals.
My favorite was the chicken and ribs. The portion sizes are large, so you’ll definitely bring home with leftovers from your meal.
Cave City Pizza
After a day of adventure, we stopped by Cave City Pizza. We started off with garlic cheesy bread, a bowl of homemade meatballs, and some frosty beverages. So good!!!
I shared a large pizza with the kids while Anna had a BLT sandwich on homemade bread. Of course, we had extra pizza, which was a good snack for hungry kiddos before bed.
Watermill Restaurant
On Sunday morning, we skipped the hotel breakfast to eat at the Watermill Restaurant. Cave City locals are big fans of its all-you-can-eat buffet, but you can also order from their menu. I prefer meals cooked-to-order, so we grabbed pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and a cheese omelet off the menu.
The pancakes are massive yet are still light and airy. You’ll be challenged to finish two of them, so I recommend ordering the small stack instead of the full stack.
El Acapulco Mexican Restaurant
For lunch on Sunday, we visited El Acapulco Mexican Restaurant. The best Mexican restaurant in Cave City is one of four locations from this locally-owned restaurant. I loved how festive and colorful it was inside, including these adorable decorative chairs!
There’s so much to choose from on the menu. And all of it looked amazing. We narrowed down our order to chicken quesadillas, chips & guac, rice & beans, fish tacos, and enchiladas with a delicious sauce.
Of course, we grabbed a couple of their margaritas to wash everything down.
Cave City Coffe & Creamery
Before leaving town, we hit Cave City Coffe & Creamery for caffeine and ice cream to enjoy on our ride home. They have a lot of flavors to choose from. And for those of us who have a hard time deciding what to order, there’s a sampler option with your choice of three flavors.
Anna loved the coffee milkshake, which combined two of her favorite mid-afternoon treats. The kids and I enjoyed our scoops while sampling a bit of each other’s ice creams.
Where to stay in Cave City, Kentucky?
During our Cave City weekend getaway, we stayed at the Hampton Inn Cave City. We picked Hampton Inn because I have Hilton Honors Diamond elite status, and the brand is known for being consistently clean and comfortable. Rooms cost around $200 a night, or you could book an award room starting at 36,000 points.
Other hotel and camping options in Cave City include Comfort Inn & Suites, Dino Valley RV Park, and Jellystone Park Mammoth Cave. Use our Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, Priceline, Travelocity, or TripAdvisor referral links to view the latest rates and options.
For a unique stay, consider booking a teepee at Wigwam Village No. 2. There are also some excellent options available through Vrbo, if you prefer vacation rental properties.
The Bald Thoughts about Cave City
We’re always looking for fun places to visit that are an easy weekend getaway from Nashville. Cave City has so much to offer when it comes to thrilling attractions and delicious food. We’ve driven by several times as we explored Kentucky, and I’m so glad we got to experience its local businesses. I can’t wait to come back during Halloween to visit Raven’s Cross and try more of its tasty cuisine.
If you want to learn more about Cave City, please visit its website or stop by to say hi inside its welcome center at 821 Mammoth Cave St, Cave City, KY 42127.
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