Trip Advice - Oct 09

Coming in for a quick in and out on a weekend - early October....

Wanted to run my plan by some of you and see what advise you have.....

We have a 3 yo and a 7 yo - the 7yo is very athletic, so not worried about her. 3 yo we hike with, but she%26#39;s normally in a kelty carrier - which I understand aren%26#39;t permitted...

Coming from the south - thinking about staying at Wigwam Village - for nostalgia...

Get in Friday - check in - thought about hitting Mammoth Visitors Center -

Have Dinner that evening - maybe Joe%26#39;s Dinner - sticking with the whole route 66 theme...

get up, check out and head to the cave --

torn between either the New Entrance Tour or the Historic Tour. Distance seems about right for our family.

Any advice - on bet tour with little ones? Is there a better family dining option? Hotel ok?

We are heading out on Saturday after the tour - so this is a quick in and out, not alot of time to do other stuff in the area....

I appreciate your advice

Trip Advice - Oct 09

Let me preface this by saying it%26#39;s been 4 years since we%26#39;ve been to the Mammoth Cave area. We did stay at Wigwam Village. The pro%26#39;s of that were the grounds. The wigwams are in a semi-circle around a nice open play area. It had a real ';Ozzie and Harriet'; nostalgia to it. The downside was that the beds were terribly uncomfortable. Hopefully they%26#39;ve replaced the mattresses by now though.

I can%26#39;t remember the two tours you mention but one more that was perfect for younger kids was at Ky Down Under. They have a cave that you walk all the way through and it took about 45 minutes. The rest of this park is okay but a little hokey. The kids seemed to enjoy it though. Another thing that kids that ranged from 3-12 all loved is Dino World. Again it%26#39;s hokey to us adults but even the older kids can%26#39;t get enough of it.

I don%26#39;t recall eating anywhere very good when we were there so I%26#39;m sorry I can%26#39;t help with that.

Trip Advice - Oct 09

We had a great time in Mammoth in summer of 2007. We took both of the tours you mention--however, we spent 2 days here. We took the Historic tour the day we arrived,and the next morning we took the New Entrance tour. Both tours are great, but I%26#39;d go with the New Entrance tour based on the size of the kids. The 7 year old would do fine on either one, but there%26#39;s a section of the Historic Tour called Fat Man%26#39;s Misery/Tall Man%26#39;s Misery. Tall Man%26#39;s misery requires tour participants to crouch down low for about 50 feet or so. (thus explaining why carriers aren%26#39;t allowed). It might be scary for the 3 year old. It also requires climbing a tall metal tower at the end. I believe there were about 130 steps or so. To me, it was no biggee, but I%26#39;m not sure how the youngster would fare. Our daughter was 9 when we did the tour, and she loved it.

The New Entrance Tour is shorter and allows you to view the few formations that Mammoth has in its Drapery Room. There%26#39;s not quite as much ';challenging terrain.'; If you want an even shorter tour, you can do the Frozen Niagara or Focus on Formations Tours. Once again, these emphasize the Drapery Room, which is really lovely. The New Entrance Tour, however, will allow you to travel through some of Mammoth%26#39;s huge tunnels.

I would not stay at the Wigwam. We passed it and I didn%26#39;t get a good vibe on it. We stayed at the newer Comfort Inn %26amp; Suites in Cave City right next to the Cracker Barrel. This is a good place with the small fry. We also liked the Sahara Steak House, but it is probably not as kid friendly as a place like Cracker Barrel. Our daughter liked the Sahara, but she%26#39;s not really a picky eater. I know how some kids are.

My final words of advice: since you are on a relatively tight schedule, get advance reservations for your tour, especially on a Saturday. The tours do sell out quickly, and many can be disappointed, especially during peak season. Have a great time!

For a 3 year old, I%26#39;d recommend against the Historic tour. If it%26#39;s raining on the outside, you can have some wet spots inside the cave. Plus, it%26#39;s a fairly strenuous walk, and there are a couple of spots where tour participants must walk one by one. I%26#39;d recommend the New Entrance Tour, or the Frozen Niagara tour.

In October, you should not have trouble getting on a tour, as is the case in summer. That said, be sure to check the park website to see which tours are available at the time you are going. Not all tours are offered year round, and if maintenance is planned on a specific route, the tour is closed.

If you want a very Kentucky experience, I suggest eating at the Pig Diner in Pig. It isn%26#39;t far from the park.

lip plumper