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Captivating Caves

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By SUSAN GREEN

Tribune correspondent

Published: October 27, 2008

Last winter, my 9-year-old son inexplicably announced he had a yen to see Kentucky.

That's a state known for bluegrass, bourbon and thoroughbred horse racing. But for me it will be linked forever with Mammoth Cave, a seemingly endless underground labyrinth that's especially stunning for someone who grew up in Florida. Imagine: dry land and natural air conditioning hundreds of feet below the earth's surface.

When my brother and I were in our late teens, we went on a cross-country camping trip that included Mammoth Cave National Park. Thirty years later, remembering that cave still left me breathless.

Apparently cave cravings are genetic. All I had to do was mention a huge tunnel born of nature and my son was hooked. There could be no other summer destination.

My husband and two teenage daughters were game. Then gas prices zoomed up and the economy plummeted. We decided to go anyway, using our economic incentive check from the federal government and pitching the family tent at the Mammoth Cave campground to save money.

We ended up going underground again and again, seeing three caverns in the area around Bowling Green, Ky., and one at Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, Tenn. All were millions of years in the making, created by water whittling away at limestone. But each is unique in its own way and with its own fascinating history.

Underground temperatures typically range from the mid-50s to about 60 degrees, but family members who wore jackets found they didn't need them. The exercise of walking made the caves quite comfortable. You can find a list of cave tours across the country at www.cavern.com.

Read on for information about the caves we visited. If a shorter drive is preferred, Florida Caverns State Park in the Panhandle offers a smaller version, about 10 acres, of the sights we saw farther north. Tours cost $8 for adults. For information about Florida Caverns, call (850) 482-9598 or visit www.floridaparks.com.

Mammoth Cave

This cave lives up to its name, with open areas the size of concert halls and miles of passageways big enough to hike through. Explorers have documented more than 367 miles underground, making it the longest known cave in the world.

Visitors to Mammoth Cave National Park can sign up for tours that vary by distance covered, stamina required and sights to be seen. Notable relics: a saltpeter works that dates to the War of 1812, preserved by the cave's climate; 19th century graffiti from tourists who penned their names to cave walls with candle soot; and the 1842 remains of a subterranean tuberculosis hospital.

Cameras and camcorders are permitted, but lighting makes photography a challenge. If you want to tread overhead, check out the miles of trails through hilly terrain covered in poplar trees.

Cave tour prices range from $4 to $48. Camping, cabins and hotel lodging are available in the park, which is open year-round, except for Christmas Day. For information, visit www.nps.gov/maca or call 1-800-758-2180.

Diamond Caverns

Named for the sparkling calcite that a boy mistook for diamonds when he discovered the caverns in 1859, this cave about 2 miles from Mammoth is considered "younger" than its huge neighbor. It drips with water that creates eye-popping stalactites and stalagmites nicknamed for their shape and appearance: drapery, totem, flowstone, popcorn and bacon.

Well-lighted half-mile guided tours cost $15 for adults and are available year-round except for Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. Still photographs are allowed. For information, call (270) 749-2233 or visit www.diamondcaverns.com.

Lost River Cave

It has fewer formations, but this Bowling Green cave is big on history and offers an underground boat ride. Local lore has it that outlaw Jesse James used the cave as a hideout, and Confederate and Union soldiers took turns sheltering there during the Civil War.

Tour guides tell a colorful story about the Blue Hole, a watery cavern once believed to be bottomless and blamed for swallowing several Civil War soldiers and a supply wagon. From 1933 to 1960, an underground nightclub operated near the cave entrance.

Tours cost $15 for adults and operate year-round, water level permitting, except for Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. Photographs and video recording are allowed. For information, call (270) 393-0077 or visit www.lostrivercave.com.

Ruby Falls

Located at Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, Tenn., Ruby Falls offers stunning formations along a mile-long trail that culminates in a 145-foot waterfall, the world's tallest underground cascade is set off for display by colored lights.

The cave was discovered in 1928 by Leo Lambert, who had hired workers to bore through rock to create an elevator access to a different cave. Leo named the waterfall for his wife, Ruby.

It's well lighted and has no restrictions on photos or video recording. Tours cost $15 for adults. Open year-round except for Christmas Day. For information, call (423) 821-2544 or visit www.rubyfalls.com.

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