Mammoth Cave National Park | VISITOR CENTER

Mammoth Cave National Park Visitor Center

Mammoth Cave National Park Visitor Center

OPERATING HOURS

The Mammoth Cave National Park Visitor Center is open daily, but hours change depending on the season. During the summer it is typically open from 8 AM to 6:30 PM. The only day it is closed is Christmas Day. For the current schedule, see the National Park Service’s official Operating Hours and Seasons web page for the park.

AMENITIES

  • Ranger-staffed information desk where you can ask questions and get a park brochure
  • Purchase tickets for various cave tours (credit and debit cards only)
  • Multiple souvenir and book stores
  • Park film
  • Mammoth Cave museum
  • Restrooms

All cave tours start at the Visitor Center.

Information desk inside the Visitor Center at Mammoth Cave National Park

Information desk inside the Visitor Center at Mammoth Cave National Park

PARK FILM

Theater room inside the exhibit area of the Mammoth Cave National Park Visitor Center

Theater room inside the exhibit area of the Mammoth Cave National Park Visitor Center

The 11-minute film Hidden Wonder: Mapping Mammoth Cave shows inside the museum in a room designed as a cave, complete with spelunkers coming out of the walls and repelling down from the ceiling. The film plays on a loop, so just sit down and watch until it gets back to the point you started at. The only downside of the presentation is that it is not shown in its own dedicated theater, so there are always people wandering through the room as it plays.

Spelunkers in the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center's museum theater room

Spelunkers in the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center’s museum theater room

The film, which is suitable for all ages, covers how cave explorers throughout the ages mapped the Mammoth Cave passageways. When Mammoth Cave National Park opened in 1941, only 44 miles of the cave had been mapped. Up until 1972, Mammoth Cave was thought to be separate from the nearby Flint Ridge Cave system. On September 9, 1972, a team of spelunkers found a passage that connected the two caves, and it instantly became the longest cave system in the world at 144 miles. Since then more than 280 additional miles have been discovered.

Spelunkers in the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center's museum theater room

Spelunkers in the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center’s museum theater room

There is also a 7-minute film shown in another section of the museum that documents the animals and insects that live in the cave. The film shows on a small TV screen, and there are a couple of benches to sit on. As with the main park film, this is shown on a loop and is in a room with other exhibits.

MAMMOTH CAVE MUSEUM

Museum exhibits inside the Mammoth Cave National Park Visitor Center

Museum exhibits inside the Mammoth Cave National Park Visitor Center

The Visitor Center features an extensive museum that covers all aspects of Mammoth Cave. The exhibits are split into two sections, with the theater room in the middle separating them. The first half deals with the cave’s geology and the animals that live in it. Each topic has its own exhibit space, and most have either an audio, a video, or an audio-video presentation that starts with the push of a button and lasts a minute or two. A few exhibits have interactive features as well.

Geology section of the museum inside the Mammoth Cave National Park Visitor Center

Geology section of the museum inside the Mammoth Cave National Park Visitor Center

Geology exhibit with a video presentation in the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center museum

Geology exhibit with a video presentation in the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center museum

The second half of the museum covers the human history of the cave starting as far back as 5,000 years ago when early native people discovered it and eventually explored approximately 14 miles of passageways. However, the bulk of the exhibits focus on the modern exploitation of the cave by industrialists, explorers, and the tourism industry that began around 1815. The exhibits conclude with information on how Mammoth Cave National Park was established.

Exhibits on the human history of Mammoth Cave in the Visitor Center museum

Exhibits on the human history of Mammoth Cave in the Visitor Center museum

SCHEDULING YOUR TIME

Aside from speaking with a park Ranger and purchasing cave tour tickets and souvenirs, the bulk of time spent in the Mammoth Cave National Park Visitor Center will be spent at the museum. Most exhibits are comprised of text, historical photos, and the audio / video presentations. If you want to read all the information and listen to and watch the presentations, as well as the two films, it takes about 90 minutes. Obviously very few people are that interested in Mammoth Cave, but do set aside time to watch the main park film and browse through the exhibits that peak your interest. A half hour will do for most people.

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Last updated on September 14, 2024
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