An Entire World Hidden Underground, Don't Miss Louisville Mega Cavern
By Sarah McCosham|Published May 09, 2022
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Sarah McCosham
Author
I write like it's my job - because it is! I have a Master's in English and love words: crossword puzzles, Scrabble games, Wordle, and, of course, good, old-fashioned books.
I'm a writer and editor at OnlyInYourState, and a contributing writer at Cincinnati Magazine. I love the Great Outdoors and am endlessly awestruck by this beautiful country of ours. Coffee keeps me going, yoga keeps me sane, my kids keep me grounded, and my writing keeps me inspired.
In a state that’s known for its expansive, extraordinary caverns, using superlatives to describe one specific cave in Kentucky is nearly impossible to do. But Louisville Mega Cavern is all about the impossible — and it really is the most wondrous cave in the country. The Mega Cavern will render you speechless; it’s 100 acres of an incredible otherworldly underground, located just beneath the busy streets of Louisville. A former limestone mine in The Bluegrass State, today Louisville Mega Cavern offers underground adventures that are truly bucket-list worthy.
General Information:
Accessibility: There are a variety of attractions at Louisville Mega Cavern, some of which are handicap accessible. The Mega Tram Tour, for instance, is wheelchair accessible, offering a wheelchair tram for those needing additional assistance; you’ll simply need to call ahead to reserve. The seasonal Lights Under Louisville drive-thru event is also handicap accessible. You can read about accessibility for specific activities on the Louisville Mega Cavern website.
Pet Friendly: While an exciting place to explore, Louisville Mega Cavern is for humans only! No animals of any kind are allowed in the Mega Cavern or on walking tours.
Parking: Parking is free, with Louisville Mega Cavern having its own expansive lot. Handicap parking is also available inside the main entrance; be sure to present a valid handicap parking permit.
Seasonal Access: Because it’s underground, the Mega Cavern is open year-round. The average temperature in the cavern is always a chilly 58 degrees, so be sure to dress accordingly. Louisville Mega Cavern does close from time to time due to inclement weather aboveground, and they post these updates on their Facebook page.
Cost: Cost varies by age and activity, ranging from $14.95/adult for the Mega Tram to $69/adult for the Mega Zips. Consult the Louisville Mega Cavern website to learn about pricing for specific activities.
Beneath the buzzing streets of Kentucky's largest city, there exists a massive metropolis that's truly extraordinary.
In a state with deep mining roots, the Mega Cavern was originally utilized as a limestone quarry. From 1930-1970, huge volumes of natural materials were extracted and removed, essentially creating an expansive underground grotto.
As the cavern continued to be gutted, investors saw an opportunity; its hallowed halls would be perfect for underground storage. So, beginning in the 1990s, massive amounts of recycled concrete, brick, block, rock, and dirt were off-loaded at the cavern to fill in the holes and create floors and internal roads.
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And as these materials continued to fill the cavern, inspiration struck: this 100-acre underworld was pretty extraordinary, and worth sharing.
But it wasn't a simple process. It took 12 years to obtain an underground permit; the ground above and ground below each have separate zoning classifications. The Mega Cavern is actually classified as a building; the largest in the State of Kentucky, in fact.
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Finally, in 2009, the Mega Cavern opened to the public, offering Jeep-led tours of its wondrous underground world.
This massive, manmade cavern is comprised of 17 miles of underground corridors, and the Historic Tram Tour really lets visitors sit back and revel in its resplendence. The Historic Tram Tour is the attraction's most accessible option, too, as it's wheelchair-friendly and perfect for all ages.
But for a more active experience of the caves, the Mega Bike Tour is a thrilling, 2.1-mile trek that's truly the ultimate off-road experience.
The Mega Bike Tours utilize fat tire bikes that are perfectly suited to handle the rough and rugged terrain of the cavern floors. This 1.5-hour expedition is open to kids 12 and up, making it an ideal option for families with teenagers.
Of course, a place as exceptional as the Mega Cavern merits some truly bucket-list level adventures -- and the massive zip line here is a superlative showstopper.
The only underground zip line course in the world, Louisville Mega Cavern's Mega Zips is the ultimate adventure. The course features six zip lines and two bridges, and is absolutely thrilling.
The zip lines are open to kids age seven and up, for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure they'll never forget.
This adventure course features a series of high-flying obstacles, and is open to kids five and up. These underground escapades are completely unique to Louisville Mega Cavern, and opportunities you'll want to seize upon when visiting this inspiring place.
Epic exploits aside, the Mega Cavern also hosts a dazzling holiday soiree each year: Lights Under Louisville.
Each holiday season, this deep, dark world shines bright with over 5 million twinkling lights. This drive-thru light display is one of the most spectacular in the entire country (most notably, Lights Under Louisville claimed the #8 spot in the USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice 2020 awards for "Best Public Holiday Light Displays") and certainly, the most unique.
Of course, the real star of Louisville Mega Cavern is the cavern itself: 17 miles of tunnels spanning 100 capacious acres. And at the end of the day, wandering the cave's hallowed halls and corridors on foot may be the best way to experience it.
Because there's something grounding and terrestrial about the Louisville Mega Cavern; it's a connection to something deeper, bigger, and more wondrous.
The Louisville Mega Cavern is more than just an unrivaled attraction (and that it is, ranked the #1 attraction in Louisville by Tripadvisor); it's truly a part of something greater.
It's a connection to the wide, wonderful world underground - a place of which we've only begun to scratch the surface.
There’s a whole world waiting to be explored in Louisville Mega Cavern; jump in and experience this marvelous wonder for yourself. For more information about this bucket list destination, be sure to visit the Louisville Mega Cavern website. And for more fuel to feed your wanderlust, be sure to subscribe to our Bucket List Newsletter.
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