- Mammoth Cave National Park
- Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park
Mammoth Cave National Park – With more than 426 miles of passages surveyed and mapped so far, Mammoth Cave is one of the world’s largest known cave systems. The temperature inside Mammoth Cave is about 54°F, year-round. Temperatures near cave entrances can go a bit higher or lower. Mammoth Cave National Park has been designated both a World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.
Inside the Cave – We walked 2/426 miles inside the cave in semi darkness which might not be an interesting activity for most. If you are looking for stunning stalagmites, stalactites, and water bodies, you will be better off visiting Luray Caverns in Virginia. This cave has to be appreciated for its vastness and history.
At the end of our 2 mile walk, we came across the Tuberculosis room. Dr. Croghan, had bought mammoth cave in 1839 as a possible sanitarium for TB patients. He found the environment in the cave to be restorative and therapeutical for TB patients
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park – Located 40 miles north of Mammoth Caves, the two attractions can be combined and visited on a half day trip. Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic park is the former site of Sinking Spring Farm, established by the 16th President’s father, Thomas Lincoln. Its 56 steps leading to the memorial represents Lincoln’s age at the time of his death.
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, Symbolic Birth Cabin – The building was constructed between 1909 and 1911 in an effort by the Lincoln Farm Association to commemorate the life and accomplishments of the sixteenth President of the United States and to protect what we now know as the Symbolic Birth Cabin, which is a replica of the one-room home where Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, Sinking Spring – The Sinking Spring, located just below the hill on which Abraham Lincoln was born, was identified in early land records. This water source was variably known as Sinking Spring, Rock Spring, and Cave Spring. However, early records generally refer to the landmark as Sinking Spring because the water dropped into a pit and disappeared into the earth. Thus, originated the name of the farm.
