Mammoth Cave National Park is neighbor to a different type of mammoth park— an amusement park.
Mammoth Valley Park is reopening under new ownership after being closed for more than three years. The park is situated off Mammoth Cave Road in Barren County, just minutes outside of the Mammoth Cave National Park, home to the world's largest cave system.
The amusement park will offer visitors a quarter mile of zip lines, go-carts, an alpine slide, and a chairlift that can travel 2,000 feet above the national park. Mammoth Valley Park is locally owned by three investors from the counties of Butler, Hart, and Warren. The park closed in 2020 before the current group of investors took over the project.
It's existed in some form since the 1970s.
Roger Reynolds, a co-owner of the park, said residents of Cave City have been excited and supportive of the park’s reopening.
“Really, the whole community has gotten behind us and has been so warm and welcoming to us, and we’ve had all the support we could ever imagine or want, and we are very fortunate for that.”
The park is currently open to guests from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Prices vary depending on the attraction.
Reynolds said he hopes the amusement park can boost tourism and create more revenue within the region.
A park grand opening is scheduled for August 3. Most information can be found on the company's website.
Correction: a previous version of this story incorrectly stated Mammoth Valley Park is located within the boundary of Mammoth Cave National Park. This story has been updated to reflect the correct location of Mammoth Valley Park, which is adjacent to the national park, in the town of Cave City. We apologize for the error.
