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Trip Planner:   USA  /  Kentucky  /  Bowling Green  /  Lost River Cave

Lost River Cave, Bowling Green

4.5
#1 of 8 in Parks in Bowling Green
Must see · Cave · Geologic Formation
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Lost River Cave is a seven-mile cave system located in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Lost River originates outside of the cave and flows into it. The cave contains one of the largest natural entrances in the Eastern U.S. Boat tours are available year-round, but closed for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. The river was once listed by Ripley's Believe it or Not as the "Shortest, deepest river in the world" because the blue hole is over 437 feet deep, while the river itself is only 400 feet long. In fact, the blue hole is only 16 feet deep, but is linked to a further underground river. The 72-acre cave property is jointly owned by Western Kentucky University and the non-profit Friends of Lost River Cave.

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Lost River Cave reviews

TripAdvisor traveler rating
TripAdvisor traveler rating 4.5
3,070 reviews
Google
4.6
TripAdvisor
  • We really enjoyed Lost River Cave! The cave is really neat and the boat ride was fun! The grounds are very well maintained and beautiful! Our tour guide was great! The gift shop is adorable! We had... 
    We really enjoyed Lost River Cave! The cave is really neat and the boat ride was fun! The grounds are very well maintained and beautiful! Our tour guide was great! The gift shop is adorable! We had...  more »
  • We’ll visit again for sure! A boat in a cave?! Amazing! Nice facility! The length was perfect for our 3 young kids-ages 1 to 7! 
    We’ll visit again for sure! A boat in a cave?! Amazing! Nice facility! The length was perfect for our 3 young kids-ages 1 to 7!  more »
  • We did the cave tour. The history was interesting. Our guide was very good. Some things to know: it is a walk to the cave site, some a down grade. Steps into the boats. The boats are wide and easy....  more
    We did the cave tour. The history was interesting. Our guide was very good. Some things to know: it is a walk to the cave site, some a down grade. Steps into the boats. The boats are wide and easy....  more »
Google
  • Pulling in the parking lot we had no idea what to expect. After entering the gift shop to buy spots on the tour, we found a wonderful place for souvenirs. The staff was super friendly and gave us all the information we needed to start our adventure. Walking down to the cave is a beautiful Scenic route. 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️🚶Once we reach the end of the path and saw the cave, we were pleasantly surprised at its splendor. 🤩 Our guide was full of energy and made us laugh many times during the boat ride. I recommend you don’t forget to fit this itinerary on your next vacation. 😁
  • This cave was beautiful! I enjoyed learning facts about the place from our tour guide. You can also rent the area for a wedding! It was really pretty and very neat to ride the boat through the cave, my son loved it. Also I think its less than a 20 minute walk to the cave or for the start of the cave tour. They are kid/baby friendly as we took a 9 year old and a 9 month old on the tour. The gift shop had lots of cute knickknacks too! We didnt have a wait to buy the tickets but we had about a 20 minute wait from time we purchased tickets until our tour actually began, which was totally fine with us as there was plenty to see to occupy our time.
  • We took the boat tour very informative guide great visuals and very educational. Also in the park is a it's a 2 mile walking trail that could that currently has many scarecrows for the Halloween season a lot of fun for the kids and adults as well. The cave entrance can be rented out for events the day we were there it was set up for a wedding with crystal chandelier
  • We really enjoyed our visit today! The boat ride was nice and the cave is beautiful. Our tour guide was super funny and made it so much more enjoyable as she educated us on the natural history of the area. I felt good spending money here, knowing that the proceeds go to and not for profit foundation set up to preserve this historical cavern. The site also ties in with Civil War history, which was an extra bonus for my boys.
  • The Lost Cave was a unique experience. It was interesting to hear about the history of the cave. We ended up having two separate guides. One guide was before we got on the boat and we had a different guide during the boat tour. The second guide seemed in better spirits and perkier than the first guide. There was a wedding/reception all set up for that night so that was neat to see.

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