The Visitor Center At Mammoth Cave National Park

Mammoth Cave National Park only has one visitor center, but it’s your one-stop shop for everything you need to know for your visit.

The visitor center is open daily, except for Christmas. Their hours are 8 AM – 6 PM, but change slightly with the seasons. You can call the center to confirm their current hours.

Restrooms, trashcans, and a water bottle filling station are all available here.

The parking lot is large enough to accommodate any size vehicle. Picnic tables can be found outside to sit at and relax while waiting for your cave tour to start or to have a snack.

When you walk into the visitor center you will see the ticket booth on your left. This is where you will purchase your tickets for cave tours if you haven’t already.

It is HIGHLY recommended to buy your tickets in advance though, because they are constantly selling out. All tours have limited times and limited tickets.

When we were there during our four day visit the tickets were sold out for almost every single tour by 9 AM on Saturday and Sunday. We didn’t get to go on one of the tours we wanted even though we tried to make reservations for over a week.

You can order tickets for cave tours at recreation.gov.

All cave tours are ranger-led only and they begin and end at the visitor center. A ticket is required to go on all tours.

In the middle of the visitor center is an information booth staffed by a ranger or two. They are always available to answer any questions you may have about cave tours, hiking, or the park in general.

This is also where you can pick up maps and brochures about the park. Backcountry camping permits can be purchased here as well.

Don’t forget to grab Junior Rangers books for the little ones and get your passport stamped.

The film Hidden Wonder: Mapping Mammoth Cave can be seen playing in the exhibit area of the park visitor center.

Speaking of exhibits, the visitor center has a number of great displays (many that are interactive) featured in their exhibit room.

A gift shop and park store offer all the national park swag you may need to remember your visit.

Located behind the visitor center are almost a dozen trails to hike. Most can be combined together to make a much longer hike.

Be sure to pick up a trail map from the ranger though, because the trail system back there can get confusing.

Another short, paved trail will take you to Hercules and Coach 2, a couple of cool looking historic Mammoth Cave trains.

The historic entrance to the cave is also located behind the center and is a short walk.

A little snack shack can be found beside the center selling yummy food like giant pretzels and hand-dipped ice cream.