Caves and Lakes, Kentucky travel guide: things to do, food & where to stay

Overview

Kentucky's Caves and Lakes region is centered around Bowling Green, Kentucky's third largest city, and home to the world's largest cave system—Mammoth Cave.

1 sights

Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage

Best things about Caves and Lakes

Old Mulkey Meeting House

Old Mulkey Meeting House is a log church erected in 1804. It is the oldest freestanding log meeting house in the commonwealth.

Plan your trip

Best time to visit & weather

Most comfortable: Apr–May, Sep–Oct. Summer highs reach about 91°F; winter lows dip to about 29°F. Very hot (Jul, Aug) — plan outdoor time for mornings. Wettest: May and Mar. (climate data from nearby Mammoth Cave National Park)

Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).

Getting there

From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
OWB Owensboro Daviess County Airport, Owensboro — 63 mi away. Directions
BNA Nashville International Airport, Nashville — 66 mi away (major hub). Directions

The major highways in the region include I-65, I-165 (formerly the William H. Natcher Parkway), and the Cumberland Parkway. Bowling Green's Warren County Regional Airport is the largest airport in the region. The closest international airports are located in Louisville and Nashville.

Full “Get in” guide ↓

Sample 3-day trip

Day 1: Bowling Green — Capitol Arts Center, Kentucky Museum, National Corvette Museum.
Day 2: Cave City — Big Mike's Rock and Gift Shop, Dinosaur World, Floyd Collins Museum.
Day 3: Franklin — Octagon Hall Civil War Museum, Kentucky Downs Race Course, First United Methodist Church.

Built from the best-covered destinations in this region; open each for its own day plan.

Places in Caves and Lakes

Bowling Green

City / town · 65 listings

Cave City

City / town · 46 listings

Franklin

City / town · 27 listings

Glasgow

City / town · 24 listings

Mammoth Cave National Park

Park · 19 listings

Russellville

City / town · 12 listings

Brownsville

City / town · 8 listings

Scottsville

City / town · 8 listings

Auburn

City / town · 6 listings

Morgantown

City / town · 6 listings

Adairville

City / town

Lewisburg

City / town

Map

Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.

Understand

The Caves and Lakes regions lies on the central part of the Mississippian Plateau. Being a large limestone karst plain, many sinkholes and cave systems have developed in this area. The largest and most famous of these is Mammoth Cave. Along with the caves, several man made lakes are present in the region. These include Barren River Lake, Lake Malone, and Nolin River Lake.

The term "Caves and Lakes" is used for tourism promotion, but generally not by locals. The traditional local name for the region is Pennyrile, taken from the local pronunciation of "pennyroyal", a plant common in the area. While "Pennyrile" still sees use, the term South Central Kentucky (which also includes most or all of the Southern Lakes region, depending on the speaker) has gained favor in recent decades. For example, the public community college whose main campus is in Bowling Green is called "Southcentral Community and Technical College".