Kentucky Caverns

Mammoth Onyx Cave

Useful Information

Location:	3700 L&N Turnpike Road, Horse Cave, KY 42749. Near Horse Cave. I65 exit 58, KY218/KY335 east 100 m, left on KY-335 L and N Turnpike Road 300 m. 140 km from Louisville, 140 km from Nashville. (37.2047945, -85.9304877)
Open:	All year daily 9-17. Closed Thanksgiving, 25-DEC. [2024]
Fee:	Adults USD 25.95, Children (4-14) USD 15.95, Children (0-3) free, Students USD 19.95, Seniors (62+) USD 19.95, Military USD 19.95. Plus 6% tax. [2024]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	T=15,5 °C.
Guided tours:	St=144.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Kentucky Down Under, 3700 L&N Turnpike Road, Horse Cave, KY 42749, Tel. +1-270-786-1010.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1799	Mammoth Onyx Cave discovered by Martha Woodson.
1921	developed as a show cave.
1922	electric lights installed, opened as a show cave named Kentucky Caverns.
1970s	a herd of American bison added to the site.
1990	Kentucky Down Under park opened by Bill and Judy Austin.

Description

Today Mammoth Onyx Cave is a part of Kentucky Down Under, an Australian themed animal park. The cave was originally named Mammoth Onyx Cave, and so was the early show cave. At some point it was renamed Kentucky Caverns, but it was renamed back to Mammoth Onyx Cave later. Its unclear when and why it was renamed. Naming a cave after the state where it is located is never a good idea. But the original name is almost as problematic, both parts, Mammoth and Onyx are slightly weird. Onyx is "a thing" in this area, it is a local term for speleothems, especially flowstone, stalactites and stalagmites. Those speleothems consist of huge calcite crystals which gives them a transparent look, and they have layers in different colours. This actually resembles real onyx, with a single exception: real onyx is made of quartz, not calcite! This is easily tested, a drop of weak hydrochloric acid will produce bubbles on calcite but not on onyx. However, the first miners visiting caves in the area thought it was onyx and misnamed it, and the wrong name stuck, or as in this case, is reactivated as a weird sort of local tradition. So the cave has lots of cave onyx formations which are not onyx at all. The other part of the new name is Mammoth, and we guess it’s a reference to nearby Mammoth Cave, which is quite well known and popular. Probably an attempt to cash in on the fame of this cave system.

The Australia-themed animal park has a variety of activities, especially animal exhibits where guides let visitors interact with animals like horses, kangaroos, and lorikeets. They also offer carriage rides and a section about sheep, herding dogs, and wool production. There are numerous Australian animals in the zoo, but also exotic animals from around the globe including Africa, Europe, and Asia. And of course, gem mining is a must. The park was opened by Bill and Judy Austin. Bill Austin was the owner of the show cave which was developed and opened in 1922, and a few years later purchased by his grandparents. Judy Austin, his wife, is a native Australian. They simply extended the zoo, which already had developed around the cave to keep the visitors busy between tours. It was straight forward to offer various aspects of Australia as Judy originated from an outback sheep station.

Roomy level, well decorated passages finally lead down a flight of steps to a stream of clear green water which still flows though the main passage. Sometimes, visitors can see cave salamanders and blind fish or even the rare white cave dwelling crayfish.

Text by Tony Oldham (2004). With kind permission.