Take the next exit: Teepees, capybaras and underground wonders

• Hart County, Kentucky, offers a variety of unique attractions beyond Mammoth Cave National Park.
• Unusual experiences include meeting capybaras, trying camel milk ice cream, and visiting a replica of Stonehenge.
• The region is also home to the fastest-growing Amish community in America and historic roadside motels.

Most travelers blast through Hart County on Interstate 65, focused on getting somewhere else.

They’re missing all the fun.

Less than 90 minutes south of Louisville, visitors can cross the world’s longest underground suspension bridge, picnic beside a Kentucky version of Stonehenge, spend the night in a concrete teepee, sample ice cream made from a camel’s milk and pose for selfies with an adorable capybara — the world’s largest rodent.

It’s the kind of wonderfully peculiar road trip that feels increasingly rare in an era of interchangeable highway exits and chain hotels.

“We’re halfway between Louisville and Nashville, pretty much right in the middle of I-65,” said Sandra Wilson, executive director of Hart County Tourism. “People come for Mammoth Cave, but when they start exploring the rest of the area, they realize they could spend several days here.”

Nearly five million visitors stop by annually at Mammoth Cave National Park and Interstate 65 welcome centers asking staff for recommendations on what to see and things to do. While Mammoth Cave remains the headline attraction, locals say the surrounding communities of Horse Cave, Cave City and Munfordville have quietly built a collection of attractions that range from historic to delightfully eccentric.

Here are eight stops that prove the Hart County region of Kentucky is far more than a place to simply fill the gas tank.

Cave country runs deep

In a region famous for the world’s longest cave system, Mammoth Cave is only the beginning.

“I like to remind visitors that we have many caves in the area besides Mammoth Cave,” Wilson said. “They’re not at all alike, but they’re each special in their own way. All of the caves have tours with professional guides who share the geology of the system, the history of the area and the biology of the cave’s wildlife.”

One of the most impressive is Hidden River Cave in downtown Horse Cave, home to the world’s longest underground suspension bridge and Sunset Dome, one of the largest free-standing cave domes in the United States.

The area’s underground offerings seem almost endless. Visitors can also explore Crystal Onyx Cave, Diamond Caverns, Mammoth Onyx Cave, Onyx Cave and Rock Shop, Lost River Cave and Jesse James Riding Stables & Outlaw Cave, each offering its own interpretation of Kentucky’s subterranean landscape.

Above ground, Horse Cave and Cave City are experiencing something of a small-town revival, with new restaurants, distillery tasting rooms, outdoor attractions and locally owned shops drawing visitors to linger a little longer.

Family adventure above ground

Not every thrill in the Hart County region happens underground.

Mammoth Valley Park, owned by former Tennessee Titans linebacker Robert Reynolds, features Kentucky’s only alpine slide, the state’s longest twin zip line, a scenic chairlift, go-karts and a nine-hole disc golf course. This family adventure park is located at 3061 Mammoth Cave Road, Cave City, Kentucky.

Meet a capybara. Try some camel milk ice cream

The list of attractions in Hart County can read less like a tourism brochure and more like a scavenger hunt.

At Kentucky Down Under Adventure Zoo, visitors can hand-feed kangaroos, interact with Australian animals and meet the park’s celebrity residents — capybaras, the famously chill South American rodents that have become internet stars. The adventure zoo is located off Interstate 65 at Exit 58, in Horse Cave, Kentucky.

A short drive away, Dutch Country Safari Park serves one of Kentucky’s most unusual treats: ice cream made from camel milk.

The experience is surprisingly delicious and gives travelers a ready-made answer to the question, “So what did you do this weekend?”

You’ll find the safari park and the camel milk ice cream at 2125 L and N Turnpike Rd, Horse Cave, Kentucky

Kentucky’s Stonehenge

Visitors expecting a traditional lush green Kentucky landscape are often startled when they round a corner in Munfordville and discover Stonehenge.

Well, a version of it.

The town’s scaled replica of the ancient English monument has become one of the county’s most photographed roadside attractions, proving once again that Hart County has a talent for the unexpected. Kentucky Stonehenge is free to visit and located at 201 Lynn Ave, Munfordville, Kentucky.

The fastest-growing Amish community in America

First-time visitors are often surprised to see a horse-drawn buggy tied to a post downtown or rolling steadily along a country road.

For locals, it’s part of daily life .

Members of the Old Order Amish faith began settling in Hart County in the late 1980s. Over the past three decades, the area has grown into what local tourism officials describe as the fastest-growing Amish community in America.

Today visitors can experience that culture through guided Amish tours created by Hart County Tourism, browse furniture workshops, stop at bakeries and purchase handmade goods crafted using traditional methods that have changed little over generations.

Paddle to a hidden waterfall

Some of this region’s most spectacular scenery can’t be reached by car.

The “300 Springs Waterfall” is tucked along the Green River, where hundreds of crystal-clear streams pour from towering limestone cliffs and spill over moss-covered ledges into the river below. During periods of heavy rain or seasonal high water, the cliffside comes alive as countless springs emerge from the rock, creating a curtain of cascading waterfalls that gives the secluded cove an almost tropical feel.

Reaching the waterfall requires a sense of adventure. Because the surrounding land is privately owned, the falls are accessible only by canoe or kayak, making the journey feel like a hidden discovery rather than another roadside attraction.

Sleep in a teepee

And yes, you can spend the night in a teepee.

At Wigwam Village No. 2 in Cave City, travelers still pull into a semicircle of concrete teepees much as vacationing families did nearly 90 years ago.

Built in 1937 by local entrepreneur Frank Redford, the motor court emerged during America’s great age of automobile travel, when newly paved highways inspired families to pile into cars and set off in search of adventure.

Long before interstate exits became predictable, roadside motels competed for attention with giant dinosaurs, giant oranges, giant coffee pots and other architectural oddities designed to lure motorists off the highway.

The Wigwam Villages became among the most famous of those attractions. At their peak, seven locations stretched from Kentucky to California. Today only three survive, including Kentucky’s Wigwam Village #2 located at 601 N Dixie Hwy, Cave City, Kentucky.

Don’t worry, the new owners have beautifully restored each of the rooms to modern standards. Still, spending the night in one of the teepees feels less like checking into a motel and more like checking into a postcard from the golden age of the American road trip.

More than a stop along the way

For decades, the section of Kentucky along Interstate 65 was a place travelers passed through between Louisville and Nashville. Today, it has become a destination in its own right.

Where else can you cross an underground suspension bridge in the morning, feed a capybara at lunch, eat camel milk ice cream in the afternoon, watch a horse-drawn buggy roll through town and fall asleep inside a teepee before nightfall?

You’ll find plenty of reasons to take the exit at the Hart County Tourism website.

Reach lifestyle and entertainment reporter Kirby Adams at kadams@courier-journal.com.

This is a Travel story from the Courier Journal reported by Kirby Adams. This Travel story was posted on June 30, 2026. Here is a link to the original story. Thanks to Courier Journal in Louisville for allowing us to post this story on our website.