Caves and Lakes
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.
Cities
Other destinations
- 🌍 Mammoth Cave National Park — the world's largest cave system and is one of the biggest Kentucky attractions
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".
Get in
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.
See
- 🌍 Old Mulkey Meeting House, 38 Old Mulkey Park Rd. Tompkinsville, ☏ +1 270 487-8481, sheila.rush@ky.gov. Old Mulkey Meeting House is a log church erected in 1804. It is the oldest freestanding log meeting house in the commonwealth.