Louisville Mega Cavern

To sample an array of truly unique adventures in Louisville, just head underground. Once the site of a massive limestone quarry, the 100-acre Louisville Mega Cavern is now home to the world’s only fully underground zip line and aerial ropes courses and offers tours via foot, tram and e-bikes.

The tram tour covers 2 miles, is 60-to-70-minutes long and teaches you about the geology, history and mining techniques of the manmade cavern. You’ll also learn why the government classified it as a top-secret location for decades.

The tram periodically shuts down or changes its tour for special events. During November and December, guests drive through the Lights Under Louisville holiday show to experience some 850 displays made up of 5 million lights. Recently, Louisville Mega Cavern hosted a mile-long Dino Safari experience with dozens of life-sized moving dinosaurs.

The e-bike and walking tours also take about 90 minutes, while you should allocate two hours for the zip lines and ropes course. All adventures are guided, except for the ropes course which is self-guided with safety spotters always observing adventurers.

Families make up about 80% of attendees, but the Louisville Mega Cavern also sees its fair share of corporate and team-building events, scouting groups, birthday parties and even some weddings. Since it is underground, weather is never a factor, and the temperature is always a steady 58 to 60 degrees.

To complete your long weekend, be sure to swing by the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory to learn about this iconic brand, walk the pedestrian-only Big Four Bridge to the Indiana side of the river for an ice cream soda at the old-fashioned Schimpff’s Confectionery candy store, rent a bike to tour the waterfront parks, and visit the eclectic shops and various restaurants in The Highlands neighborhood for the best people watching in town. 

1841 Taylor Ave., Louisville, KY, 877/614-6342, louisvillemegacavern.com