From butterflies to boat tours, the Lost River Cave is a family friendly summer destination
If you're looking for something fun to do this summer in Kentucky, the Lost River Cave in Bowling Green may be a great family friendly option.
From cave boat tours to the butterfly habitat, there's something for everyone. Here's everything you need to know about Lost River Cave.
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What tours does Lost River Cave offer?
Lost River Cave offers a Cave Boat Tour. On the boat tour, you ride on a boat and explore the history of the caves on a guided tour.
Cave Boat Tour pricing is as detailed below:
Adult (Ages 13 to 65): $23.95
Youth (Ages 4 to 12): $16.95
Child (Ages 3 and under): $5.95
While walk-ins are welcome, it is highly recommended you schedule a reservation. Book your tour at lostrivercave.org/tours.
Hike along the trails at Lost River Cave
Lost River Cave has several trails you can follow to encounter wildlife and even participate in Geocaching, the popular large form scavenger hunt.
The trails are open every day from sunrise to sunset.
The Charlie Miller Butterfly Habitat is free and open for the 2024 season
You can meet some butterflies up close and personally, learn what flowers they like best and take your picture in front of a large butterfly mural at the Lost River Cove this summer.
The Charlie Miller Butterfly Habitat opened up Memorial Weekend and is free to the public thanks to generous donations.
It takes about $20,000 in donations to maintain and provide the habitat free of charge to the public. To learn more about how to donate, you can check the butterfly habitat donation page.
It is open until Labor Day.
Lost River Cave calendar of upcoming events
If you're not sure when to plan your trip, you can take a look at the event calendar to see what events are upcoming.
There are events almost every week throughout the summer. View the calendar of events at lostrivercave.org/events.
Mine for gems with your kids
Lost River Cave offers a gem mining experience where your kids can pan for gemstones and fossils. They may find Rose Quartz, Amethyst, Pyrite, Amber or even Horn Coral.
You can also pick up a gem mining package in the gift shop to take the fun home.
Lost River Gift Shop
The gift shop is a boutique-style experience with all proceeds from purchases going toward the upkeep of the park.
You can pick up a Jr. Tour Guide booklet for activities to do throughout the park with your kids aged 6-10. By completing them all, they receive a Jr. Tour Guide badge and certificate.
The Lost River Gift Shop is open Monday through Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and it is only closed on a few holidays. Find the full details at lostrivercave.org/giftshop/#hours.
Where is Lost River Cave?
Lost River Cave's address: 2818 Nashville Road, Bowling Green, KY 42101
Katie Wiseman is a trending news intern at IndyStar. Contact her at klwiseman@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @itskatiewiseman.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Lost River Cave: Butterfly habitat now open, book your cave boat tour
