rest rooms | food | water | shopping | lodging | phones

Where are the rest rooms?
Rest rooms are available in the visitor center and picnic area. Most tours do not have rest room facilities. Please see tour descriptions for details.

Where can we eat lunch?
Picnic Areas: Across the parking area from the visitor center (where tours begin and end), is a large picnic area. There is parking for many buses, and two covered picnic shelters, each of which can accommodate about 60 to 80 students. Keep in mind that other groups may also be planning on using these shelters. One of these shelters may be reserved for $35 per day by calling 1-800-967-2283 or at http://reservations.nps.gov. Please encourage your kids to put all their trash in the dumpsters. There are no recycling bins in the picnic area; bring your own trash bags and recycle back at school. There are also a few picnic tables at Sloan's Crossing Pond, but no rest rooms at this time.
Restaurants: The Mammoth Cave Hotel has a restaurant that is open year-round and a cafe that is open seasonally. Contact the hotel to find out if a buffet will be offered on the day of your trip: (270) 758-2225. In Cave City there are many fast food restaurants and a few sit-down restaurants. For more information, call the Caveland Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-346-8908 or visit our Kentucky Tourist links.

Where are the drinking fountains in the park?
There are drinking fountains inside the visitor center next to each bathroom entrance. There are also water spigots in the picnic area, but they are difficult to drink from directly; bring a cup.

Gift shops
It's not an educational part of a field trip, but many students want to spend time in the gift shop. Please make sure your students are chaperoned while shopping. The park has a few stores:

Eastern National Parks and Monuments Bookstore: This bookstore is located in the visitor center lobby and features books, posters, and educational items. A portion of the proceeds from sales here goes to the park. Open the same hours as the visitor center.
Hotel Gift Shop: Located in the hotel across the bridge from the visitor centers, the shop features park and Kentucky memorabilia, candy, film, books, etc. Open year-round; hours change seasonally.
Hotel Craft Shop: Located in the hotel across the bridge from the visitor center, the shop features Kentucky handcrafts. Usually opened in summer and by request in other seasons.
Service Station and Shop: The service station consists of a gas station, showers, post office, and convenience store. The store sells food, camping gear, and some souvenirs. Open spring-fall with varying hours.

Where can we stay for the night?
For those who are traveling great distances, there are many lodging options and services in the local area, including public and private campgrounds and hotels. Please see the following links or phone numbers for details:
Park Campgrounds
Park Lodging or call (270) 758-2225
Kentucky Tourism links or call the Caveland Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-346-8908

In case of emergency:
The best way to make sure you can be contacted and can reach your school while traveling is to have a cellular phone with you. However, cell phone signals in the park are limited. In case of emergency while in the park, contact a ranger or dial 911. To be contacted at the park (for messages to be delivered to you in case of emergency), call the administration line at (270) 758-2254. Be sure to leave a detailed itinerary with your school so the park employees will know where to find you. Public phones are available outside the visitor center and at the service station.

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last updated 4/27/01 maca_park_information@nps.gov