Bowling Green – Lost River Cave
It’s always 57 degrees inside the cavern at Lost River Cave. Winter, spring, summer, or fall, the temperature never changes.
Not that the seven-mile-long cave and surrounding valley hasn’t experienced change. There has been a lot of it since humans first settled here as early as 7500 BC. More recently, Lost River Cave has been used as a grist mill, Civil War campsite, hideaway for the outlaw Jesse James, and even a mid 20th-century nightclub.
Restoration of Lost River Cave over the past three decades by the nonprofit Friends of The Lost River, Inc. has given it a new purpose as a 72-acre urban park. Hundreds of people come here annually to see the cave, from the inside out –a dam built within the past 20 years or so lets today’s visitors tour the cave by boat. A butterfly house, walking trails, kids’ exploration station, visitors center, a zipline and art add to the caveland fun.
Natural History Of Lost River Cave
Boats cut a path through the cave, fed by the 400-foot Lost River — the shortest and deepest known underground river, by some accounts. It’s said that the river is 437 feet deep in spots. Underneath the boat, however, the water only runs four or five feet, making the ride leisurely and safe.
Our captain instructed us to duck our heads near the cave entrance where the rock ceiling hangs a bit low. Once inside, we could spot rock formations in limestone and chert during the 25-minute ride. Some of us looked for bats, although the cave is a winter habitat for bats — not really a summer home. Cave crickets and blind crayfish, also part of this ecosystem, were in there somewhere, too.
A walk outside the cave revealed more wonders. Probably the most astounding are the blue holes. There are four of these vertical water-filled caves at Lost River Cave. The karst (carbonate) topography here gives the water its bluish cast.
Civil War History
Lost River Cave is a nature spot, no doubt, but it has also seen its share of human history, and American history. Some of that history dates to the American Civil War.
The seclusion of the cave provided the kind of protection that troops sought for training and camping during the war. Both Union and Confederate forces used the cave as a stopping point, with nearly 40,000 Union soldiers camping here from 1862-1865. “The men crawled through the cave, writing their names, ranks and companies on the ceilings and walls,” per a report in the Bowling Green Daily News.
The Historic Cavern Nite Club
Fast forward to the 20th century, when love, music, and a fair share of glamour took hold at the cave entrance with the introduction of the Cavern Nite Club — a social hotspot from 1933 till the early 1960s.
The nightclub (often dubbed the only air-conditioned club in the country because of the cave’s constant 57-degree temperature) hosted the era’s big jazz acts, and big names like Dinah Shore. Its popularity was nationally known, with write-ups about the club making it into big-name publications like Billboard magazine.
Today the Cavern Nite Club is still home to special events, with weddings near the top of the list. Up to 300 guests are easily accommodated below the rocky venue’s vintage crystal chandelier, made even more lovely in candlelight. The original bandstand and bar dating to the 1930s add to the ambience of what Lost River Cave today rightfully bills as a “legendary” space.
If You Go
Lost River Cave is one of those places that has something to meet almost any taste. Hikers, cave enthusiasts, newlyweds, kids, adventure seekers — you name it, this place one hour north of Nashville has it.
The park and cave tours are open year round, except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. Everything here also closes at noon on New Year’s Eve.
Lost River Cave is located at 2818 Nashville Road Bowling Green, KY 42101. You can reach the park by phone at 270-393-0077.
