Love the great outdoors? Then you’ll love Barren County. The region is full of outdoor adventures, from caves and caverns just waiting to be explored to parks, swimming pools, lakes, sports complexes and camping areas.

Mammoth Cave National Park

Barren County is probably best known among outdoor enthusiasts for Mammoth Cave National Park, the world’s longest surveyed cave with 365-plus miles of mapped passageways. It draws millions of visitors each year with its fascinating formations, vast chambers and sheer size – hence the name Mammoth.

Visitors to Mammoth Cave National Park can embark on their choice of 16 cave tours led by trained guides. The tours range from an Introduction to Caving experience for beginners to the Mammoth Passage Tour, the Historic Tour and the Frozen Niagara Tour.

Diamond Caverns in nearby Park City is another natural wonder that shows off nature’s sculptures.

Barren County Parks and Trails

Another popular attraction is Barren River Lake State Resort Park, which offers 1,500 acres of hiking, cycling, horseback riding, tennis, volleyball, golf, fishing, swimming and more. If you can’t get enough of the park, spend a night or a week camping at its 99-site campground, or book a room at the park’s 51-room Louie B. Nunn Lodge. There are also 22 contemporary cottages equipped with tableware, cooking utensils and linens. At the park’s Driftwood Restaurant, diners enjoy hot meals featuring salmon, trout, crab clusters and juicy burgers.

Walkers and joggers get some exercise on Glasgow’s Renaissance Trail, a 2-mile path through town that highlights historic sites. It connects to the Liberty Street Walking Trail, a paved, lighted, half-mile trail that circles the historic Liberty Street Campus downtown.

The Beaver Trail Softball Complex is another place to walk or jog on its paved half-mile trail. A playground and four lighted ballfields are also part of the popular complex. Runners enjoy the rustic nature trail at the 23-acre Weldon Park, which has half-mile and 1-mile lengths. Weldon Park is also home to a Little League Baseball field, a picnic shelter, playgrounds and public restrooms.

Golfing in Barren County

Golfers have plenty of courses to choose from in Barren County at affordable rates. Barren River Lake State Resort Park has an 18-hole course that runs along the lake and through the park’s woodlands.

Fox Hollow Golf Club is another 18-hole course that features Bermuda fairways and bent-grass greens. It is owned and operated by the Shipley family, who are longtime golfers. The course incorporates ponds, streams, sand bunkers, wooded areas and natural grass areas.