MAMMOTH CAVE, Ky. (March 22, 2024) — With the snip of a ceremonial red ribbon, a new era was ushered in at The Lodge at Mammoth Cave, located in Mammoth Cave National Park in south-central Kentucky. An extensive two-year renovation was completed in time to welcome visitors for the busy season ahead.
The project was a collaborative effort between the National Park Service and hospitality concessioner ExplorUS, which manages lodge operations. The facelift was funded through the Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Restoration Fund. Highlights of the renovation include a beautifully reconstructed lobby, improvements to the food service and gift shop spaces, a new registration desk, and the addition of four accessible rooms to accommodate guests of all abilities.
ExplorUS Chief Executive Officer Frank Pikus said, “We are absolutely thrilled to debut these lodge renovations. ExplorUS is committed to creating memorable experiences for visitors, and I encourage folks to come out to Mammoth to see these improvements firsthand and to witness the beauty of the Park. We are grateful for Park Superintendent Barclay Trimble and his team for their support.”
Park partner the Mammoth Cave Park Association contributed to a historic part of the lodge’s lobby enhancement. It led the effort to restore an 1800s stagecoach that is now prominently displayed as an homage to Kentuckians who used the horse-drawn vehicles as transportation. The Friends of Mammoth Cave is also an integral supporter of projects that enhance the visitor experience at the Park.
Visitors have already shown their appreciation for the improvements through words of support in person and in social media posts, with one visitor commenting, “Thank you for creating an accessible, inclusive, welcoming place.”
The renovations are not quite done. The popular Green River Grill will reopen later this spring, and a new coffee shop is also set to debut. ExplorUS is also building four new family-style cabins near the lodge that will be completed in the coming months.
Mammoth Cave National Park is home to the longest cave system in the world. Visitors can choose from a variety of cave tours from history- or geology-based to lantern tours to adventurous crawling tours.
ExplorUS has managed concessions inside the Park since 2017. Services offered include lodging, food and beverage, retail, bike rentals, bus transportation to the cave tours, and dog kennel rentals.
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About ExplorUS
ExplorUS is dedicated to preserving and protecting the unique environments and precious resources of the sites where it operates, allowing guests and future generations to experience the beauty, serenity, and splendor of local, State, and National Parks. It provides concession services at nearly 80 locations nationwide and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information, visit goExplorUS.com.
