We always venture to lakes, beaches and waterfalls but it's easy to overlook the beauty of nature underground. Caves and caverns are the hidden gems that pique our curiosity the most and being able to explore them is an experience like no other. Mammoth Cave National Park near Nashville is insanely enchanting and you need to explore its glory at least once in your lifetime. Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky is only a short, 1.5-hour drive from Nashville and we can guarantee you won't regret the trip. It's the largest known cave system in the entire world, with over 400 miles of caves. You're in for the enchanting adventure of a lifetime as you travel past windy pathways embellished with beautiful crystals, marble and limestone that form captivating rock formations. The spooky-yet-intriguing cave has endless amounts of nooks and crannies to explore. Amongst the massive chambers and labyrinth lies some of the rarest (and kinda creepy) wildlife ever. Try not to freak out if you run into albino cave shrimp, eyeless fish and cave salamanders. The cave, which lies beneath Green River Valley, was discovered 4,000 years ago. Although it's reported to stretch 400 miles, we actually haven't discovered an end to the cave, so it could be even more massive than what we know of. View this post on Instagram check out your new apartment in 100 years when the earth is no longer habitable on the surface 🙃 the kentucky mammoth cave national park was incredible, it is the longest cave system known in the entire world, with 400 miles of passageways.. the tour we took was so amazing, i recommend it to everyone 🙂 #mammothcavenationalpark #mammothcave A post shared by @ glass_casket on Jul 30, 2019 at 5:34pm PDT If you dare step into the abyss, you'll actually find that it's super peaceful as the cool dark air and heavy silence wash over you. You can take a tour to get the most out of these awe-inspiring natural structures. View this post on Instagram This beautiful chamber was discovered in 1908 by Max Kämper and Ed Bishop. Kämper was a German engineer who had been allowed to survey and explore the cave with guide Ed Bishop. They had come to the end of a passage that was blocked by enormous limestone boulders. They began to squeeze and twist their way through the breakdown to find that several more large chambers opened up beyond the massive blockage. The last chamber they entered contained these beautiful drip-stone formations. They surveyed the room and added it to the map, naming the room Violet City. Violet was the name of the cave owner at the time, Violet Blair Janin. The Blair house in DC is where she grew up. She was the daughter of two prominent Washington families, the Blairs and the Jesups. This area of the cave is still undeveloped except for a dirt trail that leads to it. The only public cave tour that sees this area is the Violet City lantern tour, which carries lanterns for three miles to this room, recreating what a tour would experience one hundred years ago. NPS / Jackie Wheet #findyourpark #mammothcave A post shared by Mammoth Cave National Park (@mammothcavenps) on Jun 7, 2019 at 3:35pm PDT To access the cave from the south, take the Park City exit and head northwest on Ky. 255 to the park. From the north, take the exit at Cave City and head northwest on Ky. 70 to the park. View this post on Instagram With over 400 miles of passageways (and counting!), the appropriately named Mammoth Cave is the longest cave system in the world. We took a behind the scenes tour of the cave system with Ranger Jackie (pictured here). Caves can be dark scary places, but Ranger Jackie has been guiding and exploring this system for over 18 years and you'd be hard pressed to find a better guide or advocate of this natural phenomenon. He was also a great sport, posing for pictures from time to time when I asked. We were blown away by Mammoth Cave...such a unique and special place . Mammoth Cave National Park (6 of 59) Shot with FUJIFILM X-T1 and XF16mm F1.4 lens Photo by @jonathan_irish // Photographer and former Nat Geo staffer Jonathan Irish (@jonathan_irish) is on an epic road trip to visit and create incredible content in all of the 59 U.S. National Parks in 52 weeks during the centennial of the National Park Service. He'll be sharing his images and stories along the way here, on his own Instagram feed, and on the following link at Nat Geo: www.natgeo.com/59in52 A post shared by National Geographic Travel (@natgeotravel) on Feb 22, 2016 at 5:23am PST For more fascinating underground adventures in the South, check out this underground cave in Tennessee that leads to a sparkling blue oasis or this Chattanooga mountain with caves full of bright, rainbow colors. Mammoth Cave Price: Free Address: 1 Mammoth Cave Pkwy., Mammoth Cave, KY Why You Need To Go: Explore the largest cave in the world right in your own backyard, for a spooky and enchanting adventure. Website There are stories everywhere! If you spot a newsworthy event in your city, send us a message, photo, or video @NarcityUSA on Facebook and Instagram.