When I found out that the Cave City Tourist & Convention Center had arranged for us to stay at Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort, I was very excited.
We had stayed there for our 2002 family vacation and I looked forward to returning. The kids had been much younger on our first trip. In fact, my youngest daughter, Camille, hadn’t been born yet. I was pregnant with her at the time. Here’s a picture from that trip.
Now you might see the word “camp” in the name of the resort and think that it’s not for you if you don’t enjoy camping, but keep reading anyway. The cabins at Jellystone are much more like a typical hotel stay than like camping, plus there are other recreational amenities that are superior to a typical hotel. We had to bring our own bedding, but that was really the only major difference. Jellystone Park at Mammoth Cave offers several different types of cabins that are suited to families of various sizes. We stayed in a log cabin.
As you can see from the picture, it was a two-room cabin. Both rooms had a set of bunk beds with a double on the bottom and a twin on the top.
The front room also had a small kitchen, a dining table and a futon.
As I said above, there are many different types of cabins, so if this one doesn’t suit your needs, there are other options. Jellystone Park has a Ranger Station that contains a store that sells camping supplies and souvenirs.
It also houses a snack bar that serves pizza, hot dogs, nachos, ice cream, and slushies. The Ranger Station has picnic tables on the back porch and tables and couches inside, making it a good place to hang out for a while.
Now for the fun stuff. The real reason to stay at Jellystone Park is the recreational facilities. As you’d expect, there’s a pool.
There’s also a kiddie pool.
The 300 foot water slide was popular with the kids.
It’s the type of slide where a mat is used.
Since we were there they’ve also added some new facilities: a second pool and a splash pad play area. We saw the Water Wars inflatable play area, but didn’t have a chance to check it out. One thing that my daughters particularly enjoyed was the Jumping Pillow.
My mini-golf-loving daughter was disappointed we didn’t have time to check out the mini-golf course.
Jellystone also offers a game room, playgrounds, and an outdoor amphitheater that shows movies at night.
A recreation staff plans activities such as arts and crafts, bingo, parachute games, volleyball, karaoke, and Hey Hey Hey Rides. Of course there is much to see and do in the Cave City area, like Mammoth Cave National Park, but even if there wasn’t, I think you could stay busy all day just with all the activities at Jellystone!
Ready to Visit?
Jellystone Park Camp-Resort at Mammoth Cave
1002 Mammoth Cave Road
Cave City, KY 42127
(270) 773-3840
Disclosure: We received a complimentary stay at Jellystone so that I could research and write about the Cave City area. Many thanks to the Bowling Green Area Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Cave City Convention and Tourist Commission for coordinating our trip.
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