Kentucky Down Under in Horse Cave, Kentucky is a delight for families to visit. My son and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to visit the animals there. In addition to enjoying the Australian animals, we were allowed to feed a baby deer. It sounded like a newborn baby whining as it nibbled my ear while waiting for the bottle.
Kentucky Down Under is home to many animals including Australian animals such as kangaroos, wallabys, and the laughing kookaburra, which gets its name from the laughing sound it makes. The park has different areas to create a really cool way to spend an entire day with hands on activities and learning.
The discovery area is where visitors can meet different reptiles and amphibians right after entering the park. A regular attraction is the bearded dragon and the blue tongue skink. There are regularly scheduled times where people can have hands on encounters with these animals.
The Aviary is where visitors can hand feed brightly colored and curious lorikeets. The Bird Garden has many different types of birds native to Australia, including the laughing kookaburra, who is also called the Bushman’s alarm clock because he lets out his loud laughing sound in the mornings.
The park also has gem mining and guarantees that you will find gems. You have to purchase a mining kit in the gift shop before taking it to the mining area where you will sift through the sand to find your gemstones. It’s a lot of fun to watch how excited kids get to find their very own treasures.
The outback walkabout at Kentucky Down Under allows visitors to walk around in the area where animals are kept. Visitors are likely to get up close to kangaroos, wallabies, emus. While we were there, visitors were allowed to pet a wallaby while under careful guidance and supervision from one of the park employees.
Outside the woolshed, visitors can watch border collies herd sheep. Afterwards, you can walk inside to hear the speaker teach you about different breeds of rams and what their wool is used for. The speaker also invites people from the audience to try milking a cow or feed the lambs.
Camp Corroboree offers visitors to Kentucky Down Under to learn about the aborigines and people native to Australia. Humor abounds as people try to play didgeridoos and learn about how the people gather everything they need from their surrounding environment.
Kentucky Down Under also has an Outback Cafe for hungry visitors where they can order Australian or American foods. Their gift shop is full of fun trinkets, clothing, jewelry and Australian curiosities such as the boomerang or didgeridoo. They also have some delicious fudge.
According to their website, Kentucky Down Under also has outreach programs that allow schools and other groups to pay a fee to have them come and give demonstrations with their animals. They also have some activities on their websites for children to do with their parents. Field trips are also welcome.
Kentucky Down Under is located in Horse Cave, Kentucky off of I 65 at exit 58. They are open year round but the only available activity between November and March is the Cave Tour. For more information, visit www.kdu.com or call 1-800-762-2869.
