On November 8th, 2005 Cave City voters passed a Liquor-by-the-Drink Referendum that for the first time in over 50 years will allow alcohol to be served in restaurants that meet certain qualifications. This has now opened the doors for Economic Development in the Cave City and Mammoth Cave Region. Now developers can use the catalyst of restaurants for anchoring commercial centers, hotels & conference centers, golf courses, and major attraction developments. Cave City is now “OPEN for BUSINESS.”

We are looking for developers with a vision for a Master Planned Tourism Development. The Mammoth Cave Area has been Kentucky’s top tourist attraction for years with over two million annual visitors to the cave area. Cave City is the “Gateway to Mammoth Cave National Park” and already has substantial tourism development.

Cave City is located on the heavily traveled I-65 North/South corridor with an average daily traffic flow of 40,000 vehicles. This translates into about 35 million travelers passing the Cave City exit each year; all they need to do is stop.

With Mammoth Cave being America’s 2nd oldest tourist attraction and the world’s longest cave system, it is internationally known and visited by people from all over the world.

Cave City is looking for a developer who can acquire 500 acres of prime land that has one mile of frontage on I-65 and transform it into a Planned Tourism Development that would pull travelers off the interstate or draw some of the 70 million people that live within a 300 mile radius of Cave City.

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Since caves are not seasonal, and the same year round, we are looking for tourism development that can extend our season and our visitor profile.

Some of the things that we are looking for are:

A Hotel with a 50,000 SF Indoor Waterpark
This would help pull people off the interstate and extend our tourist season in the area. Cave are a constant 56 degrees and are warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The indoor waterpark would allow families to do some underground tours that are not affected by the weather as well as have some indoor water recreation.

A Professionally Designed 18-Hole Golf Course
This course would be a challenge to many golfers. Many golfers from the northern states come to the area to play golf because our moderate temperatures allow them to play golf almost ten months out of the year. Our naturally rolling topography would make for a great golf course design.

An Entertainment Theater
Many of our visitors are looking for evening entertainment. Nashville is ranked as the #3 destination for motorcoach tours. Cave City already has a substantial number of bus tour groups that stop, eat, and spend the night, but we don’t offer any entertainment options for the tour groups. Cave City is a natural half way stopping point for visitors traveling from the north or south to their destination. There is plenty of new talent to tap into in Nashville, only 90 minutes away.

An Outlet Shopping Mall
The number one thing for tourists to do on vacation is shop. A nice 60 store outlet mall development with visibility from the interstate would pull many travelers off of the interstate. It would also give visitors something to do while the rest of their families are on cave tours. This would also pull in more motorcoach tour groups when they are traveling through the area.

A Nostalgic Shopping Village
This would be a clustering of small specialty shops under the guise of a small village setting with consistent exterior architecture. The clustering of shops would create a critical mass for shoppers who like to browse. This village setting would be transformed on November 1 st each year into a winter wonderland for Christmas Shopping. The village could be an 1880’s or even a 1950’s Norman Rockwell type of experience for visitors.

An Outdoor Outfitters and Sporting Goods Store
The cave area is a prime destination for people boating, fishing, watersports, caving, hiking, fishing, horseback riding, camping, hunting, and many more outdoor activities. This creates a need for an Outdoor Superstore and possibly a Distribution Center because of close proximity to I-65 and the future I-66 corridors. Many of these Superstores become their own tourist destination and could thrive off of the already built in draw of mammoth Cave National Park.

IMAX, Aquarium, & Indoor Adventure Park
The cave area is already a great area for educational experiences for families and school groups. Only about 25% of the people who visit Mammoth Cave National Park each year actually go on a cave tour. Whether it is limitation of time, availability of tours, physical limitations, or fear of tight places, people often would prefer a 40 minute IMAX presentation of a cave tour. Since school groups come to the area to study the geology and science of the environmental impact of surface activities on cave systems, why not let them also learn about marine life with an aquarium experience. An Indoor Adventure Park would also let people experience the behavior and activities of area wildlife.

Tourism Development Map

Kentucky Tourism Development Incentives
The Commonwealth of Kentucky recognizes the tourism industry as a vital component to its economic well-being. To encourage the private development of tourism activities, the State of Kentucky provides financial incentives for approved projects. There are currently two incentive programs available for major tourism projects, The Kentucky Tourism Development Act and Tax Increment Financing.

These are just a few of the viable ideas that could make the Cave City and Mammoth Cave area a great family destination where their experience would last a lifetime. Cave City is looking for that special developer that has the capital backing, network of contacts, and expertise in developing Master Planned Tourism Developments. Very few Tourism Destinations have the opportunity to be located on a major interstate corridor like Cave City. If you match this profile, we would be interested in talking with you at further length about the opportunities for development in our area. We are looking for the developer that can create “The Tipping Point,” where all the pieces to the development puzzle come together and transition into a Master Planned Development Project.

Cave City is also looking for developers and business owners who are capable of smaller projects. There are plenty of niche opportunities that are already needed for Cave City and the Cave Region and we would be happy to discuss those with interested parties.

For more information contact:
Brian Dale
Executive Director of Tourism Development
Cave City Tourism Commission
P.O. Box 518
Cave City, Kentucky 42127
Phone: 1-800-346-8908
Email: Brian@scrtc.com

www.CaveCity.com