Louisville Mega Cavern: Underground Zipline

The mine Photo courtesy of Ralph Rogers Group

What houses a popular ziplining attraction and underground bike park, was once a cold-war fall-out shelter…

From its website: “What once started out as Louisville Crushed Stone and one of the best kept secrets in the city of Louisville, Kentucky has now been revealed to the public. It was created by a massive limestone quarry—with miners blasting out a mind-boggling amount of rock for over 42 years during the middle of the 20th century. It was acquired in 1989 by private investors who saw the potential to develop a portion of the cavern into an environmentally-conscious high security commercial storage facility.

The mine was founded by Ralph Rogers back in the 1930’s. The Louisville Mega Cavern is a 100 acre limestone cavern capable of shrugging off a 260-mph tornado and boasts a constant 58-degree temperature. The cavern under the Louisville Zoo has remained virtually dormant since the last load of limestone was mined nearly 20 years ago to build bridges and roads across the Midwest.

In the post 9/11 world, government agencies and high security businesses are looking for ultimate security, and the Underground offers just that. With limestone and earth between the cavern ceiling and the ground above, the cavern could withstand the most violent tornado or an airliner crash.

During the Cuban missile crisis in the early 1960s, state officials made plans in case of nuclear attack to house 50,000 people in the cavern because it’s a natural bomb shelter. With four entrances, positioned close together, access is easily controlled by a series of security check points.”

From TripAdvisor.com: “Ride and walk through a part of 17 miles of underground passageways beneath the city of Louisville. Learn about the geology, history, mining techniques, recycling, and green business technology. See where 50,000 people would have been invited to stay during the Cold War Era. The historic tram tour operates mid-January through October. During the holiday season, be sure to check out Lights Under Louisville.”