*Updated Summer 2022

About an hour into the Nashville to Lexington drive, my mom pointed out a billboard with kangaroos and caves that said ‘Kentucky Down Under’. The thought of petting a kangaroo again without the 17 hour flight to Australia had both Bob and I excited.

We decided that we didn’t have time on the way up but perhaps on the way back to Nashville, we could stop in. It was a small zoo with an animal show, lorikeet feeding area and a cave tour. All things that excited us (i mean, they had me at Lorikeet feeding.)

Turns out, my mom loves kangaroos just as much as we do. My dad humored the three of us and went along for the ride. Most reviews on Yelp were positive and with the addition of the cave tour, we didn’t feel bad about not going to Mammoth Caves National Park. (I realize its totally not the same thing but we only had time for one and kangaroos and a cave tour won out.)

The zoo is small but loved. The employees seemed very knowledgable and genuinely excited to be there. We walked around the bird area first, admiring the different types of birds- one which did not like Bob at all. That falcon was totally giving Bob the evil eye and started hissing as he walked closer and closer to it. Needless to say, I kept my distance!

The lorikeet feeding area is awesome.

I don’t know if my parents have ever done anything like that before- but seeing the two of them light up with excitement, and maybe a little fear from the lorikeets landing on their heads, was just so fun. We were all laughing so loud (you know that deep belly laugh when you think you might pee your pants? that was us).

We quickly ran over to our cave tour appointment. (They take small groups down into the cave at different times throughout the day.) I loved that we were given a time when we first entered the park, so we didn’t have to go to the cave and then wait in line. This really allowed visitors to maximize their time at the zoo.

The cave tour was awesome, if not totally dangerous. While I loved the lack of barriers between me and the cave (there weren’t the traditional railings or guards), it did seem a little dangerous, especially around the wet steps and big holes in the caves. As Bob pointed out- this added to the excitement. It reminded me of Australia, actually, and how there are little barriers between visitors and nature. You are left to your own supervision and besides simple signs that stated ‘wet rocks’ or ‘rocks will slide, you will die’, the parks service wasn’t there to watch your every move.

We did learn about the different type of cave formations and the people who found and used this cave. The guide was very informative and passionate.

Last stop- the kangaroos!

Side Note : Bob freaking loves kangaroos. I don’t want to say he has some type of unnatural bond with them, but it’s like any time Bob and a kangaroo are within 20 feet of one another, it’s only a matter of seconds before the kangaroos are drawn to him and licking his face.

Another side notes about Bob and kangaroos: There is some type of weird energy between Bob, kangaroos and rain. Each time we saw a kangaroo in Australia, it was raining. It sure made for dramatic experiences each time and this experience was no different. After an absolutely gorgeous day (most of which there were zero clouds in the sky), we finally made our way to the kangaroo area and we got ready to pet a kangaroo.

Seconds later, the clouds slowly opened up. It got colder, windy and gray. Little rain drops started coming down. Seriously?! The rain wasn’t going to stop this group from petting a damn kangaroo!

We walked into the kangaroo area with 2 other people and within seconds, two big kangaroos (one in heat) came jumping over to Bob, who was bent down to get a better shoot with his camera. The guide told him not to touch them, but let the kangaroos do what they want. They were very cute and interested in his camera, putting their noses right up to the screen. As you can imagine, Bob was in heaven. (His heaven is kangaroo feedings, mine is tacos for life.)

We all were able to pet a little red kangaroo, which was soft and felt like a deer. They weren’t timid but more interested in us and what we were all about. It was super fun and totally made the whole trip worth it when my mom pet one with the biggest smile on her face. She was so happy. There is something about seeing and interacting with an animal for the first time that just gets me so excited.

This was a really great day with my parents. We don’t see each other that often, and this was great to spend time with them in a place that none of us had been before and creating memories that were special to just us.

**Update**

Since our original visit, Kentucky Down Under has grown a bit larger and incorporated some new programs.

• Animal Show : Somehow we didn’t mention the animal show when we were there. With the cozy feeling, the animal show felt very personal and the host talked directly to us as if we were all friends. The animals were very comfortable around the audience and made themselves right at home.

• Woolshed Program : New since our visit, Kentucky Down Under now gives guest the opportunity to sheep herd with the on-site Sheepdog Blossom.