Take The Grandkids Deep Into The Heart Of Hart County For Fun And Adventure

The Amish population in Hart County is the eighth largest in North America, with more than 200 families living and working in the area. The Horse Cave/Hart County Amish Businesses map, which can be downloaded or picked up at the tourism center, features more than 20 businesses that might be of interest as you plan your day. Farmwald’s Dutch Bakery and Restaurant, located immediately off exit 58, features fresh-baked donuts made daily, handcrafted Amish items, canned jams and sauces, and a casual restaurant. Detweiler Country Store in Cub Run carries old-fashioned candies, jams, bulk food supplies such as tri-colored popcorn, homemade baskets and crafts, and children’s vintage games and toys. The Hart County Produce Auction is open April through October. Locally grown fruits and vegetables in bulk for canning and freezing (or to share with a friend) are up for auction every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with bidding starting at 11:45am CST.

Throughout rural America, the artistry of traditional quilts has been displayed on the backdrop of barns and buildings in the form of painted quilt-patterned squares, and Hart County is no exception. The barn quilt project is a natural blending of the rich history of outstanding local quilters with a desire to preserve historic barns and structures. The Hart County Quilt Trail map will guide you on a beautiful country drive, highlighting more than 40 quilt-patterned squares found on structures throughout Hart County.

Last summer, our two grandsons came for a visit, and they thoroughly embraced the adventures we found in Hart County. We started at Dinosaur World, located a few miles outside of Horse Cave, where you can walk a wooded path lined with life-sized (and lifelike) dinosaurs, sift sand for a take-home treasure of genuine fossils, and play paleontologist by brushing sand away from dinosaur-sized plaster molds. Our next stop was Kentucky Down Under, located behind Farmwald’s Dutch Bakery and Restaurant immediately off exit 58, which features interactive animal shows, woolshed sheep herding, rainbow lorikeets, gem mining, and the opportunity to feed kangaroos. A tour of Mammoth Onyx Cave located within Kentucky Down Under was the perfect first caving experience for our 4- and 7-year-olds, and the grown-ups loved it as well. If you decide to make it an overnight, be sure to look into the Horse Cave KOA Campground, which includes the special accommodations of teepees, conestoga wagons, treehouses, and cabins.

Story and photos by Patti Hartog

P.S. Here are more things to see and do in Hart County – Small Town | Lots Of Activities. Head South And Check Out Exit 58