American Cave Conservation Association

American Cave Conservation Association ACCA began informally in 1978, and was incorporated in 1981. We are a nonprofit membership organization. Join us by visiting: https://caveconservation.com

The American Cave Conservation Association (ACCA) is a National 501 (c) 3 Nonprofit Organization dedicated to the protection of caves, karstlands and groundwater. We moved our operations to Horse Cave, KY in 1986 to establish the American Cave and Karst Center in the entrance to historic Hidden River Cave. The cave, once a popular tourist destination, had become known as one of the most polluted c

aves in America. ACCA's efforts helped to restore Hidden River Cave and create the American Cave Museum which has been called “a little bit of the Smithsonian in rural Kentucky.” Today we continue to operate the cave museum as part of our educational initiative to support the protection of caves, karstlands and groundwater resources. Memberships and donations support our ongoing conservation efforts in Kentucky and throughout the USA.

06/10/2026

Thankfully the water didn’t stay around long! We are open for tours again!!

9:00am - 5:00pm CST ⏰
Tours every hour!

Your next adventure awaits! 🦇🔦

06/09/2026

Unfortunately, due to rising water, we will be closed today due to flooding. Check back here for updates, or give us a call.

Our museum and gift shop are open today!
9:30pm - 5:00pm 🕰️
We are sorry for any inconvenience.

The American Cave Conservation Association headquarters is located at Hidden River Cave and the American Cave Museum in ...
06/07/2026

The American Cave Conservation Association headquarters is located at Hidden River Cave and the American Cave Museum in Horse Cave, KY. The museum is FREE to the public providing a great sense to what caves are all about from a conservation stand point. We offer a variety of cave tours and educational programs being in the heart of cave country in south central Kentucky. Donations, memberships and our cave visitors have been keeping the mission alive since the 1980's - the protection of caves, karst and groundwater. With your support we can continue our outreach and programming for future generations to protect these fragile environments.

To learn about our story or to support the American Cave Conservation Association please visit caveconservation.com

Celebrate Cave Science!Paleoclimatology is the study of past climates to make predictions of future climate trends. Cave...
06/07/2026

Celebrate Cave Science!

Paleoclimatology is the study of past climates to make predictions of future climate trends. Cave deposits are especially useful to obtain climate history and information that is specific to the measurement site. The most successful method of gathering cooling and warming trends of the past is measuring oxygen isotope ratios of speleothems.

As speleothems grow by the deposition of minerals by dripwater, fluids and organic matter can become stuck in the formation. Voids that contain trapped water are used to interpret cave temperature at the time of deposition.

Stalagmites are most useful because their growth is related to drip rates and water chemistry.

Photo credits: Daniel E. Ibarra and NPS photo by Dale Pate, Carlsbad Caverns National Park

What is your favorite cave animal? Pictured here is an eyeless crayfish found in Hidden River Cave. Fully cave adapted w...
06/06/2026

What is your favorite cave animal?

Pictured here is an eyeless crayfish found in Hidden River Cave. Fully cave adapted with no pigmentation or eyes. They have slow metabolisms allowing them to go for a long period of time without food while conserving energy.

Did you know that some cave species are only found in certain caves or karst regions around the world? For example: The ...
06/06/2026

Did you know that some cave species are only found in certain caves or karst regions around the world? For example: The north and southern cave fish only exist together in the Mammoth Cave region. Keeping our water and environment clean ensures troglobities have a home.

Water is an important component to caves. Water helps to build speleothems, form cave passages over a long period of tim...
06/05/2026

Water is an important component to caves. Water helps to build speleothems, form cave passages over a long period of time and while those are only a few to mention what is your favorite part about how water interacts with caves?

Karst is a unique landscape that is characterized by caves, sinkholes, springs and disappearing streams. Approximately 2...
06/05/2026

Karst is a unique landscape that is characterized by caves, sinkholes, springs and disappearing streams. Approximately 20 percent of the United States is underlain by Karst and few Americans living in these special areas understand the geologic conditions and/or how to prevent environmental problems associated with karst regions.

Caves and karst resources include valuable groundwater supplies, endangered species, important archaeological deposits and unique and irreplaceable mineral formations. Lack of awareness of the karst topography in cave localities leads to a variety of human induced land use problems such as flooding, sinkhole collapse and groundwater contamination.

Thousands of caves in the U.S. have suffered significant damage to their mineral formations from vandalism and careless visitation. Some of the nation’s most extensive cave systems, including Mammoth Cave National Park, are impacted by groundwater pollution from development and urban sprawl. Numerous cave species have been included on the federal Endangered Species list, a testament not only to their rarity but to human impacts on their populations. Archaeological resources in caves have been decimated the world over.

Although millions of Americans live in karst areas and are affected by problems related to them, most Americans do not have a good understanding of these resources. Cave resources are “out-of-sight” and therefore, “out-of-mind.”
A large part of our mission is providing educational services to bridge the gap between what scientists know about karst regions and what the public needs to understand in order to adapt successfully to karst landscapes.



Photo credit: Karst Waters Institute

Hidden River Cave in Horse Cave, KY was once one of the most polluted caves in the world. After years of dumping into si...
06/04/2026

Hidden River Cave in Horse Cave, KY was once one of the most polluted caves in the world. After years of dumping into sinkholes and the results ended up with a heavily polluted cave stream affecting all of those in the groundwater basin. It is important that we properly dispose our trash and have the best management practices when it comes to harsh chemicals. Read more about Hidden River Cave's recovery in the link provided below.

https://hiddenrivercave.com/hidden-river-cave-history/

Bats are the only true flying mammal. Bats comprise the largest family of mammals with more than 1,300 species and new s...
06/04/2026

Bats are the only true flying mammal. Bats comprise the largest family of mammals with more than 1,300 species and new species are still being identified. The oldest bat fossil identified so far is more than 55 million years old and was discovered in Fossil Butte National Monument.

In the United States, there are 45 known species of bats. Currently 13 species have been identified as endangered and additional species are under threat.
Bats are not blind, they use echolocation to find food and navigate through the darkness.

Bats are natural pest control. Vital to a healthy environment, they eat tons of insects a day.

White-nose syndrome is a disease that is decimating bat populations. Appropriate decontamination procedures are available at: https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org

Address

119 E. Main Street
Horse Cave, KY
42749

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4pm
Tuesday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 4pm
Saturday 9am - 4pm
Sunday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

270-786-1466

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when American Cave Conservation Association posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category