unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
in northwest
Barren County, Kentucky
Barren County is a County (United States), county located in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 44,485. Its county seat is Glasgow, Kentucky, Glasgow. T ...
, United States.
Geography
Highland Springs is located near the junction of
Kentucky Route 70
Kentucky Route 70 (KY 70) is a long east–west state highway that originates at a junction with U.S. Route 60 in Kentucky, U.S. Route 60 (US 60) in Smithland, Kentucky, Smithland in Livingston County, Kentucky, Livingston County, just ...
(KY 70) and
Kentucky Route 255
Kentucky Route 255 (KY 255) is a south-north state highway located in south central Kentucky. It provides access to Interstate 65 and Mammoth Cave National park to residents of southern Barren County.
Route description Rocky Hill to Park ...
(KY 255) just outside of the eastern boundary of
Mammoth Cave National Park
Mammoth Cave National Park is a national park of the United States in south-central Kentucky. It encompasses portions of Mammoth Cave, the longest known cave system in the world. The park's are located primarily in Edmonson County, with sma ...
. It is located about west of the
I-65
Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south interstate highway in the central United States. As with most primary interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between the Great Lakes and the Gulf ...
interchange at Cave City via KY 70, which is marked as a Kentucky Scenic Byway through the community. KY 70 and KY 255 respectively leads westward and northwestward into
Edmonson County
Edmonson County is a County (United States), county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 12,126. Its county seat and only municipality is Browns ...
while also entering the national park.
Business and economy
Due to the community's location between the national park boundary and Cave City, the general area of Highland Springs plays host to a few roadside tourist attractions, a hotel and a few gift shops. Most of the area's businesses, including lodging and restaurants in the area are located in nearby Cave City and, to a lesser extent, Park City, another nearby community.
Points of interest
The nearest point of interest outside of local gift shops and accommodations is the
Sand Cave
William Floyd Collins (July 20, 1887 – February 13, 1925) was an American cave explorer who became trapped and died in what became Mammoth Cave National Park. The incident earned major media attention during the efforts to rescue him. ...
, on the southeastern edge of the National Park.
Education
Students in the community attend the institutions of the
Caverna Independent School District
The Caverna Independent School District is a Kentucky public school district that ranges from Horse Cave to Cave City, in the United States. It is one of the few public school districts in the state of Kentucky that includes portions of more ...