Floyd Collins Museum

The Wayfarer Bed & Breakfast

Useful Information

Location:	Cave City, Old Mammoth Cave Road. I-65, exit 53, west on Hwy 70 toward Mammoth Cave National Park for 8 km.
Open:	closed. [2020]
Fee:	closed. [2020]
Classification:	Cave and Karst Museum Historic museum
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:	Howard W Hartley (1925): Tragedy of Sand Cave, Louisville, KY. online version
Address:	Floyd Collins Museum, The Wayfarer Bed & Breakfast, 1240 Old Mammoth Cave Road, Cave City, KY 42127, Tel: +1-270-773-3366.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1925	Floyd Collins died in Sand Cave.
1933	built as the Mammoth Cave Souvenier Shop.
1989	Wayfarer purchased by Becky and Larry Bull.
2013	Wayfarer and museum closed.

Description

The Wayfarer is a large house behind the marker for Sand Cave on the road to Mammoth Cave. Sand Cave is the place where Floyd Collins died, probably Americas most popular failure ever. When the current owners bought it, they opened a gift shop and bed and breakfast. But as they were asked so many times about Floyd, they started to research and soon displayed their collectibles about him in their bed and breakfast. After some time the exhibition became a small museum and is now called Floyd Collins Museum.

Obviously, the museum chronicles the rescue attempt. A series of cave-like alcoves, show the different aspects of the story in more or less chronologic order. The last chamber contains a chained coffin. There are pictures, memorabilia, replicas and kitsch, with the contemporary Floyd Collins ballad playing in the background.

Update: the Wayfarer was closed in 2013. We do not know details but we guess retirement of the owners and lack of a successor. As a result the museum is also closed to the public.