big mike's rock and gift shop

OK, I liked it more than my wife. But my kids liked it more than I did! Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area, probably not worth a major detour (unless you have some serious rock-lovers in the family). They DO have the largest selection of rocks for sale that I've seen anywhere, and we each bought one. We also enjoyed the Mystery House (or whatever it's called). Not for grumps, though.

I have gone to Mike's Rock Shop since I was a young girl, on our way through the area on vacations. Yes, I read the reviews, and disagree with the comments on prices. They have the "cheap" stuff for the kids, yes, but they also have some amazing collectibles, and those prices are VERY good. The workers also have a LOT of knowledge, and you get a mini lesson every time you go in, if you care to ask. It's an old fashioned shop, with a LOT to see, but if you want a modern place, then you can go to the other rock shops in the area, where they sell the rocks as a tourist attraction. They are brightly lit, well organized, and you are treated just like any other customer. You don't get the personalized attention like you do at Mike's. I wish I could remember the names of the older ladies that work there, I would highly recommend them for their advise on any of the gems and simi-precious gems they sell, as well as the man-made gifts. Amazing place!!

This is very electric place with some nice rocks, fossils and LOTS of cheap toys kids love. It took us quite a while to navigate through it all.On the plus side - the do have some nice rocks that we enjoyed looking at. Some seemed expensive so you may want to shop around as there are several shops in the area.On the down side - the 'upper' store has lots of cheap toys that we should have by-passed. If the kids want to see 'Big Mo', the cement dinosaur just go to the 'bottom' store, get a couple of rocks and move on.

The gift shop had lots of crazy items with names on them so my kids were happy. Like flashlights and parking signs. The rock shop had some amazing large geodes and rock formations. Not cheap. We bought a few things. Certainly something for everyone.

The Mystery House was alot of fun. My 7 year old loved it and I really enjoyed it as well. Like the reviews below me .. this is a homemade attraction which is the icing on the cake for me. The people and nice. The tour guide was amusing and we bought a nice fossil and some rocks. Seriously, it costs $1.00. Just go.

While traveling I see a lot of roadside shops. Most turn out to be tourist traps and nothing more. I was so happy my family and I stopped by Big Mike's Rock & Gift Shop. The staff was incredibly friendly and we loved the fun little tour of the Mystery House. For $1 a ticket, you can't beat it. Be sure to bring your camera to take some photos in the Mystery House. That tour made the stop there extra special. Don't expect a Disney quality attraction. The Mystery House is a homemade looking attraction, but that adds even more to the character of the place. Just down the road from the Mammoth Caves and worth the extra time to check it out.

Compared to other shops this one is overpriced but larger. They also have some religious oddities working there so you may get a sermon with your over priced rocks....that are from Brazil, China and Mexico.

We always stop when we visit, it you love rocks you will love it. So many things to look at. From rocks, book ends, jewelry, and much more. Plus everyone is very nice and helpful

The shop is what you would expect for a roadside attraction and store. The little fun house is amazing! I really think that was something the kids really liked and the tilted part did get to me to be honest and I did get a little dizzy but it was well worth the stop!

We stopped here after Mammoth Cave and right away we knew we'd enjoy it. Our 11-year-old picked out 3 awesome big shiny glass rocks for the yard, then we went into the rock shop and bought ourselves an ice cold Sprite in bottles from the vintage pop machine. That was fun. Across the way is a larger gift shop with a "Mystery House" attached, offering tours conducted by a nice and fun-loving young man for a dollar. Best dollar you'll ever spend in KY. We had a lot of fun in the Mystery House. Not scary at all. The gift shop had some great stuff at pretty good prices. All in all a fun way to spend an hour or two in Cave City.

Our family checked out various places while vacationing at Mammoth Cave. We decided to stop at Big Mike's Rock and Gift Shop. One of our members had a free pass to the Mystery House. We were not quite sure what we were getting ourselves into; but it's vacation and with an 11 yr old with us..we decided to try it! We had lots of laughter...and after reading reviews; I was a bit surprised. It's really like a little Ripley's Believe it Or Not that you may pay $20 a ticket. We enjoyed taking pictures and just acting silly. The shop was neat...had several souvenirs to choose from. The prices were not excessive as mentioned in the previous post. The owner was extremely nice to all of us! The young man who guided us through the mystery house was "fun spirited" as well! We visited caves, canoed, and hiked throughout our stay; a nice little stop to Big Mike's was just another little bonus to our trip.

Trying to kill time before our cave tour, we hit all the little stops on the way to Mammoth Cave park. This stop had the most reasonable prices- be sure to catch the big rocks for sale outside!Be ware of the fake fossils they have for sale, though.

I'm a retired geologist and I was like a kid in a candy store! Great prices and a had a wonderful conversation with "Mrs. Mike". I teach scout groups about geology and filled in my samples and bought a couple of things just for me. I'm sorry we had a reservation and didn't have more time to spend...

No much here other than expensive rocks. The rocks are ok at best but nothing really special by any means. The gift shop is overwhelming and also overpriced.

PROS: cool real mosasaur skull; I've seen complete mosasaur fossils but this skull was fairly large so it made the stop worthwhile. wide collection of rocks and minerals; assorted merchandise in the store beside the Rock shop; fair prices for some clothes , although to be fair, check the other stores in the area as they may be cheaper. CONS: expensive prices for the fossils they did have (although the quality was mediocre); corny looking concrete mosasaur outside the store that looked like it was designed by a 5 year old.