U.S. show cave trip planner

NM / Southwest

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

National Park cave system in southeast New Mexico known for immense chambers, ranger-led routes, and flagship U.S. cave scale.

Carlsbad, New Mexico / March to May, September to November

Trip shape

Full park day or overnight base

Booking

Timed cave entry

Official Map State Hub

KY / Southeast

Mammoth Cave National Park

World's longest known cave system in a national park with a rotating menu of ranger-led tours instead of one standard route.

Cave City, Kentucky / April to October

Trip shape

Overnight or multi-day park stay

Booking

Tour schedule and tickets

Official Map State Hub

VA / Southeast

Luray Caverns

Famous Shenandoah-area cavern known for large rooms and dramatic formations.

Luray, Virginia / Year-round

Trip shape

Destination day or valley weekend

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

TN / Southeast

Ruby Falls

Iconic underground waterfall cave attraction in Chattanooga.

Chattanooga, Tennessee / Year-round

Trip shape

Half day or full city-attraction day

Booking

Timed-entry tour

Official Map State Hub

TX / Southwest

Natural Bridge Caverns

Large Texas show cave with multiple tour options and family-friendly attractions.

San Antonio, Texas / Year-round

Trip shape

Full attraction day or Hill Country weekend

Booking

Selected cavern experience

Official Map State Hub

MO / Midwest

Meramec Caverns

Route 66 show cave in Stanton known for its long guided route, commercial scale, and Missouri roadside-travel identity.

Stanton, Missouri / Year-round

Trip shape

Road-trip destination or Ozarks overnight

Booking

Seasonal hours and tour departure

Official Map State Hub

CO / West

Glenwood Caverns

Colorado cave attraction with mountain views and multiple guided cave tours.

Glenwood Springs, Colorado / May to October

Trip shape

Full mountain-attraction day

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

OH / Midwest

Ohio Caverns

Colorful Ohio show cave where summer visits split between Natural Wonder and Historic tours instead of one standard route.

West Liberty, Ohio / Year-round

Trip shape

Half day or west-central Ohio road day

Booking

Seasonal tour format and hours

Official Map State Hub

AZ / Southwest

Kartchner Caverns State Park

Southeast Arizona living cave where preservation is part of the attraction, with Rotunda and seasonal Big Room tours through one of the country's best-protected public cave systems.

Benson, Arizona / Year-round

Trip shape

Destination day or southern Arizona weekend

Booking

Selected cave tour

Official Map State Hub

CO / West

Cave of The Winds

Manitou Springs cave park with a family-friendly Discovery Tour, a darker Haunted Lantern Tour through narrower passages, and a larger Williams Canyon adventure setup.

Manitou Springs, Colorado / Year-round, with late spring through summer giving the fullest mix of cave touring and above-ground park time

Trip shape

Half day or full family-attraction day

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

TX / Southwest

Inner Space Cavern

Central Texas cave off I-35 with an accidental highway-discovery story, big decorated rooms, Ice Age bones, and tours ranging from paved walks to real crawl-and-climb caving.

Georgetown, Texas / Year-round

Trip shape

Half day or Austin-area road-trip stop

Booking

Current tour time and ticket method

Official Map State Hub

KY / Southeast

Louisville Mega Cavern

Repurposed underground Louisville attraction in a former limestone mine with tram, walking, zip line, and ropes-course options.

Louisville, Kentucky / Year-round

Trip shape

City day or indoor-weather backup

Booking

Current tours and seasonal offerings

Official Map State Hub

SD / Midwest

Jewel Cave National Monument

Black Hills cave known for calcite-crystal surfaces, more than 220 miles of mapped passage, and ranger-guided tours that feel more like entering a maze than walking a single show room.

Custer, South Dakota / May to September

Trip shape

Black Hills day or Custer-area stay

Booking

Ranger-guided cave tour

Official Map State Hub

NV / West

Lehman Caves

Great Basin marble cave known for shield formations, historic ranger-guided tours, and a remote high-desert national-park setting.

Baker, Nevada / Late spring to early fall

Trip shape

National-park day or overnight base

Booking

Ranger-guided cave tour

Official Map State Hub

OK / Southwest

Alabaster Caverns State Park

Remote Oklahoma state-park cave known for rare gypsum geology and guided tours through one of the region's more unusual public caves.

Freedom, Oklahoma / Year-round (spring/fall ideal)

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

TN / Southeast

Appalachian Caverns

Northeast Tennessee show cave near Blountville with guided tours and campground-style family-trip appeal.

Blountville, Tennessee / Year-round

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

CA / West

Black Chasm Cavern

While Black Chasm Cavern was likely known about by the local Miwok people who existed in this area long before the gold rush, the first documented exploration occurred in 1854 when a grou...

Volcano, California / May to October

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

SD / Midwest

Black Hills Caverns

Rapid City-area show cave with guided tours and living formations in the Black Hills.

Rapid City, South Dakota / May to September

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

AR / Southeast

Blanchard Springs Caverns

Forest Service cavern in the Ozarks known for underground rivers, flowstone rooms, and guided tours.

Mountain View, Arkansas / May through October, with advance tickets

Trip shape

Ozark forest day or Mountain View stay

Booking

Timed cavern tour

Official Map State Hub

IN / Midwest

Bluespring Caverns

Indiana cave known for underground boat tours on one of the country's longest navigable underground rivers.

Bedford, Indiana / April to October

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

MO / Midwest

Bluff Dwellers Cave

Southwest Missouri show cave near Noel with one-hour guided tours, first-come admission, the Musical Chimes draperies, and a separate reservation-only wild cave tour.

Noel, Missouri / Year-round, with March to October offering the fullest schedule

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

MO / Midwest

Bridal Cave & Thunder Mountain Park

Lake of the Ozarks show cave near Camdenton with year-round guided tours, a constant 60-degree cave, walk-in standard admissions, and add-on formats like lantern and black-light tours.

Camdenton, Missouri / Year-round, with late spring through summer easiest for a fuller lake day

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

TN / Southeast

Bristol Caverns

Northeast Tennessee cave near Bristol with a classic three-level show-cave tour, a nightly Lights Out version, and separate river and advanced adventure trips.

Bristol, Tennessee / Year-round

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

CA / West

California Cavern, State Historic Landmark

Calaveras County cave near Mountain Ranch with seasonal guided walking routes, one of California's oldest public cave histories, and reservation-only spelunking trips that go far beyond a standard show-cave walk.

Mountain Ranch, California / Late spring through fall, but check reopening status first because the official site still says closed for the season as of March 22, 2026

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

AL / Southeast

Cathedral Caverns State Park

North Alabama state-park cave near Woodville with a 90-minute guided tour, a huge 126-foot entrance, oversized formations like Goliath, and enough park lodging and trails to turn the visit into more than a quick cave stop.

Woodville, Alabama / Year-round, but noon or later is often easier during the busy school-trip months

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

TX / Southwest

Cave Without A Name

Texas Hill Country show cave near Boerne with hour-long guided tours, a 126-step descent to six decorated rooms, and a long-running concert tradition.

Boerne, Texas / Year-round, with spring and fall making the Hill Country drive and cave grounds easiest

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

WI / Midwest

Cave of The Mounds, National Natural Landmark

Southwest Wisconsin show cave near Blue Mounds with colorful formations, fossil-bearing limestone, a paved 0.6-mile tour route, and seasonal museum-style plus specialty tours.

Blue Mounds, Wisconsin / Year-round, with summer and early fall giving the fullest mix of museum-style cave access and above-ground grounds

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

TX / Southwest

Caverns of Sonora

West Texas cave near Sonora known for dense crystal formations, helictites, and long guided tours through a warm living cave.

Sonora, Texas / Year-round

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

AR / Southeast

Cosmic Cavern

Ozark show cave near Berryville with a warm 64-degree guided tour, two underground lakes, Silent Splendor, and reservation-only blacklight tours.

Berryville, Arkansas / Year-round, with the cave currently open daily as of March 22, 2026 after its late-winter closure window

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

OH / Midwest

Crystal Cave - Heineman's Winery

Put-in-Bay geode cave beneath Heineman's Winery with room-sized celestite crystals and a short cave-and-cellar combo stop on South Bass Island.

Put-in-Bay, Ohio / Late April to late October, when Put-in-Bay ferry service and winery cave operations overlap cleanly

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

PA / Southeast

Crystal Cave, PA

Historic Kutztown show cave with a one-hour tour, a 125-foot descent, and a larger family property built around Pennsylvania's first show-cave story.

Kutztown, Pennsylvania / March to November

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

KY / Southeast

Crystal Onyx Cave

Family-run Cave City show cave on Prewitts Knob with close-up formations, one-hour tours, and a more personal feel than the bigger nearby cave stops.

Cave City, Kentucky / Spring through fall, though the cave is currently open daily through January 3, 2027 before its late-winter walk-in pause

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

TN / Southeast

Cumberland Caverns

Tennessee's longest show cave near McMinnville with more than 27 miles of passageways and a broad menu of walking, adventure, and overnight tours.

McMinnville, Tennessee / Year-round

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

KY / Southeast

Diamond Caverns

Historic Park City show cave near Mammoth Cave National Park with dense drapery formations, a decorated wet-cave look, and a strenuous one-hour guided loop.

Park City, Kentucky / Year-round

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

VA / Southeast

Dixie Caverns

Blue Ridge show cave in Salem with a 45-minute to one-hour tour, named formations, and a larger roadside property with camping, antiques, and a rock shop.

Salem, Virginia / Year-round

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

FL / Southeast

Florida Caverns State Park

Marianna state-park cave tour with rare air-filled limestone rooms, CCC-built trails, and a broader Chipola River park day around the cave.

Marianna, Florida / Year-round

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

HI / West

Hana Lava Tube

Road to Hana lava tube stop known as Ka'eleku Caverns, with a short self-guided volcanic passage; it is currently closed while an archaeological inventory survey is scheduled.

Hana, Hawaii / Only after the operator posts a reopening; the cave is currently closed while an archaeological inventory survey is scheduled

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

NM / Southwest

Ice Caves

Fire-and-ice stop near Grants where one self-guided ticket covers both Bandera Volcano and a perennial ice cave inside a collapsed lava tube.

Grants, New Mexico / March through October, with the official season currently running March 1 to November 1

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

CA / West

Lake Shasta Caverns

Shasta County cave trip that starts with a catamaran ride and bus climb before a guided limestone tour through decorated rooms, humid air, and more than 600 stair steps.

Lakehead, California / Late spring through fall, though tours generally operate year-round when weather cooperates

Trip shape

Half day or Shasta County outing

Booking

Tour availability and weather conditions

Official Map State Hub

AZ / Southwest

Lava River Cave

A mile-long lava tube near Flagstaff with dramatic dark passages and cool temperatures year-round.

Flagstaff, Arizona / May to October

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

KY / Southeast

Lost River Cave

Kentucky cave and river destination with guided boat tours, trails, and seasonal nature programming.

Bowling Green, Kentucky / March to November

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

IN / Midwest

Marengo Cave

Southern Indiana show cave known for its 1883 discovery story and two main walking tours, from easy Crystal Palace to longer Dripstone Trail.

Marengo, Indiana / Year-round

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

CA / West

Mercer Caverns

Gold Country cave near Murphys with a compact 45-minute guided tour, an older stair-heavy feel, and a stronger history than its short route suggests.

Murphys, California / Late spring through fall, with reduced Thursday-through-Monday operations outside summer

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub

CA / West

Moaning Caverns, Adventure Park

Gold Country cave stop known for California's largest public chamber, a 100-foot spiral staircase, and a split between the family Spiral Tour and the high-effort Expedition Tour.

Vallecito, California / Year-round

Trip shape

Not yet verified

Booking

Not yet verified

Official Map State Hub