“America's only drive through cave!”
A small, family owned business, it was discovered in 1862 by an Ozarks farmer - or more precisely, by his dog, who crawled through an entrance. It wasn't until five years later that the first exploration took place: 12 women from Springfield, answering a newspaper ad seeking explorers, ventured into the cave. Their names remain on a cave wall today. Because the beauty of Fantastic Caverns is vulnerable, the Cave is toured in jeep-drawn trams. Since you ride all of the way through, you experience the magnitude, the stillness, and the splendor of Fantastic Caverns while preserving its natural features. Wise stewardship preserves this natural wonder for your children and grandchildren for decades to come.
Wonderful! We almost did not stop here because we were traveling with our dog. We called and found out that you ride in a jeep and dogs are welcome! This was such a cool place. We all enjoyed this, even the dog.
Dog friendly!!! They let us sit with our pup up in the front. Beautiful cavern! Lovely staff! It's a must see.
Fun stop! The tour is about $25 per person and very relaxing since you ride through the whole cave.
Friendly people who are also dog friendly! They invited our two golden retrievers to ride in the jeep with us!
Absolutely brilliant!! The tour guides are very personable, tell good stories about the place, and make you feel welcomed!
It's a tour on wheels, not on foot. Doesn't mean it's not interesting or worthwhile, just means it's a different way of doing things! It's still very interesting and saves the ecosystem of the cave from the people who aren't respectful !!!!
Worth the stop !!
No rv parking so we couldn’t stop.
After a disastrous trip to the Meramec Caverns, I was wary to try another cavern tour, but I'm so glad I did! The Fantastic Caverns are amazing! The tour is only about $25 and it's a very comfortable and very informative tram ride. So, since I had my 9-month old son with me that was very convenient. He wasn't too fussy since there was always something to look at.
Our tour guide was so nice and seemed to really be into the history of the cave and made it a really great experience. There's also a fantastic gift shop. Basically, everyone who works here is lovely and very sweet. The caves are beautiful and their history is pretty rad. I'll definitely come back on my next Route 66 road trip, when my son is a bit older so he can enjoy it himself.
Stopped here on our way beck home to Ma. Saw the Signs along the way and Coming upon the last exit We Said Why not. It was The Best Little Side Trip. Had A Great time Learned something New great Experience. If your looking for A Great place to Stop & Unwind and Cool Down and Learn Something Along the Way. Bring your kids & Have A good Time.
FYI: No Social distancing- just writing this review to save those that care about the CDC regulations the time.
This place states on the website that they social distance vistors on the tour. But when we got there we saw one on the trams and it was at full capacity with no social distancing whatsoever. I asked the front desk if they had socially distanced tours available as they had stated online and the man matter of factly said that it was just the way it was there. It’s misleading to have that on the website and have a different policy on site. It’s too bad because my kids were looking forward to it and it took up an hour out of our way. Just be upfront about your policies so that you don’t put people out while on vacation.
This was definitely worth the stop on our Route 66 Tour. It was just my wife and I and we thoroughly enjoyed it, but families would REALLY enjoy it. It's not on the scale of Mammoth Caves, but it is great. And you rides all the way through on a keep pulled wagon. Fabulous Tour Guides, well trained... thank-you for a GREAT your Katie!! And the quality of every aspect of Fantastic Caverns (grounds, tour building, keeps, gift shop, care of the caverns) speaks of qus litt reinvestment. This is a very well maintained and impressive place. Tour lasts about an hour. All narrated by the tour guide. Really following COVID Protocols. Would be fabulous on a HOT summer day, and the cavern is always a pleasant 60 degrees. Also, squeaky clean place!!
What a great trip here. Highly suggested and pets are welcome as long as they are comfortable sitting in a jeep trailer (with seats) and other people. It is 60 degrees in there all year long so if you get cold bring a sweater.
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Fantastic Caverns
Hours
- Sun - Sat: 8:00 am - 8:00 pm
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