Show Caves of Missouri

Compiled from various sources by the Missouri Department of Conservation
December 14, 2001

These caves are not owned by the Department. Be sure to contact the operators for their schedules, as the information below may be out of date. The government-operated caves may be closed seasonally for bats.

1. Bluff Dweller's Cave & Museum - Route 2 Box 229, Noel, MO 64854. Phone: 417/475- 3666. Directions: State Highway 59, about 2 miles south of Noel. The soft limestone cliffs of southwest Missouri have many projecting overhangs that were used by the Indians for campsites. The cave is alive and growing, and a shallow lake near the exit has a fine example of a rimstone dam.

2. Bridal Cave - Route 2, Box 255, Camdenton, MO 65020. Phone: 573/346-2676. Directions: MO Highway. 5, about 3 1/2 miles north of Camdenton. Located on an arm of the Lake of the Ozarks, Bridal Cave has access by boat as well as by car. The cave is notable for the flowstone draperies that cover the entire wall of the main chamber. Legend has it that an Indian princess married an Indiana brave in the cave and thus the name Bridal Cave which has seen more than 1100 marriages.

3. Cameron Cave - P0 Box 913, Mark Twain Cave Park, Hannibal, MO 63401. Phone: 573/221-1656. Directions: One mile south of Hannibal on MO Highway. 79. This cave offers visitors the opportunity to see the cave very nearly as it was when it was first discovered. Tours must be guided due to the maze-type with complex passageways and visitors each carry lanterns.

4. Cave Springs Onyx Cavern - RR 1, Box 90, Van Buren, MO 63965. Phone: 573/323- 4558. Directions: On US 60, about 2 miles west of Van Buren. This small cave has a varied history and is reported to have been used as a hiding place station on the Underground Railroad. The cave is also reputed to have been used by Jesse James as a hideout after the Gad's Hill Train Robbery. There are almost no bare walls exposed; flowstone and formations have nearly filled the passage.

5. Crystal Cave - Route 1 Box 590, Springfield, Greene Co., MO 65803. Phone: 41 7/833- 9599.Open 9:00 AM, last tour 1:15 PM, 1:20 tour. $9 adults. Directions: Five miles north of 1-44 on Highway H. The cave is well decorated and the underground scenery includes cave popcorn, grapes and coral formations. One of the highlights of the tour is the Helictite Room. Also there are Indian symbols left in the cave from early times.

6. Crystal Caverns - Route 3, Cassville, Barry County, MO 65625. Out of business, managed by Missouri Caves and Karst Conservancy. Directions: On Route 3 off State Business Route 37 north, Cassville. Although the cave is principally one large room, the interstices in the breakdown make it seem to be a series of rooms. There are fine examples of aragonite crystals and a display of crinoid stems in the Fossil Room at the end of the tour.

7. Devil's Icebox - Rock Bridge Memorial State Park - 5901 South Highway 163, Columbia, MO 65203. Phone: 573/449-7402 for reservations. Directions: About three miles south of Columbia on South Highway 163. Follow signs to Park Office. This is one of the largest water caves in the U.S. and has more than 6 miles of mapped passageways. Join a "wild cave tour" via small canoes, from September-November and February-March. Interesting hydrology, geology and biology. Good physical conditioning required, must be 14 or older. The cave-adapted "pink planarian" is known only from this cave, which is also a significant Gray bat roost in the summer. See http://www.mostateparks.com/rockbridge/cave.htm.

8. Fantastic Caverns - Route 20, Box 1935, Springfield, MO 65803. Phone: 417/833-2010. Directions: Off 1-44 on US13, 1_ miles north to Fantastic Caverns Road. Privately owned, Fantastic offers a 55-minute, ride-through tour in a comfortable tram, with emphasis on the conservation of caves, karst and groundwater. This large cave, discovered in 1862, is inhabited by the Ozark cavefish and the Bristly cave crayfish. It is open daily except for major holidays. Educational tours and activities are available to schools, including the Adventure Tour, Educational Tour, and Summer Discovery, which includes archaeology. A newsletter, Ozark Adventure, goes to over 70,000 students semi-annually. Call (417) 833-2010 or see http://www.fantasticcaverns.com/

9. Fantasy World Caverns - Route 3 Eldon, MO 65026. Phone: 573/392-2115. Directions: Seven miles east of Bagnell Dam on US 54 and 1/4 mile west of junction of Highway 52. It has a nearly level floor and easy trail. The cave is also noted for its spongework on ceilings and walls which provide interesting contrasts of light and shadow. Several small streams converge and form a pool known as the Fountainof Youth.

10. Fisher Cave - Meramec State Park, Route 4, Box 4, Sullivan, MO 63080. Phone: 573/468-8155. Directions: Take Sullivan Exit off 1-44, south on State Highway 185 about 4 miles to park entrance. An educational emphasizing natural history. Stooping required in the last half of the passage. A _-mile, 90-minute lantern tour is conducted along concrete walkways by park staff. The corridor leads to broad, high and well-decorated rooms. Many fine speleothems, especially stalactiflats. There are more than 38 caves in Meramec State Park, but only Fisher Cave is shown by guided tour. From October 31 until Memorial Day there are two daily tours Thursday-Monday, then four daily tours all week until Labor Day, after which it reverts to the reduced schedule again until April 1. The cave is closed in the summer for bats. Call 573/468- 6072.

11. Honey Branch Cave - HCR-66 Box 193, Sparta, MO 665753. Phone: 417/683-3733. Directions: Off State Highway 14, 10 miles east of Sparta at the Douglas-Christian County Line near Elkhead. Honey Branch Cave and pràperty give a glimpse of the historic Ozark countryside as it used to be. Spelunking tours can be arranged into the cave by reservation. Please call ahead.

12. Indian Burial Cave - P0 Box 242, Osage Beach, MO 65065. Phone: In Season - 573/348-2207, Off Season - 573/348-2207. Directions: Located south of Bagnell Dam. Take State Highway 54 and off on County Route D. The limestone bluffs along the Osage River contain a number of caves which were used by Indians for shelter. The cave trip is by means of a flat- bottomed boat that follows an underground stream. The cave route terminates at a waterfall flowing over natural rimstone pools at the rear of the cave.

13. Jacob's Cave - Route 2, Versailles, MO 65084. Phone: 573/378-4374. Directions: Off State Highway 5 about 6 miles south of Versailles. Paved trails permit an easy tour (also suitable for wheelchairs). A small stream flows throughout the main section of the cave. The stream did not form the cave which appears to have formed below the water table when the creek valley did not exist. Prehistoric bone and fossil teeth were found when the cave was discovered.

14. Mark Twain Cave - P0 Box 913, Hannibal, MO 63401. Phone: 573/221-1656. Directions: On State Highway 79, about 1 mile south of Hannibal. Located in the bluffs along the Mississippi River, Mark Twain Cave is the actual cave that influenced the description by Samuel Clemens when he wrote his classic "Tom Sawyer". The cave is dry and the floor nearly level. There are Candlelight Tours when the electricity is turned off and visitors carry candles.

15. Marvel Cave - Silver Dollar City, Marvel Cave Park, MO 65616. Phone: 417/338-8220. Directions: On State Highway 79, about 12 miles west of Branson. Marvel Cave, located about three miles from White River. Silver Dollar City is built above the cave, and it attracts many visitors. Marvel Cave has one of the largest entrance rooms in the United States and is the oldest operating show cave in Missouri. Bats are no longer visible on the tour.

16. Meramec Caverns - Highway W, Stanton, MO 63079. 573/468-3166. Directions: Take Exit 230 off 1-44 at Stanton. Follow Highway W to the end. The cave is large with good formations and an underground river. The tour is entertaining.

17. Onondaga Cave State Park & Cathedral Cave - Route 1, Box 115, Leasburg, MO 65535. Phone: 573/245-6600. Directions: Exit 214 off Interstate 44 at Leasburg, take State Road H to the end of the road. Onondaga Cave is one of the finest show caves in the United States, and it has a very educational tour and exhibit. It is highly active with dripping water and a flowing stream. There are huge formations, picturesque scenic overlooks, lily pad pools and striking coloration of the walls and ceiling. Open March 1-Oct. 31. Cathedral Cave, located on a hiking trail about _ mile from the campground parking area, is a lantern tour over concrete trails with handrails all the way. The electric lighting has been removed, but the individual features of the cave provide an outstanding tour, available only on Saturdays and Sundays, March 1-Oct. 31. Both caves are owned and operated by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

18. Onyx Mountain Caverns - Route 2 Box 545, Newburg, MO 65550. Phone: 573/762-3341. Directions: Take I-44 to Jerome Exit, then two miles on Rural Route 2 to Newburg. This cave was once used to mine onyx for the purpose of building decorations. The large natural entrance is more than a hundred feet across. Historical tour with signs of mining still visible in the cave. Open Wed.-Sun., 9:00-4:00.

19. Ozark Caverns - Route 1 Box 371, Linn Creek, MO 65052. Phone: 573/346-2500. Directions: One mile east of Linn Creek on US 54 take State Highway A east about 8_ miles. Follow directional signs. Part of Lake of the Ozarks State Park, it is a medium-sized cave. The highlight of the cave is the "Angel's Shower." Three tours are offered: a traditional tour, a special tour, which is twice as long and goes into detail about caves and cave life, and a children's tour. The latter two tours are offered June 1 to August 15 only. The cave is open March through October, although educational groups can request off-season tours. The cave is wheelchair accessible. Closed Nov. 1-March 1. April-May and Sept.-Oct. tours are on weekends at 11:00, 1:00, and 3:00. June to Sept. tours are all week.

20. The Ozark Underground Laboratory - A private research company east of Branson, OUL gives lectures and tours on caves and karst for professional groups and college groups in the extensive Tumbling Creek Cave. There is a basic trail without electric lights. Surface karst features are also shown. The cave has high biodiversity and the tour is a mini-course in karst hydrology and ecology. Call 417/785-4289.

21. Round Spring Cavern, on Highway 19 between Salem and Eminence, is operated by the National Park Service, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Box 490, Van Buren, MO 63965. A highly educational tour on basic trails with electric hand lanterns gives the family a feeling of caving. Along the trail you may see a few Cave salamanders, Grotto salamanders and Eastern pipistrelle bats. The cave contains fine large formations and features aragonite crystals, helictites, sponge work, glauconite, and stromatolites, and the geologic history is more evident than in most caves. Open between Memorial Day and Labor Day, two tours daily limited to 15 people, no reservations, inexpensive admission. School groups are especially welcome. See their web site at www.nps.gov/ozar, which contains a teacher's curriculum guide, More Than Skin Deep and a guide to cave bats. Call 573/858-3297, extension 23.

22. Talking Rocks Cavern - Silver Dollar City, Marvel Cave Park, MO 65616. Phone: 417272- 3366. Directions: On State Highway 13, 5 miles south of Reeds Spring. Five miles west of Silver Dollar City. A light-and-sound experience has been added to the tour. The massive decorations and fine acoustics of the chambers provide a dramatic and exciting cave trip.

23. Truitt's Cave - P0 Box 126, Lanagan, MO 64847. Phone: 417/436-2299. Directions: Located on Highway 59 at EE Junction, 6 miles north of Noel. There is a large spring 7765 feet from the entrance. In an underground dining room, there is perhaps the only underground fireplace in the world having a natural flue.