See Ice Age fossils, unique cavefish and more at these Indiana caves and caverns
So grab a jacket, pull up your GPS route and travel to these local historic spots for a little spelunking. Here are five Indiana caverns and caves you need to explore this summer.
1459 Blue Spring Cavern Road, Bedford; bluespringcaverns.com
The beautiful Bedford caverns lie an hour and a half south of Indianapolis. Their hour-long boat tour is "America's longest navigable underground river," according to its website, descending 400 feet before ascending again to the exit. The caves host a number of animals like salamanders, bats, blind crayfish and blind cavefish. Tours typically leave on the hour, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
After the boat tour, the caverns offer gemstone mining, in which children can prospect for fossils and gemstones. Visitors can also visit Indiana's largest sinkhole by hiking the half-mile Karst Natural Area Trail, covering 10 acres and reaching 90 feet deep.
Cost: $25 for adults, $12 for youth (age 15 & under)
100 Squire Boone Road, Mauckport; squireboonecaverns.com
These caves feature the largest rimstone dams accessible to the public in the United States. See stalactites, stalagmites and flowstone on the cavern walls, ceilings and floors. The guided one-hour walking tours leave every 30 – 40 minutes. The tour is about a third of a mile long walk on lighted, paved walkways and steel bridges. There is a 73-step spiral staircase at the end, which is not advised for those with serious medical conditions.
When you're finished with the walking tour, you can visit the candle-making cabin, offering 23 different colors with 22 scents. They even have white candles that are unscented for those who are allergic to fragrances. You can also check out the Squire's Barnyard to pet the farm animals, and see how corn is ground into cornmeal and grits at the historic Boone's Mill.
Cost: $26 for adults, $16 for children (ages 4-11), $24 for seniors, infants are free
7315 S. Wyandotte Cave Road, Leavenworth; https://bit.ly/3DnxMZe
The Big Wyandotte Cave tours are only available at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, or by reservation Monday through Thursday. The Big Wyandotte Cave features "rare formations called helicities, plus gypsum, epsomite, and prehistoric flint quarries add variety." These tours will only be offered through Labor Day weekend.
The Little Wyandotte Cave tour will be available from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every half-hour on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This 30-minute tour is completely separate from the Big Wyandotte Cave, offering a "comprehensive view of many flowstone and dripstone formations." The tour is considered easy and is open to all ages.
Cost: $18 for adults, $9 for children (ages 6-11) for Big Wyandotte Cave tour; $8 for adults, $4 for children (ages 6-11), free for children 6 years old or under for Little Wyandotte Cave tour
1267 Green Acres Drive SW, Corydon; indianacaverns.com
Indiana's longest cave tour is approximately 80 minutes long, with sights like the Midwest's largest deposits of Ice Age bones and fossils, along with a 40-foot waterfall. The walking and boat tour is on grated steel walkways with sections of stairs, descending and ascending 110 feet below the surface to the underground river. The cave is not accessible for strollers or wheelchairs. These caves are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Labor Day.
The caverns also have an outdoor zip line/steel rollercoaster called the "Bat Chaser," listed as the "only the second ride of its kind in the United States and first in the Midwest." They also offer "The Plunge," a 50-foot drop on a controlled descent. Tickets are not available for online purchase.
Cost: $27 for adults, $17 for children (ages 4-11)
400 E. State Road 64, Marengo; marengocave.com
Marengo Cave offers two different tours: the Crystal Palace and the Dripstone Trail. The Crystal Palace is an easy 40-minute tour packed with formation-filled rooms. The Dripstone Trail is a 60-minute tour known for "delicate soda straws, totem pole stalagmites, and Penny Ceiling." Both tours leave every 30 minutes, with the caves open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. all days.
You can race to solve the "Miner's Maze," a wooden life-size maze complete with four checkpoints. For an extra challenge, find the letters B-A-T-S or R-O-C-K. Or both! The maze costs $5 and takes approximately 10-30 minutes to solve.
Cost: $32 for adults, $20 for children (ages 4-12), free for ages 3 and under
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