This giant natural cave is right below one of America's favorite theme parks
When I first walked into Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, I knew I was in for a treat.
My morning started with a breakfast of biscuits and house-made apple butter (plus all of the other traditional American breakfast fare) at Molly’s Mill Restaurant. Roller coasters, fried delights on a stick, live craftsmen, and the hordes of people lining up for the park’s iconic “Fire in the Hole” attraction were all vying for my attention. But little did I know that just below me was an entire natural cave system waiting to be explored.
Silver Dollar City is a theme park built on top of a giant cave
Silver Dollar City has a unique history for a theme park, and it all revolves around the discovery of a natural cave dubbed Marvel Cave. Its history as a tourist attraction began in 1894 through the efforts of a Canadian entrepreneur named William Henry Lynch and his two daughters. For more than five decades, the cave was a "show cave" for tourists. In 1950, Hugo Herschend leased the cave, and in 1960, the Hershchend family built a replica of the 1880s Ozark Mountain Village around the entrance to the cave. This is the start of what we know today as Silver Dollar City.
MAKE MEMORIES: See the best of America at these 25 incredible family vacation spots in the U.S.Fast forward to today, and a tour of Marvel Cave is actually part of your entry fee at Silver Dollar City. The wet limestone cave has incredible rock formations, waterfalls, and plenty of history to tell as expert guides lead curious visitors like me into the cave.
Spelunking at Silver Dollar City
To say I was nervous about going nearly 500 below the surface of the Ozarks is an understatement. Despite my fascination with cave hotels, I'd never been in a cave before. What made me most apprehensive was “The Tallmans Headache,” a narrow pass about four feet high, seven feet long, and two feet wide.
BEST TRIP EVER: 101 fresh new family vacation ideas for every age and budget
Still, I wasn’t going to let my fear of tiny spaces get the best of me. Heck, earlier in the day, I rode a rollercoaster where individual ride cars spin as you go upside down and whizz across the track. If I could do that, I figured, I could make it through a few small passageways in a cave below the theme park.
The check-in desk is inside the gift shop near the front of the park. After registering, you pass through a simulated opening for the “Tallmans Headache” to ensure you and your things will fill in the smallest part of the cave. My mind was already calming down after ensuring both I and my backpack would fit through the small opening.
TEEN-FRIENDLY TRIPS: 10 best vacation ideas for families with teenagers
Groups for the tour are relatively large. Mine maxed out at 45 people, ranging from pre-schoolers to older adults, and you don't need special equipment. Tours often last about 60 minutes, though mine was closer to 90 because the group had a lot of questions for our spelunking guide, who was happy to answer just about anything.
Getting into the cave
After getting all of the safety details out of the way, we were on our way. The walk to the cave's entrance was short, and our guide warned us that once we started to descend into the cave, there was no opting out. We were given one last chance to ditch the tour, but I pressed on.
KID-FRIENDLY: 19 best family resorts and hotels in the U.S.
We entered the Cathedral Room, the largest cave entrance room in the United States, nearly 300 feet below the surface. Once we reached the bottom of the room, Silver Dollar City staff took our photos. (These souvenir pictures can be bought after the tour.) In the Cathedral Room, we learned about the history of the Marvel Cave and spotted a few bats flying around.
The tour continued past incredible rock formations, which are still alive and growing. Because of that, you aren't allowed to touch the sides of the cave. One of the most unusual sites was a wall of formations that hung from the top of the cave and looked like hanging bacon when a light shined through.
Then I came to the underground waterfall, in what’s aptly named the Waterfall Room. I was 505 feet below the entrance to the cave but in complete awe of the colorfully backlit waterfall in front of me. The falls cascade 40 feet to the ground. According to the cave guide, divers have tried to find where the massive amounts of water from the cave end up. A finish line to the maze of underground waterways hasn’t been found yet.
BUDGET-FRIENDLY: 11 cheap family vacations that are super fun
My tour of Marvel Cave was coming to a close after more than an hour. The return to civilization above was easy, thanks to a cable train. Everyone in the group piled into one of the train cars to begin the 1,070-foot-ascent back to the surface.
Is the Marvel Cave tour worth it at Silver Dollar City?
I’m glad I did the cave tour. It’s a unique offering at Silver Dollar City. And even more so, it’s the heart of the park with a deeply rooted history. There are also plenty of Instagram-worthy cave rooms to show off to people back home. It's worth the time commitment, especially if it's your first time at the park and you want to learn some of the history behind Silver Dollar City.
Even though Silver Dollar City sees up to two million guests per year, only about 10% to 15% of those people do the cave tours. So, now I feel like I’m part of a cool cave diving club, and you can be part of the club, too, on your next visit to Silver Dollar City.
This giant natural cave is right below one of America's favorite theme parks (and yes, you’re allowed to explore it) originally appeared on FamilyVacationist.com.
More from FamilyVacationist:
The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY. FamilyVacationist.com and TourScoop.com are owned and operated by Vacationist Media LLC. Using the FamilyVacationist travel recommendation methodology, we review and select family vacation ideas, family vacation spots, all-inclusive family resorts, and classic family vacations for all ages. TourScoop covers guided group tours and tour operators, tour operator reviews, tour itinerary reviews and travel gear recommendations.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is the Marvel Cave tour worth it at Silver Dollar City?
