Current River Cavern, formerly called "Big Spring Onyx Cavern," is an exceptionally well decorated cave with a wide variety of natural cave formations. A year round stream flows through the tour passage beneath the boardwalk and a small waterfall can be seen flowing from a side passage after heavy rains. It is the longest mapped cave in Carter County, Missouri. The temperature inside the cave is a cool 58°F year round, very nice on a hot summer day.
Current River Cavern is the first commercial cave with absolutely no wires for lighting. We use remote controlled, battery powered LED lights that give off a restricted light spectrum that does not disturb the cave life or promote algae growth which can damage formations.
Tours of Current River Cavern cost $12 per person and are given all day during our hours of operation. The tour lasts 30-40 minutes and includes a tour of the mineral/fossil museum and nature center. There is a flat boardwalk that covers most of the tour section.
The cave is lighted by remote controlled LED lights, but flashlights are available to borrow in the gift shop so you can look around. We allow photography inside the cave so bring your camera! Please, no flash photography of sleeping bats.
For groups of 20 or more please give us a call or place a reservation online. For groups of less than 20 simply show up! We'll be ready for you.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
(click question to expand answer) |
Is the cave tour guided? |
We offer guided tours of Current Rive Cavern only. Our guides have a wealth of information on the cave and its formations and are trained to give you an interesting and exciting cave tour. |
What should I wear? |
The temperature in the cave is a constant 58° Fahrenheit (14.44° C) all year. During a hot summer day (80°+ F, 26.67°+ C)), the cave feels like a well air-conditioned room so shorts, T-shirts, open-toed shoes, and other light summer clothing are fine (no bathing suits and no high-heels). If the outside temperature is much below 80°, we recommend sweaters, long pants, and close-toed shoes, but you can wear whatever you are comfortable in. The tour passage has a smooth boardwalk through most of its length, making extra foot protection unnecessary.
|
Do I need a helmet? |
If you have your own helmet, feel free to bring it. We do provide plastic bump caps when you sign up for your tour, which are quite effective in avoiding bumped heads. These caps appear flimsy, but when the cap touches the ceiling you will feel it before your head gets there. |
Can I bring a flashlight? |
You can bring your own flashlight if you like. We do provide flashlights at the start of the tour, so bringing your own is not necessary. Our cave is lit by LED lights during the tour, but the lights don't cover every inch of the cave so having a flashlight along lets you see more than you would be abe to otherwise. |
Can I take pictures inside the cave? |
You can take all the photos that you like in the cave, or we can take a few for you. We ask that you do not take flash photos of sleeping bats, as this disturbs them from their sleep and frequently disturbed bats may leave the cave and not return in the future. |
Can I touch the formations? |
You can touch the formations in the entrance chamber ONLY. This part of the cave gets a lot of air circulation and is very dry as a result, so your touch will not cause damage to the formations here. For the rest of the tour (starting at the first point you have to duck), we ask that you DO NOT touch any formations. The natural oils on your hands (as well as those found in lotions you may have used) will repel water from the place that you touched, and it is this mineral-bearing water that causes the formations to grow. |
How many people can go in one tour? |
We can only take 8 people on the cave tour at a time (up to 10 in a pinch). The reason for this is that most of the cave passage is narrow enough that your group will have to walk single-file, putting the last people in the group at a fair distance from the guide where they may not get to hear everything that is said. We could pack more people into our tour groups, but we have found that it will only negatively affect your experience. We can, however, have two tour groups in the cave at a time, each with their own guide. This way, if you brought a large group of people and we have to split you into two or more tour groups, we can still get you through the tour in a timely manner without having to wait for the tour ahead of you to finish.
|
Should I make a reservation? |
Yes, reservations are highly recommended! If you show up without a reservation, we will do our best to get you into the cave as quickly as possible, but you will have to wait for any customers with reservations to complete their tours first.
Please Call or Email for Reservations. |
What if I am claustrophobic? |
Claustrophobia (the fear of tight places) is not uncommon. The tour passage of our cave is low in a few places, but not so much that you would have to crawl on hands and knees. Most people who tell us that they are claustrophobic have no trouble at all in our cave, but if you feel like you have to end the tour early please let your guide know and you will be escorted to the front of the cave or to the rear exit, whichever is closer. Current River Cavern is actually a great place to conquer claustrophobia, as its narrow places are not so small as to pose any danger or major discomfort. |
What if I am afraid of the dark? |
Our tour passage is lit with LED lights and flash lights are provided at the start of the tour, so you shouldn't have a problem. Sometimes the guides will ask a tour group if they want to experience the total blackness that is the cave's natural state, but this part of the tour is completely voluntary. If you are afraid of the dark, just let your guide know and the lights will remain on. |
Do you give cave tours in bad weather? |
Since you'll be under ground for the entire tour, you won't get wet if it's raining outside. We can give cave tours in all weather conditions.
You may have heard that caves can flood quickly in heavy rains, but this is not true with Current River Cavern. While our cave can and does flood (in which case we would not be giving tours), it usually takes several days of rain plus several more days for the water to filter through the ground before we notice an increase in the water level in the cave. Usually, all that happens is the amount of water dripping from the ceiling increases a day or so after it rains.
|
How much should I tip my guide? |
Our guides are trained to ensure that you have a safe, memorable, and enjoyable experience. The industry standard for tipping is 15-20% of the tour rate per person… much like a restaurant. Tips are not expected, but greatly appreciated.
Don't forget to like us on Facebook and recommend us on Google!
|
Will there be bathroom and water breaks during the cave tour? |
We DO NOT have water stations in the cave, and we highly suggest that you take advantage of our restroom facilities prior to your tour. The tour can last 35 to 45 minutes, and there will NOT be a restroom break during your tour. |
Do you offer tours of the wild sections of the cave? |
We do not offer wild cave tours at this time. While there are some impressive sites in the back sections of the cave, getting there involves a long, muddy crawl through 58° F (14.44° C) water, requiring a wetsuit to avoid hypothermia, with little air space in some places. This may not bother you if you are a professional caver, but we do not have anyone qualified to come get you if anything goes wrong. |
Right of Refusal |
Our staff is well trained and cares about your safety very much. Cave Spring Park reserves the right to refuse anyone access to the cave tours if we feel it would be unsafe for that person, our other guests or our staff. Some examples of someone we might turn away would be a guest under the influence of drugs or alcohol, someone that will not or cannot understand or obey the rules and those who are physically unable to do a cave tour. We do everything in our power to get guests out on a tour and give them safe access to our cave. However, Cave Spring Park and our staff will have the final say on any particular person going on or continuing on a tour. |
