Which Cave Should I Visit?

If you are looking for a fun day or weekend getaway in Alabama there are plenty of places to consider. Maybe even perhaps a cave! Alabama is home to over 4,500 different caves. Exploring caves in America can be dangerous. However, the caves that offer guided tours are considerably safer. My family and I had the opportunity to explore one of America’s largest caves and I want to share our adventure with you.

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How To Choose the Right Cave to Explore in Alabama

If you’re a seasoned adventurer, you can choose to explore some of the off beaten path caves nestled in Alabama. Some that may intrigue you are Neversink Cavern, Shelta Cave, and Stephens Gap Cave. I don’t consider these caves safe for children to explore with family.

Desoto Caverns, Rickwood Caverns, Russell Cave, and Cathedral Caverns are four caves in Alabama that were recommended to my family and I to explore. My family and I have grown to love outdoor adventures, well, the safe kinds. We decided to explore Cathedrals Caverns. Exploring one of America’s largest caves, Cathedral Caverns, was the best decision for our weekend fun and it did not disappoint.

Cathedral Caverns in Woodville Alabama

Woodville, Alabama is located about 20 miles outside of Huntsville, Alabama. The route that we drove offered us a beautiful scenic view of mountains and wide green land. Now, we did lose a little Wi-Fi reception along the way, but they gave the kids more reasons to look up and what my husband and I were looking at along our drive.

We passed several chain stores and restaurants before our arrival. This gave us an opportunity to stop for restroom breaks, stretching, lunch, and extra snacks.

Upon our arrival at the caverns, we noticed that there is an option to camp on their campgrounds as well as a space to just set up for the day to relax and grill. There was ample parking space near the actual cavern for visitors including handicap accessible spaces.

When arriving at the caverns you will immediately notice the grand entrance of the enormous cave. However, you must make a stop at the cavern’s visitor center to purchase tour tickets to enter the cave. The visitor center also has a store that sells souvenirs and snacks. The porch at the visitor center offers ample seating areas including a few rocking chairs to enjoy the breeze.

One of the additional offers of visiting Alabama’s Cathedral Caverns is an opportunity to mine for gems. There is an additional charge for this activity, but you can get more information at the visitor center.

What To Know Before You Go to Cathedral Caverns

This was our first visit ever to a cave, so I will attempt to share with you what I wish I would have known before going and what you need to know before your visit. We visited the cave on a fairly warm, but windy day. I was glad that we each had our jackets because the cave was cold on some turns and damp. Make sure that you are wearing good sneakers, not the cute sneakers that lack grip and are just for style looks. You will thank me later if you take my advice.

If you have any type of arthritis in your body you will probably want to take some type of medical relief like Motrin along with you as well. The damp climate inside of the cave and the walking may cause a little flare up. Personally, I have to deal with this issue with one of my knees, so yeah, that’s that!

Make sure that you are fully hydrated before your visit because this tour is like a slow workout. You will do a lot of walking, but what makes it great is the view. It’s truly majestic to see in person. You will stroll up and down slightly slippery trails that will make you winded if you are not in the best of health or shape. Also, it will be in your best interest to make sure that your phone is fully charged for great pictures and videos.

During visits strollers were allowed for parents with small children, so if this need applies to your family, double check before your visit to make sure that this exception hasn’t changed. If your young child is potty training, make sure that they visit the restroom before the start of the tour and limit drinks before the tour. There are not restrooms inside of the cave.

To my ladies with natural hair textures please be mindful that the humidity around and inside of the cave is 100%. Your silk press will revert, and your curls will drop. It’s the perfect time to wear your hair in a high or low puff, or a hat like those sold by Mission on this day.

Overall, we enjoyed our visit to Cathedral Caverns in Woodville, Alabama and our looking forward to our next adventure! Have you ever visited a cave? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Thanks for reading!

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