Taking a tour of Natural Bridge Caverns is easy, but there are a few things to keep in mind as you prepare:
1. Wear grippy shoes: Our caverns are alive, which means water makes its way into the cave, keeping the formations growing. The sidewalks can be wet and having a rubber soled shoe (like sneakers or sandals you’d wear for hiking) is a good idea. To be clear, you’ll be on sidewalks the entire tour, so it’s not rocky, but the walkways can be slick steep and wet in spots. Don’t worry though – there are handrails throughout.
2. Stairs: There are many stairs in each of our two caverns. This means strollers are NOT recommended in our Discovery Cavern and not allowed at all in our Hidden Cavern. Stroller parking is available.
3. Dress for 85 degrees: The temperature in our cave is 70 degrees – but there is 99% humidity which feels more like the mid 80s. Depending on the time of year of your visit you might want to dress in layers. That way you are prepared for the weather above and below ground.
4. Beverages: The only thing you can take with you to drink in the cave is water. Period. No other drinks. We are very passionate about protecting the cave. Feel free to bring a refillable water bottle. No food is allowed at all.
5. Fitness: We consider both of our tours to be mildly strenuous, but what does that mean? You’ll be descending stairs, going down about 180 feet. That’s not so bad, right? But what goes down must come back up (really, we insist on it). Coming back up from our Discovery Tour involves ascending 180 feet of switchbacks and ramps. You can take your time, but it’s still uphill. In our Hidden Wonders tour we have the B.A.T., a belt assisted transport, that takes you back to the surface – but you need to have good balance to ride it. Bottom line, know your limitations.
6. Pictures in the cave: Charge that phone! We find that modern smart phones take amazing pictures in the relatively low light of the cave.
7. Cave Kisses: Living caves grow thanks to water making its way into the cave. That means sometimes you might get a tiny drop of water on your head! We call those cave kisses, and we consider them a tiny blessing from the cave.
//Tour Grid Filter Block
