Crystal Cave

The cave was very interesting. First off bring a jacket because it is seriously nippily down there and although I loved it, some were complaining because they were in summer gear. The place itself looks like it was frozen in time back in the 80’s or something. Everything is very dusty and it doesn’t seem like it gets much action. The guide however was very informative and it was fun. The kids of course had the most fun with the exception of some adults that were even more fascinated than the kids. I really enjoyed the shop towards the end of the tour and wish they had just a few more crystals for sale being that it is called crystal cave. This is definitely a place that kids will enjoy and find fascinating.

I’ve explored a fair number of caves. A surprising number, actually, considering that I have no real interest in geology or spelunking or claustrophobia. Yet, there I find myself every few years, stuffed into the annals of our nation’s underground wonders.
Crystal Cave may not be the most awe-​inspiring of the subterranean splendors I’ve visited, but it does hold a few surprises.
First off, Crystal Cave is cave-​centric. This isn’t one of those amusement parks built around a hole in the ground. There are no kiddie train rides. There’s no hedge maze. There’s no zip-​line. There’s a gift shop, yes, and a café, but those elements should come customary with any cave-​going experience – sort of like Cinnabons and malls.
Second, that gift shop is the tits. Yeah, they have all kind of rocks, but they also have hats that look like skunks, skulls made out of crystal, T-​shirts with pictures of deer, multicolored friendship bracelets, candy that’s pretty much just high fructose corn syrup in a tube, and so much more.
Lastly, shout out to Stacy and Cliff. These two guides CRUSHED IT. And, by that, I mean that I have never in my many years of half-​interested cavern traversing seen two more enthusiastic and informative tour leaders. Stacy has the knowledge to back up her pep and our group clung like stalagmites to her every word. And Cliff, well, Cliff loves Crystal Cave so much we saw him after his tour pacing the grounds with a broom and dustpan. That there’s a man who just won’t quit.
One star off for the informational video they make you watch before your descent. This movie was like ineffective foreplay – stumbling and fumbling before you get to the good stuff.
Go Cliff!

LOCATION:? STARS
Not next to an Interstate, but that is where the Caves are. Lots or parking.
TOUR: 3.75 STARS
The caves are not huge. There are no gondolas. There are some stairs involved. The guide was good (Ron). One leaves understanding how such caves and their formations were formed. These things do not occur everywhere, if one understands what such an experience is (we did Howes caverns many years ago), then one will be pleased.
GIFT SHOP: 3.75 STARS
Many cool geodes and crystals that I do not recall seeing elsewhere.

What an awesome experience! Wish I remembered our tour guides name. Young fellow, baby blue eyes with a buzzed cut… Couldn’t have asked for a better guide. He was very informative with a great sense of humor. Will definitely recommend to family and friends…

I went with a group of people and it sucked it was small toy were not able to explore any of the cave. I’m a kid and I found it not entertaining at all. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. All the pictures are false advertising the place

A very «special» thanks to my GPS for taking me on a crazy wacky narrow route off of US-​222 with numerous sharp turns and hills just so we could get here. This didn’t feel right! Because when we went home, the GPS took us on a different route back to US-​222, and it was a lot smoother. At least it was really worth the effort to come here. Why you may ask? Read on, my friend.
The cave and gift shop complex was located in the middle of nowhere. We were able to find a parking spot that was right off of a main road. We had to buy our tickets at the gift shop and then proceed to the cave entrance at a certain time for the guided tour. As we waited, we looked at the rocks, clothing, and other pricey souvenirs that were existent at the gift shop. When our tour time got closer, we proceeded to the cave entrance.
When we got to the cave entrance, we were greeted by a tour guide (a friendly college girl) and then proceeded to a room to watch a short movie about the history of the caves and the overnight inn that was operational long ago. Apparently the gift shop used to be the operational overnight inn, which was cool. Anyone who enjoys learning history may enjoy this movie. After that, we were led into the cave.
There were some similarities with the Indian Echo cave that I went to the day before. Her explanations about rock formations and water dropping from above were no different than the ones at Indian Echo. She also said that if a water drop lands on your head, it could be a sign of good luck. She also turned off all of the lights so everyone could see how dark it was in the cave. We also had to duck under some rocks above in order to reach some other parts of a tunnel. Lastly, the cave was 54 degrees, which felt really cool and served as a retreat from the hot weather.
Of course there were some interesting differences here, too. We learned that bats flew around here at night, hence the explanation for «open-​air» vents at the cave entrance. Our tour guide showed us the hole where the bats slept, which was known as «Devil’s Drop». She told us the hole was extremely deep, and we couldn’t see the bats since they were sleeping on one other side of the hole behind a rocky wall.
She also showed us the spot where tourists partied and wedded back in the day underground, which was cool. She also showed us a fault line in the cave (no, an earthquake didn’t occur when we were here) too. She even showed us the only underground lake in the cave, and it was tiny! Lastly, no water drops fell in my eye as I was generating a picture set for this cave. :P
Tourists had to go up a hill in order to get to the cave, but it wasn’t as steep as the one at Indian Echo. The price was lower than Indian Echo’s one, and it was reasonable based on the size of the cave. The restroom facilities were just okay. Overall this was an excellent cave and I HIGHLY recommend this attraction to anyone who’s interested in sightseeing caves for the first time. Enjoy!

Fun «spur of the moment» trip. I liked it a lot, my boyfriend thought it would be more «sparkly and colorful» inside but it was still neat. The gift shop is cool too, I bought a lot of random rocks and when I want more I can go back

Growing up 40+ miles away I have seen the signs many many times and always try to remember I need to go. Finally made it and it was awesome. The tour guide was funny (without being corny) and very knowledgeable. It really is such a neat location. I think I was surprised how small it was compared to another cave I have been to, but it was still a fun, cheap and different thing to do on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

A wonderful and breathtaking place to take the family on a day trip. The tour guide was outgoing, informative, and open to questions. I visited today and it was actually warmer inside than it was outside. I will be revisiting in the warmer months to enjoy the outdoors as well.

I Gregory Grookett have been coming here for many years dating back to being a young child with my family and school trips. Recently I went over the summer with my loved ones and we had a great time this place is very cool. Gregory Grookett recommends this place for family fun. Other then the main attraction the cave there is mini golf to play or mining for gems which we had a blast doing. They also have a large gift shop and ice cream and snack shack. Picnic area should you choose to bring food. Hey take the family and enjoy!

Amazing! An absolute must, I blown away by the beauty and serenity. The guides were great, gave a lot of detail regarding the history, formations, cracked jokes which make remembering the difference between stalactites and stalagmites much more fun. They, pointed out shapes resembling animals, which was a hit for the kids on the tour and then turned off all the lights in the cave (made some of us grateful for the kid with the glow-​in the dark shoelaces that was on tour). Temp is refreshingly cool for the summer, around 50 degrees. I wish the tour was longer though, could definitely have a sleepover, or listen to some jazz there… The guides did mention that there were a few secret weddings that took place in the cave, courtesy of ex-​guides that were later on fired for the deed :)

Great place to take the kids. The tour guides needs to understand that 5 and 9 year olds do not have the attention to listen to long stories about each room in the cave. Worth the experience.

Wow we had such a rude guide! I even called and complained. She yelled and had such a attitude.
This cave is beautiful but the tour is rushed to get the next tour thru.
Like learning about all the things that happened and went on in the cave.

Had a wonderful time with family. With the current heat wave, the cave was a refreshing 54 degrees. Had sweatshirts with us but it felt fine enough to go without.
Our guide was great and my 5 yr old grandson got his jokes («the bats eat
small children») The rest of the staff was also helpful and courteous.
Lunch was reasonable (cheap!) and good! The fossil/​gems bags was so much
fun as you wash off pebbles and find hidden treasures. Think my daughter enjoyed
it as much as her son. Would have played mini golf but it was so hot. Had some
yummy peach ice cream and a whole shoo-​fly pie to bring home (4.95!!)
Recommend highly for families and kids 5 and over.

Just to clear up a few errors and misconceptions in other reviews of CC.
1. While they are open seasonally it is the same every year.
They are open from the beginning of March to the end of November.
The full schedule is on their website.
2. I believe they are now up to $ 12.50 for adults and $ 8.50 for kids. While that is getting a bit steep they do offer discount coupons like buy one adult admission and get a child’s admission free if you know where to look.
3. The tours do not stick to 20 people.
If you show up in the Spring during school field trip season you could be given the choice of go along with a group of 40 or wait an hour for a smaller group.
4. Unless you are there on during the «high season» the mini-​golf, gemstone panning, and food are all closed.
The guide obviously makes all the difference and the guide we had last week in «D» was awesome. I believe he said that he was a Biology teacher and while hasn’t been giving tours at CC for very long, he was extremely knowledgeable and showed us things that prior guides had not shown or even known about because they had stuck more to the script instead of trying to go deeper with information.
The CC website says that tours usually last 40 – 50 minutes but we got a bit over an hour with «D» and we look forward to coming back again at some point and hopefully he’ll still be there as one of the guides.

I’ve seen a few caves in my day and wasn’t too impressed by this cave. There really isn’t much that sets this cave apart from other caves other than the fact that there are walkways and railings in this cave to make it extremely easy to navigate in and out of.
This cave is very PG and great for kids/​families. It might be worth checking out if you’re taking a route that passes by here but it certainly isn’t a destination spot.

Every few years my family and I return to Crystal Caves to admire the beauty of hidden nature. For about $ 10 a person, you get an hour tour through the hidden wonder that is Crystal Caves. It’s always 54 degrees in the caves, so on days like today it was a welcome respite from the ninety degree weather outside.
The passageways are large and there is always a surprising amount of moving air, so claustrophobia shouldn’t be an issue. Tours stick to about 20 people so it’s not too crowded, even on a Saturday. Lots of kitschy goodness at the trading posts and gift shops.

Crystal Cave Park is billed as more than the cave, with an ice cream parlor and a putt-​putt course, but seriously, you know you’re just there for the cave tour.
I’m not claustrophobic, but I found Crystal Cave’s cave to be freaky, in an enjoyable way. I find being inside a slightly damp cave with scary pits nearby (don’t worry, there are railings) and no cell phone reception (shouldn’t be making calls anyway) somewhat intimidating. But hey, when the tour guide turned off the lights in the cave for a moment (they warned us), the pitch blackness was profound.
Did I learn anything useful? All I remember is learning the difference between stalagmites and stalactites. Oh, and to never wander into a cave by myself.
Bring friends to Crystal Cave Park today, and hear your own echo in the nostrils of the Earth. (Be sure to call ahead to ensure they’re open, as they’re seasonal!)