Crystal Cave

Spring Valley, United States

4.5

11 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 715-778-4414
Website:
www.acoolcave.com
Address:
W 965 State Rd 29, Spring Valley, WI, 54767
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Good for Kids
Yes

Today

Today –
Local time (Spring Valley) 7:03 AM Thursday, June 5, 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Join us for Adventures Above and Below…

Fun for the Whole Family!

Discover the wonders of Crystal Cave by taking an hour long tour through Wisconsin’s longest cave. Explore the multiple levels and meandering passages that descend more than 70 feet below ground. Learn about the history and discovery of the cave, the geology as you pass beautiful stalactites, stalagmites, columns and other crystal formations, and the four species of bats who call the cave home!

There are lots of things to do above ground too. Once you are finished with your adventure in the cave, come above to search for real gems and fossils at Prospector’s Creek. The large property also lends itself to hiking, picnicking, and shopping in our educational gift shop. Bringing your group to Crystal Cave is also a great option. Setting up a visit is easy and can provide a unique educational experience that leaves memories for a lifetime!

History

Established in 1942.

Crystal Cave was developed by Henry A. Friede from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Opening weekend was June 7, 1942 and nearly four thousand people attended the opening. Mr. and Mrs. Friede operated the cave making it a well known local attraction.

1957 — 1986

The Moe family moved to Spring Valley to run and operate the cave and gift shop. During 29 years at Crystal Cave the Moe Family continued to manage a successful business.

1986 — 2012

Prior to becoming owners, the Cunninghams worked as mineral, oil and gas exploration geologists. Blaze, originally from San Antonio, Texas, graduated from Texas Tech, Lubbock, Texas and attended University of Houston for graduate work. Jean, a native of western Wisconsin, graduated from University of Wisconsin-​River Falls and University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. Both have had a life-​long association with caves. Blaze began exploring caves in high school while Jean’s first job was as a tour guide at Crystal Cave, working for the Moes.

Meet the Business Owner

Eric and Kristen M.

Business Owner

Eric and Kristen were active cavers in Tennessee before moving to the Midwest. Both are Life Members of the National Speleological Society (NSS) and active in local and national caving organizations. Eric was awarded the prestigious «Fellow of the National Speleological Society» for his lifetime of volunteer work.

Eric and Kristen met at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN and one of their first dates was caving! Eric received a Masters of Engineering in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt. Before taking the helm at Crystal Cave, Eric’s last job was President of KWIK SEW Pattern Co., a multinational corporation in the home-​sewing and quilting markets. Eric decided to exchange his business suits for caving suits, and hasn’t looked back!

Kristen received her Ph.D. in Special Education at Vanderbilt. She taught for several years in Nashville public schools, and is now an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Minnesota.

Vicinity

Near this location:
1
mi
Community Bible Church
W303 N 2nd St
1
mi
Red Barn Dairy Bar
W4890 State Road 29
1
mi
Jon Tanberg Photography
W634 Golfview Dr
1.1
mi
Congregational Church
W217 3rd St
1.2
mi
Al’s snowplowing
1.2
mi
Spring Valley Stage Hands & Theatre
S234 McKay Ave

11 reviews of Crystal Cave

No registration required
Place rating: 3
Franklin, OH
It was ok … the name is a bit misleading. was expecting lots of pretty crystals or something sparkling. It was similar to a cave we went to in Pennsylvania. there are lots of stairs but we had not trouble and though there is some moist gravels. it wasn’t slippery with good hiking shoes.
We were traveling from Dayton to Minneapolis and stopped here on the way back. the guide was very nice and we felt very safe. he went on and on about the geology … personally I would have preferred less talking and to see more. But I’d wanted to check it out and you don’t know till ya go. there were some kids on our tour and they seemed bored with the long «educational talks». I know I was. But saw a few bats and was worth a peak.
we went in early fall and it was super cold in the cave. some people had gloves and coats … we wish we had.
Place rating: 5
Falcon Heights, MN
Fun place, kids loved it. Great family fun. One bit of caution the temp inside is on the cooler side 50 to 60 F.
The tour goes into the rocks, crystals, history and bats.
Afterwards they have a gem crystal finding water river system. You have to buy a bag of sand with crystals and gems inside. The kids put this sand through a sifter and wahes the sand away leaving gems. They give you information about the gem and crystal so it is a learning experience as well. If you want to spend lots of dollars you can even buy the fossil bag of sand.
Place rating: 5
Minneapolis, MN
Very reasonably priced for a nice long tour that takes you through a considerable portion of the cave. Our tour guide, Zoe, did a great job with a tour that could have been pretty awkward considering there were only two of us (my boyfriend and I), was full of appreciably cheesy jokes, and was able to answer all of our questions easily. The tour itself is full of interesting information — some stuff I already knew, but plenty that I didn’t. Most of the bats were already gone since it is warm outside but they did point out a few to us.
The sinkhole trail is a nice, easy little hike, about twenty minutes. Gift shop is full of pretty things to look at in a variety of price ranges. Glad we visited!
Place rating: 5
Saint Paul, MN
Extremely well maintained, and equally interesting to adults and kids. We came from St. Paul; took our 4 homeschooled kids aged 6mo, 3, 6, and 7 and every one had a great time! Lots of neat unique items in the gift shop. Definitely has the nostalgic appeal that seems all too rare these days.
Since this is so close to the Maple Leaf Orchard, it would be fun to offer their amazing cider, donuts, and/​or apples as a little snack bar for Fall!
We will be back to check out the sink hole nature trail sometime we are in town to get cider.
Place rating: 4
Bloomington, MN
Tour guides were very knowable about the history, formations, geology, fossils and the 4 kinds if bats that hibernate there in the cold months. Nice gift shop with geodes, fossils and other goodies. Might be nice to have a restaurant there someday.
Place rating: 5
Wausau, WI
They do a great job with the tour. If you are claustrophobic this tour is for you. Very open. If you are in the area take the tour.
Place rating: 4
St Paul, MN
The kids and I had a day off, so I decided to surprise them with a cave tour. I haven’t been here since I was 13 years old or so. I didn’t remember much about my original trip though, other then fighting with my sisters on the car ride there.
We arrived early, before they opened. We decided to take the sink hole loop trail and walk around after an hour in the car. It was a nice fall day with lots of colors to look at. Although we only saw one sink hole, it was a nice walk on a decently groomed path in the woods.
The school buses started arriving just before opening time. A bunch of staff went out to greet them and people started lining up. Not knowing better, I asked if I should line up to and they said yes. Well, they must have figured things out, because we were pulled aside during the video and got things sorted. I was able to buy the tickets and get on the tour right away. Although I would have liked to see the remained of the video.
There was one other Dad with the same idea as me with 2 kids. This made for a nice small group for the tour. We were able to ask lots of questions and get a couple nice pictures.
The cave tour goes over a of information and present in a way that isn’t overwhelming. The actual cave itself is a nice cave system. Although it was smaller then what I remembered back in the day. There’s a lot of nice cave formations that make this a good example if your learning anything about geology. When we got out and started driving about I wish I had asked why there weren’t more caves in the area as the terrain seems to be the same.
Overall, it was worth the stop and the fun!
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
My wife recommended we stop at Crystal Cave on our way home from a trip to Minnesota. To be honest, it didn’t sound like fun. After stopping in, I’m glad we did! The tour is about an hour long, reasonably priced (ours were about $ 13/​person), and it was really interesting.
The tour takes you through a variety of levels of the cave, and the guide will instruct you on the various types of rock formations/​biology of the cave. The gift shop has a lot of fairly priced trinkets (and some that are incredibly expensive) but you should be able to find something nice to take home regardless of your budget.
If you’ve never been inside of a cave (I hadn’t) I’d really recommend giving this place some of your time. It was really much more fun than I was anticipating.
The cave does get a little cool so dress warm. There’s also a picnic area outside the gift shop, and a sifting activity you can participate in (though we didn’t.)
If you’re in the area I’d really suggest you stop in.
Place rating: 5
Saint Paul, MN
We took the tour and did the sifting activity. Both were pretty fun in a nerdy sort of way. It was great to see how the cave itself was formed. The staff/​guide knew quite a bit for not being the on-​site Geologist, and they were all, quite friendly.
The sifting activity was cool. Although its more of a kids thing I would still recommend it if you’re looking to bring back a small token from the trip there. It takes up about 15 — 20 minutes of time to sift through the entire bag of sand.
This is just one of the many places around the country that needs to be seen by everyone. So many kids are losing touch with reality that they’re no longer being exposed to the interesting side of reality. A deep, cold, alien-​looking cave will EASILY make anyone drop their cell phone and start looking up. This place is great and I highly recommend that people from both Wisconsin and Minnesota check it out. You’ll love it!
Place rating: 4
Brandon, SD
Very cool! Very reasonably priced. Only takes about an hour long, but well worth it. We saw many different formations and different types of rocks. Your kids will love it. Bring a coat, it gets down to 50 degrees at the third level of the cave.
Our tour guide was great! Very entertaining and answered all our questions. A nice gift shop wit ha wide range of gits and prices.
There is a picnic area on site so bring along lunch and enjoy the facilities as your kids do their own mining after the tour.
Place rating: 5
Saint Paul, MN
An interesting thing to do when you have nothing going on. Didn’t take too long to get to from the northern side of the cities. Tour cost $ 9.00 and it was about one hour long. Tour took us throughout the caves to look at different formations and we even saw a couple of bats. They were smaller than I thought they would be. It was definitely interesting to see these caves that are located in the middle of nowhere. They also had a gift shop with rocks, toys for kids, jewelry and other knick knacks.