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    Blanchard Springs Caverns

    4.9 (70 reviews)
    Closed 9:30 am - 6:00 pm

    Blanchard Springs Caverns Photos

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    Blanchard Springs Caverns

    The tour of the Caverns was beautiful and amazing with so much knowledge of the history and new additions from the tour guides.

    Soraya V.

    Simply beautiful. There's 3 parts of the cavern you can visit. We only saw 1. The bats were still hibernating. It's a small cavern compared to the many others I visited. BUT we can't wait to come back and see it all.

    Mirror Kake Dam and Waterfall
    Jeff C.

    It was a great tour into this cavern. It was so hot and inside the cave was 60* we took the hour tour and they explained how the cave formed and just immense it is. Check out nearby Mirror Lake Waterfall and Spring!

    Cavern beauty!

    What a great day exploring this beautiful, natural phenomenon. Our tour guides were Sam and Becky and they were fantastic. Sam was engaging and knowledgeable and her enthusiasm for her work was so evident! I highly recommend everyone make time for this cavern tour, only one of the two managed by the Forest Service! Go and witness beauty 200+ feet below the ground!

    Waterfall at Blanchard Springs
    Sherry G.

    Really enjoyed the tour. I love caverns and this one was beautiful. The 1/2 mile tour was even manageable for me and I am 68 with some health issues. It's steep in places but manageable. I don't know how the reviewer below got free tickets - it is not free, but not expensive. My son and I took his 12 year old daughter and she really enjoyed it. We drove over to the spring & waterfall close by. It's lovely. (Note: It says it's wheelchair assessable but I would advise to have a couple strong people to push it up the inclines).

    Junior Spelunkers!
    Ben A.

    Arkansas is known as the Natural State, and while the landscape above ground is a breathtaking panoply of forests, rivers, and scenic beauty, we were eager to experience some of the world class caverns in Northern Arkansas. We booked our reservations for Blanchard Springs Caverns through Recreation.gov, and arrived about an hour before our trip underground. The facility is well maintained, very air conditioned, and features a nice gift shop. My youngest needed a diaper change and as I headed to the restroom, a forest service worker stopped me and directed me to a private first aid station room, saying "you'll be more comfortable in here." Awesome guy, great service! Our tour time arrived, and we were escorted to the elevators down 216 ft. To the entrance of the cave on the Discovery Tour, a 1.2 mile hike through the lower caverns. Our tour guide, Alex, was extremely knowledgeable, patient, funny, kind to my three little ones who had lots of questions, and one of the best-looking women we met in Arkansas to boot. :) We descended down into several parts of the cave, looking around in awe at the amazing stalagmites, stalactites, flowstones, sinkholes, and a big pile of bat guano. The hike is dark in the 58 degree underground ecosystem, but the caverns are strategically lighted, so you can really get a sense of the enormity of these underground chambers. At the bottom of our hike, we arrived at an underground stream, and the sounds of rushing water with the feeling of the cool wind on our faces was amazing. Beautiful limestone deposits and otherworldly cavescapes made this an unforgettable experience for my family. One note about the Discovery Tour: there are over 700 stairs to climb, with some significant uphill and downhill sections. It wasn't too hard, although carrying my 4 year old daughter much of the way, I felt it... Especially on "Heart Attack Hill," the final ascent back up towards the exit. Bats, cave salamanders, and the incredible formations took my mind off the leg burn. Once we exited the cave, we were taken by air-conditioned bus back to the visitor center. For $10 per adult and $5 per kid 6-15, this was an amazing bargain, and well worth the drive. If you find yourself near Northern Arkansas, definitely check out this great operation put on by the US Forest Service.

    Emily M.

    Visited here on vacation and went on the shortest tour, the 1 hour one. Apparently that's the only one that accepts walk-ins and the longer tours you have to reserve. It is kept a chilly 58 degrees year round in the caverns so make sure to have a sweater. I enjoyed the periodical stops with bleachers so we could have a seat as the tour guide gave information and pointed out things you may have missed otherwise. No areas were cramped, it was surprisingly big inside to me (having been to other caverns and felling claustrophobic in the past). It is slippery so there are guard rails throughout. We even had a family in our tour group with a stroller. This is good for all ages.

    Lita L.

    My bf and I took the Dripstone one hour tour of the upper level of three with tour guide Zoee, and she was terrific. The 2 main rooms were huge and majestically impressive and spectacular. I love touring caves, and do if there are any close to where I am travelling. They are so beautiful to me and all unique and clearly not a case of you've seen one, you've seen them all. Don't forget to see the Blanchard Spring about a half mile down the road, and literally spews out of the side of the middle level of the cavern. If you have a senior national pass, it's half price, or $5.50, but only for the pass holder. Definitely a must see if in the area.

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    1 year ago

    Absolutely amazing and fun! Must do if you're traveling through. Also very knowledgeable staff. Great experience all around.

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    1 year ago

    Beat the summer heat, see cool stuff nature sculpted over the millennia under our feet. Knowledgeable staff

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    unforgettable experience. Enjoyed every moment thanks to knowledgeable staff! i would recommend this tour for you and your friends.

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    4 years ago

    I have been to a lot of Caves and this was by far the coolest one and the guide was spectacular!!! Highly recommend!!!

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    Ask the Community - Blanchard Springs Caverns

    Review Highlights - Blanchard Springs Caverns

    The Dripstone tour isn't something you can tell someone about or show pictures and do it justice.

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    Smallin Civil War Cave - June 2023

    Smallin Civil War Cave

    4.3(33 reviews)
    93.7 mi

    Review of Smallin Civil War Cave Tour: We attended the…read moreSmallin Civil War Cave tour today and were unfortunately very disappointed. Upon arrival, we were told the first tour would begin at 10:00 a.m., but it did not actually leave until 10:20 a.m. because the group had to wait for late arrivals. Once they arrived, the tour was delayed further so they could return to their cars to get coats. The tour itself was expected to last one hour, but it extended to over an hour and a half due to frequent stops and off-topic discussions. Very little time was spent covering the actual history of the cave or its Civil War significance, which is the primary reason we chose this tour. Instead, the guide spoke extensively about working as a park ranger in New Mexico for the federal government, Roswell, and other caves in other states. While this may be interesting in a different setting, it felt unrelated and distracting given the advertised focus of this tour. Additionally, the guide stated he would not take photos for guests using their phones, explaining that a phone could go into the water. At the time, we were on a stable walkway, and this restriction felt unnecessary. Overall, the experience did not deliver on the Civil War history advertised, and the lack of focus, delays, and extended runtime made the tour frustrating. It was not worth the $33.95 per person for the two of us. We would not choose to attend again and would not recommend it to visitors seeking an educational Civil War-focused cave tour.

    We wanted to see some of the nice caves/caverns in MO. Have to say, this one was a disappointment…read more Not very big, not very interesting, almost no formations. Our guide, Levi, was enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and provided a lot of history and information about the cave and the area. He did a great job. If you can't handle a lot of stairs or inclines, this cave would suit you, as the walk is short and mostly flat. However, for the $29/person entrance fee, it's just not worth it. Most every other cave/cavern in the area is better. For maybe $19/person, it would be worth the stop.

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    Smallin Civil War Cave
    Smallin Civil War Cave
    Smallin Civil War Cave - Entrance to Smallin is 55' high and 100' wide

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    Entrance to Smallin is 55' high and 100' wide

    Mystic Caverns - New growth in the cavern

    Mystic Caverns

    4.2(19 reviews)
    54.0 mi

    The staff was awesome from the start! We had a short wait for the tour so like any adult with no…read morekids along, I bought a bag of stuff to sluice for a diamond....or something. I came away with no diamonds but some decent sized stones, one of which was amethyst. The first cavern was the big one. It had some beautiful formations. We received great information from our guide and a little history lesson. Be sure to wear shoes with good grip as the stone steps may be damp as you go lower. At the bottom of the second cavern, you are 110 feet below ground level. Again, wear the right shoes as it is damp. The formations were beautifully lit for your viewing pleasure. If you are visiting Branson, this is just a little more than 30 minutes on down the road!

    A must see if you are traveling in Arkansas…read more We were staying in Hot Springs which was a 3 hr drive but it was totally worth it! They have two caves but we only did the mystic cavern one due to time. They closed at 5. They also have a pretty extensive gift shop filled with crystals and knick knacks. The tour lasted about 45 minutes. Make sure your shoes can get wet because the cave floors were damp and had puddles. It can also be chilly in the caverns. Amazing experience! P.S I have to say driving up the mountain to get here was a journey in itself! There were not many pit stops to use the restroom and the only real food place was subway which was about 30 minutes from the caverns. They have a small community in the mountains but it is small and not everything is always open. Beautiful drive up though. Not for the faint of heart if you are scared of heights because there are many drop offs where you see the valleys 1000 ft below.

    Photos
    Mystic Caverns - More cavern growth

    More cavern growth

    Mystic Caverns - Colored lights view

    Colored lights view

    Mystic Caverns

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    Blanchard Springs Caverns - parks - Updated June 2026

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