Save your money on this one folks. $20 each for a 15 minute tour by a woman who has obviously done the tour one too many times. She talks a mile a minute reading from a script she has memorized. The guy who stay upstairs and takes your money is just flat out rude. I asked him why we had to wait 20 minutes since we were the only ones there and he snapped at me something like because that's how we do things. The final insult came when the tour guide blatantly asked to be tipped at the end of the 15 minute tour. The whole set up is just unprofessional and considering they charge more then any other cave I've ever visited, I expected better. read more

The tour was pretty but be warned, our tour guide had the worst body odor I have ever smelt. And being stuck in such a small area was awful. I almost walked out a couple times cus I literally was going to throw up. I also had a guy who was there with his family try to feel me up! I probably will never visit again because of this experience. read more

The cost is 20 per adult and 8 per child. My total cost was 60 for a 20 minute tour and the pace is forced by your tour guide and the one behind you. The owner/proprietor is rude and seemed to be miserable about operating a readymade business that his grandfather started. The tour guide was a high school senior who had obviously given this tour too many times and let it slip that they had to memorize a lot to give the tour. To his credit he was enthusiastic and seemed interested in what he was presenting, and the only saving grace for this review. The breadth of knowledge was ok as they all knew about the general history of how this cave was found and what it was basically comprised of. That's as far as it goes. Beyond the basic facts about cave features you get in grade school, nobody there could tell me anything about the formations composition or history or any theoretical science. The USGS geology maps are a much better source and should've been readily available knowledge for the owners and staff. Save your money unless you think this might be your only chance to visit a cave before you die. read more

This cavern is a nice place to visit and i recommend locals check it out as well. This place still retains the small town attraction feel and the cavern formations were very beautiful. The owner can be a little rough around the edges and he will not allow video. Even still the tour guide was knowledgeable and the history of this place is fascinating. read more

This experience was one of the worst I've had. As someone with a service animal, I am truly shaken. When we arrived we were told to sit at a picnic table for social distancing purposes. Signs were posted everywhere about mandatory masks and gloves. When a man, I can only assume was Jerry Downs, came out, he immediately started yelling at us to "GET THE DOG OUT OF THE PARK". He was not wearing the required mask and gloves. We removed the dog from the property and he signaled with his hand for me to come over to him. I showed him the service dog license he was extremely rude. By law, he is only to ask 2 questions about my service animal. He was completely awful with his manner of speaking to me and we decided to take our business elsewhere. What we thought would be an exciting, impromptu stop on our trip home turned into a nightmare. No wonder there is a help wanted sign outside.. who would want to work in such a hostile environment? read more

My husband and I went to check out MD's only show caves as part of a summer outing. Tickets are $20 for adults, but we used a $1 off coupon to lower the price. The tour itself was about 30 mins long and very informative. Our group was small (only 5 of us, including the guide), so we were able to ask questions and get more information. It was neat to see the many formations underground! There are other nearby historical/scenic spots to check out too, so you can definitely make a day out of visiting the Boonsboro area! read more

This was just sad. We had come here 4 years ago and were somewhat disapointed, but when friends arrived from out of town we decided to give it another chance. Usually we go to Skyline Caverns. When we arrived at Crystal Grottos we were greeted by a dilapadated, abandoned and rotting motor home with flat tires in the parking lot. I was surprised. It made the entrace look like a dump. When we entered the building it reeked of cigarettes. Our kids were all thirst and hungry, I figured we could get a little snack and maybe souvenirs inside. We were met by a grumpy overweight man who seemed upset we were there. He abandoned a paper plate of ice cream on the bench and left. A woman greeted us and asked where we were from, but before any conversation could start she said 20 dollars for adults and 10 for each kid.. ABSURD prices, which tells me this is a hack operation... Anyway I went to the cooler for drinks but all was in there was left over foods, eggs, an open jug of milk, some steak, all sorts of things not for customers or tourists but for whoever was living in the building. Then the lady informed us she wants cash instead of credit cards. So here we were 2 adults,a 4 year old, a 6 year old and a 9 year old: 70 dollars. Cash. Cleaned me out. I informed her there would be no tip for the tour guide. Despite the claim of tours every 15 minutes we were in a group of about 15 people. Way too many for such a small cave tour. And no pictures! ... Why? It was hard to hear the guide and almost impossible to see what he was talking about. The guide was very good and knowledgable but seemed rushed. The new wiring that is being added to the cae is very obvious and the lighting is a little too bright, and does not blend in well with the formations. The entrance into the cave is lined with vinyl siding.... it is not romantic or fascinating to enter, it is like going into some basement of a 70s house. I admire that the cave is "family owned", but these people have lost their way. They no longer have tourism vision. They are ruining an otherwise fabulous destination tourism spot. Sad. I wont suggest our friends or customers go there anymore. read more

Crystal Grottoes Caverns - Great mostly unmolested formations and a few nice squeezes for tourist crowds... but.... very expensive at 20 dollars per adult. - Hiking Near Me - Boonsboro, Maryland

Just had fun tour there with my wife, 2 families of 3 with us on tour too. Not much to do locally, and this stands out as fun and interesting. What it is: Fun 30min your w knowledgeable tour guides, in a small group (huge plus for seeing caves), so you can see a lot and a beautiful cave. What it isn't: Disneyland-esque dog and pony show. We had fun, would recommend it. read more

We were staying at the Inn at Boonsboro and it was a very rainy day, so decided to visit the caves. It was fabulous. The young man who took us on the tour is very knowledgeable about caves. He would answer any question and expand on that. Super smart young man. The man at the front desk was very nice as well. I noticed a sign that said no cameras. I was disappointed, however, he said I could take 1 or 2. I did so and the photos are a great memory of the beautiful caverns. They are digging out new paths. It is privately owned, so that is why the price is what it is. Maybe, they could sell photos, etc., but then that is another expense in itself. Just ask nicely, and I am sure they may allow you to take a photo or 2. read more

Beautiful cavern. Way over priced for the amount of time spent in the cavern. It's quite small but the pictures make it look massive. Cut the price in half and it would be worth going to. read more

James was very knowledgeable and did great as our tour guide. We will be back. Keep in mind to take cash for entry. Tip your guide if they do a good job. read more

Our tour guide, James, was awesome! He was personable and full of great information. The crystals are amazing. Definitely worth the trip!

I'm an avid caver, and I've taken over 50 cave tours in the past 5 years all across the USA. Crystal Grottoes is absolutely among the top 5 that I've seen in regards to number of formations and beauty!! Our tour guide Wyatt was very knowledgable even though he is a fairly new employee. Everyone that works there was super-nice, including the owners! You can get a coupon for $1 off on their website. I highly recommend this cave tour!! read more

Not a bad cavern, but not the best either. This one is privately owned and has stayed in the same family since its discovery. They have a lot of lichen growing because of the lights, and they had to remove about 3 feet of clay to make the caverns accessible to the public (More areas are still being excavated), and a lot of breakage occurred because of it. There are hardly any stalagmites. That said, the other structures are lovely, Lots of rimstone which is just magical looking with its sparkles and little scallop-y pools that look like tiny white rice patties. Some bacon draperies, columns, etc. There are also straws and dogtooth spars. This is a very damp cave and still growing. They have one section flooded that needs constant pumping. The tour lady was nice and funny. She allowed plenty of time for photos and offered to take some as well. I didn't mind the price ($20) but I did wish they had more merchandise for sale. We buy a magnet from every cave we visit and they didn't have any. or anything else aside from some minerals and jewelry. The stream outside was nice too - you could bring a picnic lunch here for before or after your tour. Photos are allowed even though a sign in the shop said no photos. go figure! read more

Small cavern. It's ok. I've been to Luray Caverns so smaller caverns aren't as impressive, though Harrisonburg's smaller caverns are still pretty cool. This one just isn't as impressive and very small. My issue with this place is it's pretty overpriced for what it offers. Also, although the guide was nice, she wasn't exactly knowledgeable and pretty much memorized a script. She also talked a mile a minute. It's an ok place to go to if you're nearby, but I wasn't that impressed. read more

We called to see about a tour. The owner said he could do a tour for us at 10:10 AM. He also told us we had to pay cash. We had to drive 35 min to get to the cave and had to stop and get cash. We arrived and the owner sitting out front told my husband to "stop right there and get your mask on" when my husband was 70 feet from the check in area. The owner DID NOT have on a mask! He had a large fan behind him blowing air on us! He was extremely rude! There were traffic cones at the entrance and we were the only people around. The owner also rudely told my husband to "Stop! Walk around that way." ( around the cones) We arrived at 10:12 for our 10:10 tour. He told us we were too late (even though the tour was just for the four of us in our group.) and that another tour group went in at our 10:10 time. There were no other people The whole place, so that was not true. He asked if we had a debit card and of course we did and apparently could have paid with that, but we were late getting cash for him. The whole experience was negative and we strongly debated whether to even go in. It was $20 pp which is extremely too expensive for this cave. If you have ever been to other caves, this will be a let down for you. Other than our guide who was polite, nothing else was worth the trip, time, money or getting yelled at by the owner. We were a group of four adults. read more

It IS $20 per adult, $8 for kids, but I don't think the price is too bad. It is a nice tour, with some interesting things to see! I recommend seeing this one, folks. It's a pretty unique place, especially this close to Washington DC. read more

Beautiful cavern. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and had no problem stopping for pics and doing family photos. A little pricey for a 30 minute tour however. read more

A little pricey at $20 per adult and $10 per kid; no price break on little kids. My son is 1 1/2 years old and I'm sure he was more interested in spotlights in the caverns then the rocks themselves. Our tour was about 30 minutes long and the guide was wonderful. He knew his "lines" but he took the time to engage us and ask if we saw anything different. He also pointed out Washington Monument State park to us; which was a wonderful find for our family. To some of the negative comments about this place; yes this place is a little run down however you get the local charm of the people. I believe the owners live on site which many explain a few things. There is no gift shop or food for sale however the town of Boonsboro is only a few minutes away and has many restaurants and the Caverns have picnic tables and a grassy area that would be perfect for a picnic. All of the employees I ran into were very friendly and willing to answer all of our questions. I believe most of the negative comments on here are from people that may not understand or appreciate a local/ family run business like this. Overall we plan on taking our son back when he is older and can get more out of it. The price is a bit high however the drive to Luray Caverns is over 2 hours away and their admission cost is $26 adults. read more

$50 for 2 adults and a child for a 25 minute tour. You just walked through and the guide pointed out different formations. There were signs suggesting tips for the guide. Go on line and look at pictures. I would never recommend it. read more

Some truly amazing cave sights, even for those who have seen bigger caves. Crystal Grottoes is a fairly small but scenic cavern. The guide I had said it was his second day, and his unfamiliarity with everything geologic was painfully obvious. Pathetic, actually. It truly annoyed me to hear the anthropomorphic description of the natural formations -- "this is an eagle, this is a sitting man, this is a bunny rabbit, this is a bacon formation, and this is the drinking straw formation." Enough already! Spare the vapid comments and let the guests see what they want to see in the natural wonders. I felt somewhat rushed on the tour but did very much enjoy the views of such a natural wonder. read more

Very cool! Brought kids 14, 12 and 8. They loved it as much as we did. Bring a sweatshirt!

We randomly stopped here on a trip. The admission was $15 for adults, which I thought was a bit steep. The tour is 30-35 minutes long in a cave with a lot of formations. There are popcorn, bacon, etc. The bad thing about this cave is that a lot of the stalactites have been broken off since the cave opened in the 1920s. So that's disappointing, but our tour guide was knowledgeable and nice. I would stop here again.... read more

The Front desk staff is insanely rude and inconsiderate. We will NEVER again use this facility as a field trip location for our school. The gentleman that runs the facility is condescending, and unprofessional. He used the terms "i really do not care what you think" in regards to scheduling and payments. He refuses to accept credit cards or send invoices for corporations to pay. They lost our reservation after confirming that date and times the Friday prior to the Monday trip and berated my staff upon arrival. I do NOT recommend this facility to anyone. read more

First of all, bring cash, not credit or debit cards, because the owner will rudely tell you that he has it posted on his website 900 TIMES (!!!!) that he only takes cash. Luckily, someone in our party had enough to cover the $80 bill for 4 people. He also was very flippant about the number of people we were paying for because he doesn't know us from the others in the room. Before the tour, the owner barked rules at us like we were all children, and he commented that he wasn't going to have us bash our head like someone who came earlier. I felt like I was being scolded for something I hadn't done yet. The tour was 15 minutes long, and for $20, I felt like it was too steep of a price. The tour guide was disgruntled and complained loudly of working with the cantankerous owner for less than minimum wage, and sped through her tour guide script so quickly it was hard to hear and see what she was referring to. When we ended the tour through the back entrance, the tour guide asked for tips, which as ludicrous given the short tour and the price of admission. After stepping outside, we overheard the owner yelling at one of the other tour guides about something. Overall, it was an unpleasant experience where I tried to keep a smile on my face and pretend like it was fun for the good of the others who suggested we go there for the day. I would not go back nor would I recommend it. read more