Briana was our tour guide! She was super knowledgeable and down to earth! We did the Guts and Glory tour, and it was physically challenging and not for the faint of heart. We left dirty and exhausted, with great action pictures that Briana took for us, and amazing memories. Highly recommend! read more

We did the overnight adventure in celebration of our youngest daughter's 13th birthday. It was an awesome experience, in large part due to our guide, Brianna. She was knowledgeable, energetic, and good at managing a large group of scouts. The overnight adventure included the walking tour and Rocky Topper. Highly recommend as a family bonding experience! read more

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I've been on many cave tours and really enjoyed this one. Our guide, Nick, was fantastic. I hope to get back and watch a concert, a very unique setting. read more

This is one of my favorite cave tours that I have been on. Our tour guide was informative and down to earth, answering questions from seniors on our tour and also bantering with the three kids who were hanging onto her every word. Her name was Jaime. This cave doesn't have that overly "commercial" feel that other nearby caves have. The tour is labeled as being moderately strenuous as you do need to climb stairs (quite a few, over 120 in a row). These stairs can be slick as they are carved from stone in the cave and caves are damp. We had someone on our tour who was having a tough time and it slows down the group. The rooms were vast and for a majority of the time we were the only ones in the cave. It was very cool. All in all, this was worth the money and a great day trip for our family. read more

Great post Christmas family experience! Had a blast! Truly a majestic wonder. We will be taking all our future guest to Cumberland Caverns!

I went here on a field trip in grade school and then just recently with my son on a school field trip. Aside from the fact that I'm so out of shape and there's quite a few steps, I think I had an even better time as an adult! There are so many interesting formations to see and so much history to hear about that I think even though you enjoy it as a kid, you just don't fully appreciate it until you're older. One of the neatest parts is when you get to the area where they have the light show. It is a presentation of God creating the earth and is simply amazing! It will give you goose bumps! Since you're underground the temperature stays around 56°F year round, so be sure to bring a jacket or hoodie. read more

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This place was really cool. It was the first cave I've explored too. We were the last group for the day and were lucky enough to get a private tour since we were the only ones. I want to say our tour guide was Justin and he was just the best! He was fun and made our tour interesting. There's a pretty spring inside and one of our friends pretended to get ready to spit in it (he wouldn't really), and Justin's face was priceless. We got to joke with him the whole time. Great workout too, there a crap ton of steps to take. You won't feel bad if you eat for 2 people afterwards. There is a pretty mini lightshow after the steps. You get to catch your breath briefly! The girl working the counter was friendly too. So go workout and see some cave formations. read more

Well it's a nice cave, and there are some nice formations... It just seemed a little disappointing after a long trip. Part of the problem is the difficulty of reaching the caverns, located in the hills of McMinnville two hours from Nashville. The price was also fairly steep for a cave, $18 for a short scenic walking tour and $36 for a more adventurous tour. Luckily I found a Groupon, for otherwise I would be too cheap to check this place out. As certain friends will kill me if I did an adventure tour without them, I opted for the traditional tour, which takes about two hours. Cumberland Caverns is one of Tennessee's longest caves, which rings a little hollow when Mammoth Cave, the longest in the World, is even closer to Nashville. There is the typical saltpeter mine and moonshine sill, one large flowstone formation, a cave pool, a miniscule waterfall, and some fairly impressive stalactites and stalagmites, especially in a large breakdown chamber called the Hall of the Mountain King. Still it seemed even the proprietors were trying to compensate for not having something more impressive. There was a "portrait" stop where everyone in the group took a photo next to the large flowstone (for $10 you can have the photo and a frame), the Volcano Room had been converted to a concert hall complete with a gigantic chandelier that changed color when played with Classical music. At the furthest extent of the tour, there is an "original underground pageant of light and sound, 'God of the Mountain, an awe-inspiring retelling of the creation." It's a light show of some nice formations with some recorded commentary. I would say it is actually as flamboyant as the Second Coming, but as does involve the Bible, I will merely say it is dated and a little tacky. The guide was friendly, patient, and fairly informative about the caverns, though I had the impression that the tours were starting to wear on her. The group was a bit too large, and many people seemed to not realize that the tour would be more strenuous than they thought, slowing the group down. All in all it was interesting to see, but I really think if you pay the full price you being overpriced. If you've never been to a cave, or want to be impressed by sheer scale, visit Mammoth Cave. If you want formations, Diamond Caverns is the best I've been to near Nashville. read more

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We were in the area and decided to stop and check this out. Great time! Great tour guide and friendly staff! Jenny was a great tour guide

Our guide was witty and knowledgeable. I used a cane and was able to make it most of the way for the regular cavern tour. Pics don't show up well due to the lighting, but that's just FYI, not like it should be lit up. The gift shop is great! Be sure to look around before or after your tour. They had some very nice geodes, jewelry, and other locally made items for reasonable prices. read more

Awesome experience with the family. The tour was well worth the drive from Nashville. Ray was the best! Very engaged and knowledgeable of the caves and its history. read more

Berlin was the guide excellent service and it was very interesting I loved it I think I will return and the tour lasted 2 hours read more

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Our tour guide was Candace and she was phenomenal. I learned a lot about caves and splunkers than I ever knew. It was like being at school on the weekend. It was a very good family event. They have concerts in a cave and a lot of pretty geodes. The Gift Shop prices are not too terrible. I learned I never want to be in a cave when it's dark without a light source. That's really freaking scary. read more

Neat place. Literally stumbled upon it and decided to give it a try. Good public tour. Tour guide Justin was great. Need to come back for an adventure tour some time. read more

LOVE Cumberland Caverns!!! Big shout out to Berlyn she's a FANTASTIC guide! I highly recommend you stop in and take the tour. You'll love it! read more

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Had a great time with our friendly and knowledgeable guide, Justin. He took time to answer everyone's questions and made sure we all had a great time. The tour was just the right length and kept us interested and engaged. read more

Cumberland Caverns - Tours Near Me - McMinnville, Tennessee

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We did the Legacy Adventure Overnight Tour and had a great time. It was a lot of climbing up and down rocks and getting muddy. Justin was a great guide even with his cheesy jokes. He allowed us to rest when it was needed and pushed on when we were good to go. Even if you a clumsy or nervous, you can take your time to complete the tour. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for an adventure. read more

Cumberland Caverns - Tours Near Me - McMinnville, Tennessee

I would highly recommend this cave to both beginner and experienced cavers. My family enjoyed the wild cave tour called Rocky Topper back in May. We caved with our 5 year old, 7 year old twins, and 10 year old children. They did great and really enjoyed the cave. Our tour guide was Colin, and he did an excellent job. read more

DO NOT go on the Hall Crawl. You could have any old bored teenager drag you through a mud pit and get more out of it. The advertising does not prepare you for what it is in the slightest. They say you'll need to bring extra shoes for after, but don't tell you that it's because you're going to be wading through knee-deep water and clay slip. If you go, bring a flashlight; the tour guide doesn't carry one, and this area of the cave is not lit. You would think that for $50 per person that they would provide half-decent equipment, but the helmets didn't stay on, and the headlamps barely lit up anything. Shelby was a terrible tour guide. I have never met a less enthusiastic person. She gave no history or geology spiel. All our questions were answered with yes, no, or a few words. She misidentified common cave formations and fossils. I felt she didn't care for visitor safety in the slightest. There were multiple times one of us could have fallen behind and she wouldn't have noticed. I know this, because it happened to me. I was last in the group and struggling with the "lemon squeezer." They got so far ahead it was completely dark and I could hardly hear the rest of the group. Her two stories were vague and disjointed (I'll save you the time: one guy got stuck for 3 days and his hair turned white, and some kid fell down a hole you cant see from the tour path and his boots are allegedly still there), and nothing she did added to the tour in the slightest. The tour is advertised as 2.5-3 hours. Due to the lack of content and break-neck speed, round trip was under 2 hours. Overall I've never visited a cave less concerned with conservation. On the Hall Crawl tour, we were encouraged to touch cave formations, knock on them because they are hollow, and there is no way to traverse the terrain without manhandling every formation. There was graffiti everywhere; I saw as recent as 2010. Their practices are devastating a delicate cave ecosystem. There was no mention of white-nose syndrome, they bring food and drink into the cave, and do nothing to mitigate their affect on the cave. Cumberland Caverns, you are privately run, so it's up to you and you alone to ensure this cave exists long after your bottom dollar. Do better. read more

We had a really nice visit at the caverns. Our guide Cody was funny, personable and quite knowledgable. We were quite lucky I have a small tour of just 4 guests and Cody. We liked hearing the stories about the discovery of the caverns. The walk was not too bad. The secondary part of the tour was a bit rough, but passable. Took a few breaks from the climbing of the rock stairs. It's cool in the cave all year round, but after waking up al of the rock stairs, you will welcome the temperature. We are glad we went on the tour! read more

If you get to take a tour, ask for Christa or Sebastian! Great jokes! It is a real journey through the cave and the OCD in me wanted to lay out a giant tarp and clean the chandelier in the Volcano Room! It is a gorgeous venue, where, with the right event planner, would be magical. The footing is a little dangerous , so definitely wear good hiking boots or shoes, also, it gets chilly but not uncomfortable, so layers are good and long pants. You will also want your own personal small flashlight so you can look in the nooks and holes that are all throughout the caverns. Worth the drive and worth the experience. Our 4 year old loved it, the baby in our group cried most of the time, so each child will have their own experience. You can take water in with you, but we just bought some later after the trek. I hope they open up spelunking adventures (beg-adv) because there is a huge area that is dark and looks very interesting. read more

We have been to a few caverns and love them. This one did not disappoint! It was awesome inside with some unique things. Also our tour guide Andi was great! She did a great job giving us the history of this cave and information on caves in general. We had a wonderful time and picked up some nice things from the gift shop. read more

Absolutely loved our visit! Everyone is kind, friendly, and fun! It's beautiful there, and our guide was awesome! Jay, you're the man!

It's dark and rather humid down there. Would it kill them to install more lighting and maybe a dehumidifier or two? I mean, really? All kidding aside, how does one review a cave exactly? I have no idea so I'm going to review the Bluegrass Underground concert and radio show I attended there last month. Bluegrass Underground is taped once a month 333 feet below ground in the "natural amphitheater" known as the Volcano Room inside Cumberland Caverns. The website will tell you to arrive at least one hour prior to the show time because tour guides usher groups of people down in 15 minute increments and because ALL PATRONS MUST BE ESCORTED WHILE THEY ARE GOING TO AND FROM THE VOLCANO ROOM. Geez, they didn't have to yell. And wow, they must really mean business writing in all caps like that. Oh, and one more thing, you are forewarned that if you miss the last group you will have to wait until the show has started and be seated between songs. So my friends and I dutifully arrived at noon for the 1 p.m. show time. The main event was The Emmitt-Nershi Band fronted by Leftover Salmon's Drew Emmitt and String Cheese Incident's Bill Nershi (pure awesomeness) but we would have to sit through the opener due to the strict rules of the cave's operators (bummer). As it turned out, there were no tour guides and people were able to come and go as they pleased. And the opener we had to sit through? All I can say is that I lost one hour of my life that I will never get back to a singer/guitarist/banjo picker/fiddler who is on the cutting edge of BORING. My friend was like, "Dude, where's your band?" Had I known that the rules on arrival times and escorts down into the cave were as lax as they were (and maybe still are!), I would have done things my way much like 'Ole Blue Eyes might have done or not, I don't know. Things to know before you go: the temperature always stays at or near 56 degrees inside the cave, concessions similar to those found at little league baseball games are available; alcohol is prohibited, there are restroom facilities and a giant chandelier hangs from the ceiling of the Volcano Room. To summarize, I present the following equation: Bluegrass + cave + big ass chandelier - alcohol = 3 Neat-O stars. So there you have it. Bluegrass Underground at Cumberland Caverns, it's neat-o.* *Yes, alcohol makes everything better........ and more dangerous, but mainly better. read more

Another trip down memory lane... Cumberland Caverns is a kids adventure wonderland! My family had already been to some caves (Ruby Falls, Cathedral Caverns) when my father and brother visited Cumberland Caverns for the first time and came back with great stories. I couldn't wait until it was my turn! The first time I went was with my Indian Princess Tribe (which is a YMCA program for fathers and their elementary school daughters to get quality bonding time). We trekked down into the cave, through the dining hall, and into the "sleeping area" with our pink sleeping bags in tow. After getting settled, we went on the usual tour, which gives the history of the discovery of the cave. To put you in the right mind frame of what is was like for the guy who went in there with only a torch and then dropped it, they turn out the lights on you (terribly exciting when you're 10!). After cafeteria style dinner, we changed into our worst clothes and headed out for the Wild Tour. This 2.5 hour adventure takes you through the highlights - Fat Man's Squeeze, Tall Man's Squeeze, and Bubblegum Alley. We had at least one dad get momentarily stuck at Fat Man's Squeeze. And I walked out of both my shoes in Bubblegum Alley, where the muddy clay floor is so sticky that the consistency resembles chewed bubblegum. Along the way they tell stories of exploration and use of the cave throughout history. After the tour, it was back to change out of the thoroughly dirty clothes (I don't recall there being showers...) and try to attempt sleep. DO NOT let any parents who have snoring issues chaperon your trips. It echos off the cave walls and sounds like a lawn mower all night. When morning finally comes, it's a blessing. They show cartoons on the big screen in the dining area and that makes it a little easier to swallow the powdered eggs. Take your favorite kid (even if that's the big kid in you) and your old clothes and get dirty on the Wild Tour! #Yelp365 - 96/365 read more

Is it the best cave I've visited? No. But then, I've gone caving in an awful lot of places, well beyond the local region, which also has some pretty stiff caving competition in the karst region from somewhere south of Etown to middle TN. What gives this otherwise appreciated, but not necessarily super fan-worthy location, the extra bump is their ongoing concert series. If you're open to the notion of bluegrass / holler music, it's worth a trip. Decent, friendly crowd (at least on my visits), fair to great performances, and a really unique setting made for a good, informal concert experience. A lot of other reviewers have commented on the "how things work" portion of things, so I'm not going to revisit known quantities; will just briefly reiterate to be mindful of your comfort (especially clothing / shoes-wise) and personal items, since 'going back to the car' for something you forgot or because someone feels cold and wants their hoodie can be a PIA (to include the fair walk to the cave entrance), and depending on the circumstance, equivalent to ending your night. Wear comfy clothes that layer, including one heavier layer than you think you'll want that is easily removable, comfy shoes. For the more extreme tours or during the wet season, you may want to layer so that it's easy to change your outer (dirty) layer before you get in your car. Just saying. Have taken a few of the special, more extensive, twisty-turny, pull yourself through this hole and belly crawl...or climb from up here to waaaaaaaaay down there! type tours in addition to the regular one, several times. They were definitely much cooler than the general guided visit, assuming one can navigate and is sufficiently mobile. My partner, who is very athletic but requires an external joint brace tapped out on one of the longer, smaller-space tours and encouraged me to take the extreme tour on my own while he was working in the area because of the contortions required, though, so do double check tour recommendations. As far as the literalist Christian Creationist, 6K, 7 days, domesticated dinos & man coexisted, light show-combo and associated guide schtick: could definitely do without. I used to get a bit tweaked...now I take deep breaths, close my eyes and think of Bill Nye's editorial about how not teaching evolution does children a disservice by not encouraging critical, scientific thinking. But that's just me. Anyway - worth a visit if you're in the area with time to spare, especially if you've been warned in advance about the forced Bible-ish study-bits. read more

My son and I got the pleasure of having a private tour with Elizabeth. She was a great tour guide and was knowledgeable and patient since my 4 yo son was kind of slow on some of the steep climbs. I would most definitely recommend anyone to check this place out and ask for Elizabeth to show you around. read more

Two fold review: The Bluegrass Underground show was awesome. Not a big bluegrass fan but the idea of seeing a show in a cave convinced me to go and it was worth it. Everyone was nice and there was some good food (get the Caveman Special) and regular bathrooms down there. It's quite the experience and worth it. Plus the band was good and anyone who likes good live music experiences, should try to make one. After the show we took the hour long tour with our guide Kenny. He was a great host who knew his stuff and made sure everybody was safe. The hike is fairly easy and there are parts where those who can't make the hike can sit and wait for the rest of the group to come back. There is portion of the tour that is a "light show" where you sit on benches and they turn the trail lights off. That was the best park of the show...the silent and totally dark cave...it really gives you some perspective. For the actual show, it was kewl to see some colored lights flash and give some depth to the different rock sculptures, but the show was really a religious ploy with tons of audio about God and creating the world and the caverns, etc etc. It was like they got you trapped in the cave and then turned the lights off and force fed you some religious stuff. My girlfriend and I are pretty anti religion but just laughed internally and chalked it up to part of the whole experience. As far as tips...bring a jacket or long sleeve shirt but you are walking a lot on the tour so you will be warm and it is humid. Also wear some good walking or tennis shoes. Bring a camera for sure and just really enjoy your time down there. They also offer a "wild" tour which involves crawling and spelunking if you are more adventurous. We were glad we went out of our way to get there and see both the concert and the tour. read more

We visited Cumberland Caverns during a weekend trip to Nashville, and had a really good time. I get the feeling that the tour groups are often relatively small, but somehow, we ended up arriving the same time as about 40 American Heritage Girls, so our tour was quite big (and kid-filled). The cave itself was really cool (It's at least 32 miles of caves, with just a couple small entrances hidden in the forest). The cave had lots of cool stalagmites and stalactites. (How to remember the difference? If it's spelled with a with a g, it's the one on the ground; or with a c for ceiling. Alternatively, remember you have to hold on tight ("tite") to the ones on the ceiling!) The cave also had water dripping into it, so there was a small pool. Apparently little crawfish also get in, and then turn white and blind from the lack of light. We actually saw a couple in the water! The cave tour also featured a faith-based light show. In one of the really large caverns, everyone sits, and they have a music-and-lights show about the creation of the Earth. They first show you what the cave is like without any lights on. Let me tell you - it is very, very dark. Then the light show begins. It was actually pretty well done - it started and ended with recordings of the Apollo astronauts on the Moon, included some music ("Our God is an Awesome God"), and had a folk-tale like telling of the story of Genesis (as opposed to a direct reading), with different parts of the cave lit up with colored lights to match the story. The tour took closer to 2 hours than 1.5 (as advertised), probably because of the size of our group. But, overall, we had a good time - glad we went! read more

A group of us recently did the Higgenbotham's Revenge trail through the caves. It was quite an experience and a pretty great accomplishment coming out the other side, but I must share a few things that the website and the employees didn't really give accurate info. The trail in total was about 3.5 miles and about 3.5 hours... Starting with a short hike through the woods to the cave entrance. The caves themselves were beautiful and impressive but anyone with claustrophobia should stay away. There are many parts of the trail that are crawling on your hands and knees or belly... Some barely wide enough for a grown adult to squeeze through. Also to say that you might get a little muddy is an understatement. Prepare to get pretty covered in mud. Recommend leaving any bags and such in the car. Overall it was a good experience and cool cave, but more strenuous than expected so be warned. read more

Wooohoooo! Hubby and I love doing extreme stuff. We like the rush and addicted to the adrenalin. That being said, we could not pass up the "Wild Tour" during our visit to McMinville to see grandpa. 2 1/2 hours of squeezing into tight holes, crawling through underground tunnels and getting down and dirty! We would also stop every now and then to allow the other members of the group to catch up, and so our tour guide could give us a little background and history on the place. We can't wait to go back and do the historic tour that involves climbing 30 ft ladders! If you're coming to this part of town to experience Bonnaroo, come see the Caverns and take the Wild Tour! read more

Didn't get to do any of the tours during my one visit here, though if I ever found myself in Nashville (or another city in Tennessee) again then I'd definitely think about making the trek to McMinnville to check out Cumberland Caverns a second time. A friend and I were here in early 2009 to see the supposedly final concert performance by The Silver Jews. We had a great time and met some cool people during our time at the caverns. This seems like a cool place for anyone, including children. I'm giving it 5 stars since the few hours I spent here were wonderful, even though it was just for a concert. read more

Went this past Saturday for the Bluegrass Underground show but decided to do the cave tour before it started. I will review the concert portion seperately. This cave tour is a bit different than Ruby Falls for example. At Ruby Falls you take an elevator down to the bottom but here you walk down about a 1/2 mile trail to get to the cave entrance (similar to a mine entrance.) Also to note this cave does not have as many dramatic features like Ruby Falls. Apparently Cumberland Caverns was used more by the residents of the area and also during the Civil War so a lot of the features were damaged or destroyed in the almost 200 years before it became a protected site. It took a bit to get acclimated to the lower oxygen and the HIGH Humidity of the cave (almost 99% humidity and 10% oxygen). Happy to have taken the tour but wouldn't go out of the way to do it again. read more

This is our second trip to the Cumberland Caverns and our first trip to the new cave to see Del Mccoury!! First let me say that Del is ALWAYS unbelievably a great host and entertainer but the new cave is terrible, first and foremost let me say the sulphate smell is off the charts !!! It was as if we where watching a show in a septic tank !!! Everyone we talked to where complaining about the horrific smell inside the cave and I seen people leave because of it ! The sound for the opening act was lack luster as well !! Like I said we loved the first cavern but we will not be back until these items are addressed and fixed !! I even think there should have been some type of refund since most people are from out of town and spend the time and money on hotels and gas just to come to these shows read more

We went here for a family Girl Scout Troop outing. We did the whole package and were there for about 4 hours. The cave tour was very informative and our tour guide was great. We ate lunch in the cave which was fun. We watched the light show in the cave and heard the spooky story by candlelight. After we exited the cave the girls did the gem mining. The gift shop had some really neat stuff in it. read more

We were the last tour of the day. There were 5 in our group. We enjoyed this thoroughly. What amazing history. What an amazing cave and adventure. Berlin was absolutely hands down the best tour guide ever!! Thanks!! C,B,E read more

Fine. My first time visiting we got to see a lot of the caverns including the really old graffiti. The second time I visited a year later the tour guide was meh and due to the slow pace we didn't get to see everything. This was for the basic walking tour which I won't be back to see. The other tours look more interesting so I'll be back for those. read more

Went for the first time the other weekend and really enjoyed our time. The staff is very knowledgeable about the caves and the area and can answer most questions you would have about there. The tour was very entertaining and educational. My husband and I took our 22 month old daughter. We went in thinking she would stay in the carrier most the time but we were able to let her out to explore twice. I wouldn't recommend for small children and toddlers unless you are able to wear the. The gift shop has some really unique hand made items made locally which I think is really great! Had a great time. read more

We visited the Cumberland Caverns and found it to be a real enjoyable, educational, and rewarding experience! Brittany was our tour guide and she did a really nice job of explaining the caverns, providing interesting information, and answering our questions. The cave system was very extensive with a variety of rooms and things to discover. The tour lasted nearly two hours and we had a really nice time. Brittany and the whole staff were also great in helping us with some questions we had and assisting us in finding a place to eat after the tour. Great experience and very worthwhile!! read more

Had a tour with John and he was awesome! Super friendly, informational, and agile! I highly recommend this tour, it is the best cavern tour I have encountered in Tennessee so far. read more