What an experience! We did the 4 hour Mystery Cave wild cave tour (the longer 4 hour one). Mystery Cave is not only a super cool place to see (being 450 million years old, having fossils, being rather "untouched", etc) but the tour itself was amazing. Jake was a friendly, knowledgable, and engaging tour guide. He was very willing to answer questions (and I had a lot) and had lots of knowledge to share. His genuine interest and energy, along with the cool-ness of Mystery Cave made this unforgettable experience. If you're physically able (and do read the disclaimers/etc on the website), I highly recommend doing the wild caving tour! read more

Mr. cave was a fun and interesting and informative place to go check out if you're in South East Minnesota. The state Park pass and the two tickets for myself and my girlfriend to go to the caves tour, which took about an hour ended up being just under 40 bucks. Our tour guide Dayton. Took us through a whole group of well plotted out tunnels that are easy to maneuver in and also safe for the most part as long as you are somewhat capable of maneuvering. From what I saw, it was also mostly handicap accessible. Remember to wear a jacket it can get cold down in there. read more

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If you use GPS to get there, you'll need to make sure it isn't directing you to the other entrance to Mystery Cave Forestville State Park. The DNR website has turn by turn instructions to follow. But I found that by putting in the "William H Morrissey Visitor Center" or "18111 Mystery Cave Rd, Spring Valley, MN 55975" will get you to the right spot. read more

This is a must if you are near by. We loved our experience there. The tour guide did a great job with all the information. The cave is handicap accessible. They do have a more extensive tour if you want otherwise this is a quick hour tour. Very cool cave this has been on my bucket list for awhile glad we finally made it. read more

Mystery Cave - More of the cave. - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Spring Valley, Minnesota

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If you haven't been to this cave yet, what are you waiting for!? I took my nephew who is 13 and we had a blast! We have both been to Niagara cave as well in Mn and we both agreed this cave tour was better! There is plenty of parking and inside before the tour, there is a gift shop and some live snakes to look at! There are really no bats to see as they close the cave when the bats are present. Our tour guide was awesome and knowledgeable! I wanted to tip, but they are not allowed to take tips :( Definitely bring a jacket with you! This cave is also wheelchair friendly or scooter friendly unlike Niagara Cave. If you haven't been to Niagara cave, it is also worth going too but this cave was definitely more fun!! read more

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We participated in the cave hike and the young man leading it did a great job. The cave is very interesting and the time spent in there is enough to give you a good natural history lesson. The 48 degree temps didn't feel that cold to me, but definitely a coat is needed and hiking shoes are best. There are some areas that had a bit of standing water but not many. The Visitor Center has some interesting and informative displays that are well done. We enjoyed our visit quite a lot. read more

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Tours run on the top of the hour. Tickets can be reserved online or purchased at the office. Prices were $15 each and tours can be up to 20 people. We visited in Sep and bought tickets when we arrived and had no issues. Our group was 11 people. Our guide was Dan and he was great. Very knowledgeable and full of passion about preserving nature. The tour is scheduled for 60 min but ours went long because our group had so many questions. There is not a lot of walking in the cave. It is chilly so wear something warm. The formations were plentiful and beautiful. Paths were smooth and very accessible. Excellent stop. read more

Mystery Cave - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Spring Valley, Minnesota

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Upon entering the welcome building for the cave we were greeted nicely. The tour starts at the building with a walk to the entrance of the cave. It is a bit chilly inside the cave so bring layers. You can take photos while inside. The tour guide was fun and plenty loud for all to hear. I had only done one other cave tour before and it was very short. The end of this tour is worth it! read more

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I had so much fun! Our groups got to take a private hands on tour. It was so fun crawling, climbing, and walking threw the cave. We saw few small bats when we went. Our guide was amazing and did a great job telling us about the cave and history of it. I loved it so much I am definitely hoping to do it again next spring when they open back up!! They have a nice visitor center. They also have a small parking lot. Make sure you know where you're going before you get there. Cell phone reception is spotty and does not work the closer you get to this place. read more

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Cave is open from approximately May to October; check the website. Scenic tour is held every 20 minutes and lasts over an hour. We had a great guide! Three out-and-back walks within the tour. Unusual fallout shelter within the cave. Attractive pool at the end of the tour. We liked the hole eroded in the roof of one chamber, by water that had previously flooded into the chamber and then flooded out through the top of the chamber. They let us touch a piece of cave calcite that was previously broken off. Lot of dripping water, quite wet, but the steel-mesh walkways were not slippery. There are resident bats, so on the way out they ask you to wipe your feet on soapy mats. Wiping removes spores of the fungus that causes white nose disease to reduce transmission of that disease to other bats. read more

Mystery Cave - Hole eroded in ceiling - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Spring Valley, Minnesota

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Mike is the best tour guide! Seriously, the tour guide can make or break your experience. Having a great one can make a huge difference. You can tell he likes his job and is super knowledgeable. He shared a ton of fun facts that we didn't know. The temperature in the cave is perfect for touring during Minnesota's hot and humid summers. For sure coming back to check out the other tours. I should mention we did the scenic tour. read more

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A must see for ANY cave enthusiast! The main tour was an easy hike with lots to see! Reserve your tickets early and make some extra time to explore the visitors center. read more

Mystery Cave - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Spring Valley, Minnesota

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What a great day trip. You get to learn a lot about the caves and ask questions. The tour is about an hour long. It's also very well kept-up. read more

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Great day trip adventure! Before the tour: parking at the location is easy and close to the building, but you must pay to park. It is $5 to park there, or you can purchase a $35 year long parking pass that is valid at all MN state parks. The building where you purchase tickets for the cave tour is modern and has clean bathrooms and drinking water, as well as a small souvenir store. On the tour: the cave is a short walk from the main building. As soon as you enter the cave, you feel like you are in a whole other world. The park ranger that leads the tour was very friendly and knowledgeable. The cave has very cool lighting that accents it's grand and unique features. It is kept at 48 degrees Fahrenheit year round, so bring warm clothes even if you are touring in the summertime. Wear comfortable walking shoes, as you are on your feet the entire tour. The cave is really huge, and no two places are alike. I am not one for confined spaces, and I felt fine the entire tour. The cave tour is very informational but not at all boring, as you are constantly on the move and seeing new parts of the cave. I highly recommend touring Niagara Cave! read more

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This is a very well-run operation, they take reservations, they have tours going on the hour every hour all day long, our tour guide was amazing, very professional. Everything is 48° underground so wear a sweatshirt and pants unless you want to be 48° in shorts and T-shirts like we did. Also I would definitely bring a flashlight, some of the things he would shine flashlights on we couldn't see because we are at the tail end of the group. At times we were 120 feet below ground, there were bats, various geological formations like bacon, rock bacon? All I was explained, fast paced but not too fast, no complaints from the 4th grader or 7th graders nor the moms. read more

Mystery Cave - Rock popcorn - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Spring Valley, Minnesota

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I have been going to Mystery Cave at least once a year for the last 7 or so years. My family and I enjoy the visits because we have educated, intelligent guides (either naturalists or geologist) who are excited to give you information about the cave, the area, and the history behind it. This is a great time for family to learn something together and be active at the same time. There are two trips, a short one-hour trip that is wheelchair accessible, and a two-hour trip where each person brings their own light. These are to two different areas of the cave, and give very different viewpoints. The short tour happens ever 20 minutes or so, and is given during the week between Memorial and Labor day. The longer tour is only given twice a day on the weekends. The cave isn't open during the winter as thousands of bats hibernate, and disturbing during hibernation is lethal to them. read more

Beautiful cave. Very knowledgeable guides. Only complaint is that at times the guides moved at a very fast pace.