Talking Rocks Cavern facts for kids
Talking Rocks Cavern is a cool cave system in Missouri, USA. It's near Branson West in Stone County. This amazing cave used to be called Fairy Cave. It's a fun place for families and schools to visit and learn about caves. The Herschend Family Entertainment company owns it, and Adventure Creations Inc. helps run it as a public attraction.
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Exploring the Cavern
When you visit Talking Rocks Cavern, you can take a guided tour. These tours happen often throughout the day. Each tour lasts about one hour. You will walk down 150 steps to reach the cave floor. Then, you will walk up 115 steps to exit.
Amazing Cave Formations
Inside the cave, you will see many incredible rock formations up close. These include:
- "Cave bacon"
- "Curtains"
- Stalagmites (grow up from the floor)
- Stalactites (hang down from the ceiling)
One special formation is called "The Cathedral." It's a huge rock formation made of flowstone and drapery. It stands about 90 feet (27 meters) tall. It is also about 50 feet (15 meters) wide. The cave's unique vertical shape helps this formation grow so large. The temperature inside the cave stays around 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius) all year.
A Living Cave
Talking Rocks Cavern is known as a "living cave." This means that water is still moving through it. Because of this, the rock formations continue to grow, even today! You enter the cave through a gift shop. There is no outside entrance. This means that no bats live inside this cave. However, you might see other cave creatures, like cave salamanders. Even during very rainy weather, the cave rarely floods. This means tours can almost always continue as planned.
Fun Activities at the Cavern
Besides the cave tour, there are many other activities to enjoy at Talking Rocks Cavern. Some of these activities are even free!
Outdoor Adventures
- SpeleoBox Maze: This is a fun crawl maze. It helps you feel what it's like to crawl through a real cave. There is both an indoor and an outdoor version.
- Play Area: Kids can enjoy a modern play area. It has a large tube slide for extra fun.
- Giant Checkerboard: Challenge your friends or family to a game on an oversized outdoor checkerboard.
- Mini Golf: Play a round on the 9-hole miniature golf course.
- Gemstone Sluicing: This is a popular activity where you can search for gemstones.
- Nature Trails: Explore two nature trails. They lead to a 100-foot (30-meter) lookout tower. From the tower, you get amazing views of the Ozark countryside.
Learning Opportunities
School and church groups can get special rates. They can also join a "SpeleoLab" program. This program teaches about cave science in a fun way. The Rock and Gift Shop also has many interesting items. You can find gemstones, fossils, and other unique gifts there.
Visiting Information
Talking Rocks Cavern is open all year round. It only closes on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Sometimes, if the weather is very bad, the cave might close for safety. This happens when roads in the area become dangerous.
