While I’ve been to Springfield many times, this trip was sponsored by Springfield, MO (the Convention and Visitors Bureau for Springfield, MO), which means all of my expenses were paid for and the itinerary was organized for me. As always, I only recommend my absolute favorites to you. Thank you for supporting the brands that make the Lincoln Travel Co possible.

With over seven THOUSAND recorded caves, it’s no wonder they call Missouri the “Cave State.” Really…pretty much no matter where you are in the state, there’s a pretty good chance you’re standing on top of a geological marvel! 

Currently 13 of those caves are open to the public for commercial tours (the number is a little volatile as some open and close due to different circumstances), which is actually a LOT. 

Yes, Missouri (Southwest Missouri in particular) is a mecca for cave exploration.

And well, you know me…I like to explore…so last week I went to SIX different caves…yep, I went to pretty much every commercial cave in the Springfield/Branson area over the course of three days. 

The Best Caves in Springfield & Branson MO

There’s one important thing you should know about me…I’ve got a “completist” personality. I love checking things off a list and doing ALL THE THINGS (i.e. visiting all 50 states, all national parks, etc.) so when the opportunity to visit SIX different caves in Southwest Missouri (all the ones in the area) came up, I pounced. 

I will confess…I’m not necessarily a big “cave person.” I’m not crazy about the idea of being underground, I have a somewhat sizeable fear of heights, and I wasn’t sure if I was claustrophobic or not (but I have a baseline level of anxiety that can sometimes manifest itself in unexpected ways ; )  

So I’m not your textbook spelunker…I’m not out visiting caves everywhere I go. But I like a good theme trip and love nothing more than a detailed compare and contrast session. I can talk about the pros and cons of different travel destinations and activities ALL DAY LONG. 

So I was kind of all about getting the low down on these caves. FOR YOU, dear reader!

I spent three days climbing, crawling, and scampering around underground, asking sooooo many questions and browsing through my fair share of cave themed gift shops.

And now I’ve got EVERYTHING you need to know about the best caves in Branson and Springfield, MO. 

A Cave for Every Occasion 

It’s very hard to “rank” these caves in any sort of good, better, best way because they’re soooo different and pretty much each one offers a different experience. Basically what we’ve got here in the Branson/Springfield/Southwest Missouri area is a cave for every occasion. 

Fantastic Caverns

Springfield, MO

Let’s start with what’s perhaps the most well known cave in these parts. Fantastic Caverns runs a robust marketing campaign and paired with the fact that they’re a “Drive Thru Cave,” they’re easily one of Springfield’s top tourist attractions. 

I’m embarrassed to say that Fantastic Caverns is only a few miles from where my grandparents live and this was the first time I’d ever been there!

Well folks, Fantastic Caverns is a well oiled machine. They run tours 362 days a year (closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day) continuously from 8 AM to dusk. 

Tours last about one hour and reservations aren’t required. Just show up and they’ll load your party on the next departing tour (tours leave every 20-30 minutes). 

It’s $30/adult, $17/child (6-12), and children 5 and under are free with an adult. 

About the Tour

It really is a drive thru cave. Propane powered Jeeps pull small trams through the cave. About 5 people can sit in the Jeep with the driver (I got the front seat!) and the rest sit on two benches in the trailer. 

And the trailers are able to accommodate wheelchairs so this is a very accessible tour.  People with mobility issues, older folks, small kids…this is the perfect cave tour if accessibility is your priority. 

Okay, confession…this was cave 5/6 that I toured on this trip so at this point I had seen a lot. Some pretty impressive things. And for some reason, I didn’t have terribly high expectations of Fantastic Caverns, aside from the novelty of it being a drive thru cave. 

We pulled away from the loading area, down towards the cave entrance, and as the doors opened and we drove inside I remember thinking “oh wow this is an actual cave!” The formations were pretty impressive right away. 

The tour guides all have their unique deliveries but in general they’re designed to be both entertaining and educational and they cater quite a bit to the kids. 

The tram stops quite a bit, but everyone but the tour guide always stays inside. There are no height issues and the path is pretty flat. The rooms aren’t terribly cavernous but I wouldn’t call them small or cramped. Unless you have severe claustrophobia, it shouldn’t be an issue. 

Besides the cave being ride thru, I think the presentation is the most family friendly. Our tour guide covered a lot of the science of caves but always wove in stories that were engaging. And the pace of the tour moves really well. They do a lot of education work with kids here at Fantastic Caverns and you can tell. 

After touring four other caves, believe me, I’d heard my fair share about bat guano and it being used for ammunition. But on this tour we stopped in front of a stage set up where our guide went through a whole demonstration about the process. 

If you’re a hard core cave enthusiast or a serious geologist, it’s not my top recommendation for caves in the area (although it’s novelty probably makes it a must do), but if you’re looking for a family friendly activity, it’s well worth your time. 

Fun Facts 

The cave was first discovered by a dog! John Knox was out hunting on his property when his dog found the cave. 

The cave was first explored by women. A group of ladies from the Springfield Women’s Athletic Club (ages 12-19!) were the first to explore inside the cave. And their names are still visible on the cave wall!

The cave was a speakeasy during the Prohibition and they had square dances and concerts in the cave during the 1950s and 1960s. 

Smallin Civil War Cave

Ozark, MO

Moving onto the first cave I explored on my Missouri cave tour…Smallin Civil War Cave. 

Smallin Civil War Cave feels very distinct from every other cave I went in and mostly for two reasons: 1) As the name suggests, the major attraction of this cave is its history. It’s not just a regular cave, it’s a Civil War cave. 2) The cave opening at Smallin is extremely large and dramatic and because the tour only goes about 500 feet back into the cave, you’re never in complete darkness.

This is a much smaller tour operation than some in the area and while they’re open pretty consistently from March to December (Monday through Saturday from 9:30 AM to 5 PM and Sunday from 1 PM to 5 PM), if you’re planning to visit in January or February you should call ahead for their hours. 

Tours last one hour and it’s $27.95/adult, $15.95/child (4-12), and children under 3 are free. 

About the Tour

Here’s my 100% honest take…geologically speaking, Smallin Cave was not the most impressive cave I saw on this trip (the dramatic opening does give it bonus points!!), BUT it was the tour that I enjoyed the most. 

Here’s why: I’m just not a huge “science person.” I appreciate the intricate processes that occurred consistently for millions of years to create these caves, but I get a little bored with the details. I’m a history person, and I love stories and this tour was one story after another. 

It was kind of like an hour long entertaining presentation on the social and cultural history of this part of the Ozarks that just happened to pass through this amazing cave. 

Part of this was due to our amazing tour guide, owner Kevin Bright, who has the craft of a historical interpreter and the mannerisms and speech patterns of someone born and raised in these parts. 

So about the tour itself…from the visitor center/gift shop the whole tour involves about a half mile of walking with no stairs. There are some brief little inclines here or there, but overall it’s a very accessible tour. It’s not completely ADA compliant, but they definitely get their fair share of guests in wheelchairs that are able to do the entire tour (I personally saw one). 

When you leave the visitor center, you walk along a beautiful trail through the woods where the guide stops at different spots to tell stories. 

The trail into the cave itself is relatively flat and you just go through the opening straight back about 500 feet. 

Besides being for Civil War history fans, this is a great cave tour if you have a fear of heights, if you’re claustrophobic, or if you have general anxiety about being underground. It’s all very open and you can see daylight even when you’re at the farthest point back in the cave. 

There’s also the option for a two hour “wild tour” that involves going off trail and spelunking deeper into the cave. It’s $100/person and you have to arrange it in advance. Be prepared to wade through COLD water up to your knees. 

But here’s my best recommendation…if you can time it right, I would 100% plan to come for the lantern tours in the fall. In late September through October they offer historical Civil War tours that are done by lantern light. These are full on events that include a meal around a campfire,  the whole staff in period costume, and a more detailed Civil War history tour. Call ahead to reserve because these usually sell out. 

After the Tour

Smallin Civil War Cave is located in Ozark, MO (off Highway 65 in between Springfield and Branson) conveniently just about 3 miles from one of my FAVORITE places…the Ozark Mill at Finley Farms. 

This is a destination dining (and shopping) spot with beautiful views of the Finley River. 

This has become a must do spot for me every time I’m in town. The food is sooooo good but the atmosphere is **chef’s kiss**. 

The main restaurant at the Ozark Mill is perfect for lunch and dinner. There’s also a more upscale spot underneath the Mill (with 1800s speakeasy vibes) called the Garrison. 

And The Workshop is a nice coffee shop/hang out spot on the property near the farms. They do a farmers market here on Thursday evenings. 

You’ll definitely want to spend some time walking around the property checking out the farm, the bridge, and the old church on the other side of the river. 

As far as what to order at the Mill, I’ve never had anything that I wouldn’t get again, but my favorites are the risotto fritters, the Mill burger (lunch only), and the signature green tomato cake. 

Marvel Cave

Branson, MO

Okaaaay, let’s talk about the granddaddy cave, the cave that started it all, and maybe the only cave in a major American theme park?? MARVEL CAVE. 

I know you know about Silver Dollar City, but it always surprises me how many people don’t know about the cave at Silver Dollar City. USA Today’s #1 Theme Park in America (2023) actually got its start with Marvel Cave. 

The cave was originally opened for tours in 1894 and in the 1960s the cave’s new (and current) owners, the Herschend family, opened up their 1880s Ozark Mountain Village themed Silver Dollar City right over the top of the entrance to Marvel Cave. 

To this day, many of the park’s visitors who are racing to the park’s record breaking roller coasters and water rides don’t even know that a steady stream of people are descending 300 feet down into the largest cave entrance room in the United States. RIGHT BELOW THEM. 

60 minute tours of Marvel Cave are offered a dozen or so times a day and are included with admission to Silver Dollar City. The tours are capped at about 45 people per tour and it’s first come first serve (and you can usually always join the next tour). 

The last tour of the day is a special lantern light tour that is an additional fee ($16/person) and should be reserved in advance. The tour is an extended 90 minutes and includes visiting the Mammoth Room which isn’t included on the normal tour. Ages 8+. 

About the Tour

Confession: I have a healthy (but not debilitating) fear of heights and this one almost wiped me out!

The tour starts right at the front of the park and when you leave the building you pretty much immediately start walking down a steep staircase through some vegetation. Ok. No big deal. At the bottom of that staircase, you’ll go through a door and onto a platform where you’ll realize you’re now at the top of THAT staircase. 

Marvel Cave is a vertical cave which means you come in at the top of it and you’ve got to descend down a monster staircase to get to the floor. The staircase is 60 feet tall (it seems higher), but it’s actually 200 feet to the lowest point in the room so it seems HIGH. 

But I don’t think it was the height that did me in…it’s the size of the ROOM. The Cathedral Room (aptly named) is the largest cave entrance room in the United States. And boy is it impressive. They have flown FIVE hot air balloons in this room before. At. the. same. time. It’s hard to even wrap your mind around that size of a room. Underground. 

So you’re coming down this tiny staircase that feels like it’s dangling from the ceiling of this enormous room. When I walked out onto the top platform, I was this close to just turning around and going to get an ice cream cone while I waited for the rest of my group, BUT I powered on and I’m glad I did. 

I don’t think I’m being overly dramatic…I mean, the tour guide really hammers hard about how you shouldn’t do this tour if you have a fear of heights, trouble walking stairs, etc before the tour leaves so it’s obviously a concern. 

But most of the time I can power through my fears/anxieties if I know exactly what to expect and if you’re like that then I hope this detailed play by play will help…

If you have a fear of heights, the staircase at the beginning of the tour is by far the worst part. Once I made it down the tower, I was completely fine. I would suggest letting everyone else go first so you have a clear path (for me nothing is worse than having to stop on the catwalk because somebody in front of you stops to look over ; ) and just put your head down and power through!

I will say…our group was talking after the tour about it and comparing it to other caves we did and I was the only one who was bothered by the heights in the cave. Everyone else was more bothered by Talking Rocks because it’s a smaller space, but ironically that one didn’t bother me much because the walls were always closer. The room being so big in Marvel Cave is what made the height seem 10x worse. So all of that to say that even if you have a fear of heights, it may not affect you as much as it did me. Maybe it also depends on how claustrophobic you are ; ) 

OKAY so we made it down the platform and the rest of the tour is mostly just walking and stopping to look at features in different rooms. 

Logistically, there is another decent size staircase you go down called the corkscrew, but the cave walls are a lot closer and you can’t ever really see all the way to the bottom so the feeling isn’t intense at all. 

I’ll post a side view they had of the whole cave tour to kind of show you the scale. 

From there, there’s quite a bit of ducking and dodging through smaller tunnels but you’re always moving through these parts (the tour guide doesn’t stop) and they’re big enough that I was never bothered with any anxiety. 

And then towards the end you have to go up quite a few stairs (again, heights isn’t an issue here) before you load onto a cable train that takes you the remaining half mile back up to the surface. 

Bottom line: Marvel wasn’t necessarily my favorite cave I toured (I’ll get to those), but it is by far the one that has the most “big time” feel. Besides the enormous Cathedral Room at the entrance, at the lowest point of the tour you’re 500 feet under ground. And while the tour guide does stop at several places to point things out, there is a lot of walking and you feel like you’re covering a lot of ground. It just feels like a very big and dramatic cave…probably impressive even to people who have seen the best of the best.   

Theme Park Tips

Obviously this post is focused on the caves, but Silver Dollar City is a world class attraction and a place that you’ll want to spend at least one full day. 

Whether you’re into the big roller coasters, the family friendly entertainment, the original old timey attractions (candle making, glass blowing, black smith, wood working, etc), or the festivals, this is a big park with a lot going on and you’re going to want to have a solid game plan before you arrive. 

If you’re into the rides, they have a Trailblazer pass that allows you to skip the lines that starts at $49. 

If you’re not into the rides, I would consider timing your visit during one of the festivals that interests you the most. 

Lost Canyon Cave & Nature Trail at Top of the Rock

Branson, MO

We included the Lost Canyon Cave at Top of the Rock on our Southwest Missouri cave tour because, I mean…you have to, but it’s definitely an outlier here. 

For a couple of reasons: 1) Lost Canyon Cave is what folks in the cave business like to call a designed cave. It is a naturally occurring cave, but it’s been enhanced quite a bit to add a lot more show elements. 2) The cave is really just a quick diversion on the bigger nature trail. While every other cave tour on this list is about one hour, we were only in the Lost Canyon Cave for about 5 minutes.

I’m going to do a full post about the Top of the Rock golf cart tour, but here’s the quick rundown: 

About the Tour

Top of the Rock is a scenic mountain recreation area that’s part of the larger Big Cedar Lodge resort area. Besides the Lost Canyon Cave and Nature Trail, there’s fine dining, shopping, golf, and a natural history museum. Think Bass Pro, but you’re out in actual nature. 

The Lost Canyon Cave & Nature Trail is a 2.5 mile trail that’s experienced via golf cart. It’s not cheap (depending on the day it ranges from $33-40/person), but it is BEAUTIFUL. 

You zip along at your own pace stopping to marvel at waterfalls and overlooks, covered bridges and yes, the cave. The cave is definitely designed to “wow” with multiple waterfalls, prehistoric animal skeletons, and even the “Bat Bar” with branded specialty beverages. 

Like I said, the cave is beautiful but really just a small part of the bigger trail.

So cave wise, it’s really in no way comparable to the others on this list, but as far as a general experience, I think it’s not to be missed. 

Top of the Rock

If you’re coming for the Lost Canyon Cave & Nature Trail, you’re definitely going to want to make a full day of it at Top of the Rock. The golf cart tour includes admission to the Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum. 

Osage Restaurant is the big show stopper at Top of the Rock. Make a reservation for sunset and to enjoy the views. They also do a Sunday brunch. Arnie’s is a more casual Mexican restaurant with views of the golf course and Cathedral of Nature (a sinkhole turned marvel). 

Talking Rocks Cavern

Branson West, MO

Okay, I’ve saved the best caves for last! If you MADE me choose a favorite cave from this list, it would probably be Talking Rocks Cavern. 

Like Marvel Cave, Talking Rocks Cavern is a vertical cave, meaning you enter it from the top and it manages to feel both wildly dramatic and very detailed. 

The height of the cave gives you a vantage point that makes it feel very grand, but since it’s relatively narrow, you never feel far away from any of the formations so it seems more intimate. 

Plus it’s on a beautiful property that includes a nice nature trail and scenic overlook, mini golf, picnic areas, play places, and many family friendly games. 

Tours last about one hour and reservations aren’t required. 

Hours vary throughout the year so it’s best to call ahead and verify, but generally they’re open seven days a week. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. 

It’s $26.95/adult, $16.95/child (4-12), and children 3 and under are free. 

About the Tour

I was amazed at how unceremoniously the tour at Talking Rocks Cavern begins. We were sitting in a little gathering area off the gift shop hearing about the history of the cave and getting the safety prep and then our tour guide opened a door right next to where I was sitting and BAM. We were at the top of the opening looking down 100 feet into the main chamber of the cave. 

Because this is a vertical cave, it does require a fair number of stairs (265 steps to be precise), but since this is spread out over the course of an hour, it never feels strenuous. 

At the top of the main staircase by the entrance/exit is where you’ll get the most jittery about heights. From the highest point, it’s about 100 feet straight down and I did have a few wobbles in my knees when I first looked over the edge, but in general I wasn’t very bothered by the heights in this cave. 

And I think that’s mostly because it’s a fairly narrow cave so even though you’re high up, you’re never far from the cave walls. Marvel Cave bothered me MUCH more because the staircase was wide out in the open. Although others in my group said the opposite. 

On that note, if you have moderate to severe claustrophobia, you might have problems in this cave. I thought the cave seemed large, but it’s definitely much taller than it is wide and the narrowest points (only for a few feet) are never narrower than a doorway. 

Even though the cave is so tall and grand, it has a very intimate feel. You’re always in a place where you’re right up close to the formations and at one point you even get to walk THROUGH this giant curtain. 

The cave was originally called the Fairy Cave but renamed Talking Rocks Cavern by new owners in 1921 who said they would search for clues in the rock to learn about the cave’s origin and the evidence in the rock would “speak” to them about the cave’s creation. 

And true to the name, the tour pretty much focuses on letting the rocks talk. This was a heavily science based tour. I mentioned before that I’m not really a “science person” and I’m more interested in history and stories, but if you’re into learning about the scientific processes that occurred over millions of years to create this cave (and cave science in general), you will LOVE this tour. 

And even if you’re not (me!), you’ll still 100% enjoy the tour because this cave is a STUNNER. 

One last note about the tour…I have it on pretty good authority that if you’re in the market to buy rocks, fossils, gemstones, etc that these are the best prices you’ll find in the area. The gift shop is really good here!

Missouri Cave Family

When we came up out of the cave from our tour, our group had the pleasure of meeting Bruce Herschend who is known as an expert spelunker in these parts. The Herschend family owns Silver Dollar City so they’ve been in the cave business for sometime. They’re also currently operating Crystal Cave (the next cave on this list) and Bruce gave us a lot of insight into all of the different caves in the area. 

So the Missouri cave community is pretty tight knit and nobody really considers anybody else “competition.” Because there’s such a high concentration of commercial caves in the area, it’s really the perfect destination for people who love exploring caves. Go in one, two, three or six!

Crystal Cave

Springfield, MO

You know those treasure caves you see in the movies? A hidden cave with nooks and crannies, small passageways, and a slightly magical feel? Well, that’s Crystal Cave. 

Crystal Cave was the last cave I toured in Southwest Missouri, so I’d seen a LOT when I arrived here. I had scaled towering staircases, heard endless facts about the science behind formations and ooohed and aaaahed over “cave bacon” and “soda straws” and “cave popcorn.”

I was a jaded spelunker. If by spelunker you man someone who can wear white sneakers on a guided tour and not get them dirty ; ) 

But after just a few minutes in Crystal Cave, I had this vaguely unexplainable feeling about this cave. Now remember…I’m not a science person. I’m sure a geologist could precisely explain the natural phenomena of this cave and how it differed from every other cave we toured. 

To me it just seemed magical. 

Hollywood could film an adventure movie here…three kids chasing their dog through the woods stumble onto an overgrown cave entrance. It’s guarded by rusty iron gates. They slide through a narrow opening and start looking around with their flashlights. They duck under low ceilings and scrambling up rocky slopes before crawling through a small opening into…the treasure room! BUM BUM BUM. 

Okay okay, but you get the idea. This was by far the most intimate cave we toured and at turn after turn I found my face pressed up mere inches away from the most delicate and unusual formations I’d ever seen. 

Again, I’m not an expert with the “science stuff” but I heard a LOT about it and I know for a fact that the formations here are incredibly unique and geologists and speleologists are coming here to study them. 

Guided hour long tours depart on the hour. From Memorial Day to Labor Day tours are offered 7 days a week from 10 AM to 5 PM. During the offseason, the cave is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Closed Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Years Day. 

It’s $26.95/adult and $15.95/child.

About the Tour

The one hour tour leaves from the main visitor center and it’s just a short walk down to the entrance of the cave. And it’s a pretty cool entrance! 

Two salvaged antique gates (ones from a historic cemetery and one from Springfield’s first jail) guard the descent down to the cave opening. 

We saw a bunch of salamanders as soon as we stepped into the cave so that started our tour off on the right foot!

The main chamber is fairly large, but once we left that room, the rest of the tour led through smaller rooms. It’s part of the charm of the cave. I never had any problems with claustrophobia and the cave is never tight, tight, but it is very intimate. 

This tour also requires much more scrambling around of any of the tours. There are several spots where you need to be able to climb some steps and duck down through a smaller space before coming out the other side and there’s one spot where you’ll need to duck down and crab walk for 15-20 feet. There’s a low railing along that portion to help you, but if you have knee problems or limited mobility it could be pretty challenging. Honestly, a pair of knee pads would be pretty helpful on the tour. 

I mentioned before that this cave has some really rare and unusual formations, so of course a lot of the tour focuses on that, but our tour guide really tailored our tour to the history of the cave (they knew we’d done five other tours at this point so we knew the cave science basics) and what made it special. 

And you’ll for sure want to check out the gift shop! They’ve got a super cool collection of vintage and antique table games. 

Wild Cave Tour

A lot of these caves offer a more “adventurous” version of their main tour, but the Wild Cave Tour is probably your best option for a really wild adventure. The two hour two involves actual spelunking…think crawling and climbing through the mud along an underground riverbed. Wild Cave Tours are only offered at 5 PM on Saturdays and participants must be at least 16 years old. $100/person and the group must be between 2-10 people.  

Where to Eat in Springfield

Spelunking makes you hungry…here’s everywhere I ate on my trip to Springfield, MO:

Ozark Mill at Finley Farms

I already mentioned this above in the Smallin Civil War Cave section, but I think a stop at Finley Farms is a DO NOT MISS when you’re in the area. 

Gailey’s 

This is Springfield’s beloved go to breakfast spot. Of course they have all the hearty (uhh unhealthy?) breakfast favorites, but they’ve got a pretty wide menu with something for everyone. Be prepared for long waits on the weekends. 

Lambert’s 

Lambert’s is a prime time tourist attraction around here. And yes, they really do throw the rolls. Besides flying rolls, they’re famous for serving up massive portions of home cooked comfort food. I had the chicken fried chicken and it was very good. 

Hemmingway’s 

If you like unusual dining experiences, add Hemmingway’s to your list. Located on an upper floor inside Bass Pro, not only does the restaurant have views out over the intricately themed store, but there’s a massive fish tank behind the bar and everything on the menu is…exactly what you’d expect from a restaurant inside a hunting and fishing mega store. The bison burger I had was exceptional and came from the herd at Dogwood Canyon. 

Pineapple Whip

This is a Springfield institution and a don’t miss if you’re visiting during the summer. There are several trucks/stands around town and while pineapple is their most obvious flavor, they usually have at least one other rotating option. 

Greek Belly

This is a favorite local spot and it is HOPPING at lunch time!

Where I Stayed on This Trip

If you’re looking for an affordable and convenient place to stay in downtown Springfield, I stayed at the Tru by Hilton and it was really nice. It’s brand new, has free breakfast, a great lobby with common workspaces, and it’s very walkable to pretty much everywhere downtown.