Good afternoon everyone! I hope you are all having a lovely Monday! It was once again an incredibly hot and humid weekend here in the Deep South so most of my weekend, when I wasn’t working, was spent indoors enjoying some lovely air conditioning. I hate to say it but Summer might be my least favorite season….for living in Alabama that is. It’s too muggy to do anything outdoors and if you try to plan the day near a local lake or swimming hole, you fight afternoon pop up thunderstorms.
While trying to beat the heat and think of things to do other than the movies, I remembered my trip to Cathedral Caverns and wanted to share my trip with you guys. One major win for them right now, it’s 60 degrees year round in the cave so it’s a great break from this summer heat!
Cathedral Caverns is a publicly owned recreation area and natural history preserve located in the northeast region of Alabama. It’s a great day trip from the Huntsville or Birmingham area, or you can take advantage of many of their primitive campsites and spend a few days exploring the 493 acres surrounding the cave.
The entrance to Cathedral Caverns measures 25 feet tall and 128 feet wide, believed to be one of the widest cave entrances in the world. The entrance area is free to check out but once in you will need tickets to explore, $19 for adults, $9.00 for children 5 -12, and free for little ones with an adult. The guided tour lasts for about 90 minutes and covers 1.5 miles.
The mystery river flows through the entire cavern and can sometimes cause flooding so be prepared for some water in certain path areas. Here you can see an old bridge from one of the previous excavations. Even during the Civil War cave owners at the time, the Kannamer family, lived in the cave after their farmhouse was burned down by Union soldiers!
One of my favorite formations at Cathedral Caverns is the impressive waterfall! This large stone waterfall measures out at 32 feet tall and 135 feet long!!! This feature is so massive and photos do not do it justice!
The final stop in Cathedral Caverns is called the Big Room and it is just that! At 792 feet long and 200 feet wide it is simply stunning to see! At this point, you can see a small tunnel that leads even further into the cave but that is only open to experienced cave explorers and must be set up through the park offices. Now you can turn back and take your time walking back to the entrance. I personally enjoyed this part because you could break away from the group and really enjoy its beauty in peace.
Now doing what I love to do, I decided to create a cavern inspired mani! For my stone
Do you like exploring caves? I have only been to a few and all have been a real joy to see. It really makes us seem so small and only a blip on the radar when it comes to the history of Earth.
Would you guys like seeing more of my beautiful state and other travels? I was thinking about visiting at least one unique location each month and sharing with you guys. Seems like a fun project and sharing some hidden state gems. Thank you so much for stopping by today and I will see you all again soon! <3
What a neat adventure you got to have! Looks like it was a fun day!
It was so much fun!!! I’d love to explore further in!
Ive only been to one cave out here in California, I wanna say it was called something similar and looked amazing ! I remember learning about stalagmites and stalicites there!
Mites might one day reach the top and tites hold on tight! lol!!!
I would enjoy exploring that cavern.
It’s too hot and humid also here in Hawaii, and my skin is freaking out
It is certainly a blast! A great break from the humid, hot south!
What an interesting place to have visited. I think it’s great that you did a manicure that helps you remember it!
It was so much fun. The history was awesome and seeing the massive formations was just stunning!
I’ve been to the big cave we have here in Southern AZ. It’s pretty cool with all the formations. I’d love to see more of your state. I’ve never been to Alabama.
I am certainly planning on sharing more hidden Alabama gems, it’s just got to cool off a little more!
The history is so interesting!!! I was captivated learning about caverns when I was in school. I always thought it would be cool to see. The info you provided and yours pictures, they should pay you for rights to use this blog in advertising. Great job.
Awww, thanks! It was certainly fun learning the history, especially the civil war history!
I’ve always wanted to explore caves but I’m also spooked out easily!
It’s fun to do in a big group, less intimidating!
I love going caving! That looks like a fun time.
I had so much fun!!!
I feel like whoever names the rooms need to be ore creative. I’ve been to a handful or different caves/caverns, and each one has had a “Big Room”. What a great way to stay out of the heat over the summer!
Hahahaha! They are lacking in the creativity department!!!
I’ve always loved exploring caves! When I was a kid I wanted to become a speleologist 🙂
That would have been an awesome profession!!! I love exploring caves too!
I’ve never been to Alabama but I’m much closer to it here in FL now! I’ve never been to a cave like this but I’d love it. So would my husband.
You are about 7 hours from me now!!! You should totally check out some Alabama spots!
We had a set of caves near where I grew up and I loved when we did class field trips there. Seriously, still some of my favorite school trips.
We only went to one cave when I was a kid and it was flooded, I was so heartbroken! Glad I finally got to go check one out!
What a fun adventure! Your nails totally look like the weird melty rocks.
I certainly had a blast! I can’t wait for cooler weather to explorer more outdoor spots!