Cathedral Caverns State Park

Why visit

Even people who are not usually interested in caves are amazed by Cathedral Caverns. The vast entrance looks like the door of a cathedral, and inside the main passage stretches deep into the mountain, with huge formations lit along the path. The cave was once a private attraction called Bat Cave, and it opened as a state park in 2000. Scenes from the Disney film Tom and Huck (1995) were filmed here.

What you will see

• The entrance: one of the widest commercial cave entrances in the world.
• Goliath: a giant stalagmite about 45 feet tall, once listed as one of the largest in the world.
• The Stalagmite Forest: a crowd of tall, thin formations rising from the floor.
• The Frozen Waterfall: a wall of flowstone that looks like a waterfall turned to stone.
• Mystery River: an underground stream that appears and disappears in the cave.

How the tours work

You can only go inside on a guided tour, which lasts about 90 minutes. The path is paved and well lit, with no tight squeezes, but it can be wet and there are some slopes. Tours run at set times through the day, and the schedule changes with the season, so check the times and prices on the Alabama State Parks website before you go. Read our guide to visiting Cathedral Caverns.

Tips

• Bring a light jacket: the cave stays at around 60°F, even in summer.
• Wear shoes with a good grip, as the path can be damp.
• Arrive a little before your tour, and expect queues on summer weekends.
• The park also has hiking trails, gem mining for children and a campground.
• Combine the cave with Lake Guntersville State Park or the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.