Sweetwater, Tennessee. Feb 26, 2026.

This is one of only eight caves in the world to contain anthodites. These delicate “cactus flowers” grow on the ceilings and walls. In addition, these caverns house the world’s second-largest underground lake (“Lost Sea”). There’s also a hole of unmeasured depth in case anyone feels like journeying to the center of the earth.

A Pleistocene jaguar’s bones were found within. The Cherokee held meetings inside certain “rooms.” Confederate soldiers mined it for saltpeter. Moonshiners manufactured their wares in the shadows.