Feb 28, 2025 (I bought this ticket before the national boycott was announced).
Yay, a cave NNL I can legally access! Cumberland Caverns was created by two merging underground rivers cutting their way through Mississippian limestone and has over 27 miles of passages containing all kinds of formations. Where the rivers met and formed a whirlpool is where The Volcano Room is located today. This huge space near the entrance has housed underground concerts, band performances and choirs since 1981.
The caves were discovered in 1810 by Aaron Higginbotham. Aaron wandered in fairly far and climbed around only to fall and kill his light source. He was stuck in the dark, disoriented and alone, for three days.
There is no evidence of Native Americans using the caves, though they did walk over them during the Trail of Tears.
There is graffiti on the walls and ceiling from explorers dating back to the mid-1800s.
The 1950s saw more exploration and mapping of the caves. The landowner opened the caves for public tours in 1956, and Cumberland Caverns has been in business ever since. The caves earned their NNL designation in 1973.
I went on the four-hour Crucible tour which is billed as the most strenuous. It was constant steep ups and downs over muddy boulders, often using ropes and ladders, and often with steep drop-offs on one or both sides. Lots of squishing through tight spaces, too. Also lots of formations, fossils, and gypsum, plus a few tricolor bats. The guides were wonderful and gave lots of geological and historical information. They kept us on a specific path and were very conscientious about no one touching anything they should not touch. The guides also gave helping hands to anyone when needed (I needed help twice).
I had a blast with this. Thought I might get scared in there since caves generally creep me out, but nope! It was a lot of fun.
