Cathedral Caverns

Aliza Brown

This was one of the coolest caves I’ve been in. I was a bit skeptical going in thinking I wouldn’t enjoy it. But for $20, this was one of the prettiest caves I’ve toured. Jason was a great guide. Super knowledgeable and friendly. We booked the tour the day of and had about 20-30 other people with us. You will show up 15 minutes before your tour and get your receipt from the gift shop to show to your guide before entering. It’s a short 90 minute tour that takes you 3/4 mile into the cave and 3/4 back out. The walkways are easy to navigate, sometimes steep, and there are always stairs. It is ADA accessible. Inside the cave you will be treated to Goliath, one of the largest columns in the US, and a beautiful garden of stalagmites (my favorite part). Flash photography is allowed. Definitely a must do in the surrounding area of HSV. About a 40 minute drive from south HSV.

Kimberly Hill

I enjoyed this cave experience. Our guide was knowledgeable! The cave is very large, so there's no concerns about claustrophobia for Cathedral Caverns. I posted these three photos so I don't ruin the beauty inside the cave. This is a must-see in North Alabama.

Dalaney Crow

Loved this place. Never knew it was so close. Tour guides were amazing. Was decently long. And very interesting story. Possibly tiring for smaller kids and people who have trouble walking or walking longer distances . It was about 1.5 miles I think. But I went on my son's first grade field trip and carried my baby in a carrier on my chest. Bring a light jacket and comfortable shoes. Gem mining was cute and fun. You get some neat little keepsakes. Gift shop was neat. But small. I love rocks and caves and was not disappointed. Definitely want to go back and so do the kids. Highly recommend.

John Molnar

We went on the first cave tour of the day. Very nice and knowledgeable guide took us through the various rooms. This was not a one trick pony experience. I lost count of how many different "rooms" we went through. A couple rooms had the underground Mystery Rider. One had the world's largest stalagmite/stalactite (it was connected). One room was 110 feet tall. The tour is out and back. On the outbound leg, there was frequent narration from the guide. The return leg was "just" walking back to the entrance, past the same sites. I don't mean that as a complaint; just the nature of the route. The guide took group photos on the way back. As he said, he could get good angles because he can go off the path. The path was well lit for travel but kept the appropriate darkness for a cave. The trail was paved with handrails. It's definitely up and down but we never had trouble (went with two kids). If you can do a hilly walk, you can probably do the trail. It's a long walk. I consider myself in good shape and I was tired by the end. The tickets were good value, especially the kid prices. One last thing about the Mystery River. From what the guide said, it rises a lot after heavy rain. (Not in a dangerous way!) Just that what you see will be different depending on if it's rained. We went with the normal, low river. I found myself wondering what the high river would look like.

Chasa Fulkerson

Saturday, March 1, 2025 Pretty awesome cave! It is quite huge! I can’t remember our tour guides name but she was great, friendly, and answered any questions we had. The tour groups are kind of big. So that does make it kind of hard to hear, especially if you are in the back. They have a gift shop and bathrooms. You can also see bats in the cave! Make sure to call and reserve and buy your ticket for the tour. They have installed lights inside the cave but you should bring your own flashlight as well.