Reviews

Tara Richter

We took the tour and mined for gems, the buckets did not disappoint! The kids, 7 and 5 loved the entire experience and can't wait to go back. Be sure to book weekend tours of the cave in advance, there were a lot of people that weren't able to get in day of. Be prepared to be amazed! Also, figure out beforehand what settings to put your phone on to take great photos inside the cave. I didn't and I feel like I could have gotten better shots.

David Cueva

If you've been at other caverns, this one has to be one of the largest and longest that I've been to. Incredible rock formation and plenty of picture taking to be had. Be prepared to bring a light jacket because it does get cool in there. Also, don't wear crocs or flip flops in there. There are sometimes big puddles and you will get your feet wet. Wear good sneakers or hiking boots for good traction. It could be slippery in so.e parts.

Jess Urbay

Amazing, must stop spot for sure. My family loved it so much. It was not too long/strenuous for my 6 year old and also felt like it was a lot to see and explore. The tour guide was knowledgeable and balanced history and science well, sharing lots of fun facts in an entertaining way. I thought the price was reasonable and everything is taken care of with pride but without disrupting nature which I appreciated. Many WOW moments! Couldn't recommend more, you will love it for sure.

Justin Lewter

I took my daughter on a tour through the cave in May. The temp was mid to low 60s. I wore a T-shirt and didn't get cold, but someone sensitive to lower temps should wear a long sleeve. The tour guide was great and told lots of stories about the history of the cave. Once you get to the back, the cave is beautiful. I would say it's about a mile to a mile and a half walk to the back of the cave. We really enjoyed it. I highly recommend for the experience. People claim the Indians didn't go into the cave, but I highly disagree and believe it was a sacred place to them. There is another cave further back that we aren't allowed to go into. They say it's even better than the last place you stop before returning back. It was amazing! You won't regret it.

Marina

Gorgeous place! Worth your time & money. Amazing tour guides that focus on safety and ensuring everyone's questions are answered along with outstanding respect to seniors who need a bit more time to walk the cavern. The cemented route has bars to hold on to and it's spacious enough for plenty of people to walk through. It's easy to stick to the back of the group and not be able to hear what the tour guide is saying but they are more than willing to repeat information or give the tour again on the way back. Good place to bring children who are curious about our environment. It is a brilliant place for educational purposes and curiosity driven people. The air is breathable of course, but might be tough for smokers. It's chilly of course in the caverns, bring suitable clothes and shoes. It's a wet environment since it's a growing cave, do bring shoes that can take a bit of a wet ground and even a raincoat/headcap if you don't like water droplets falling on your head. The giftshop is very cute, lovely items, and even an stand where you can buy stones and crystals for a dollar, good gifts givers basically! Allot about close to 2 hours for the whole experience of being there (checkin, waiting for the tour to begin, the gift shop, exploring what more they have, taking pictures on their oversized beach chair.) Overall, an outstanding place to visit!

Carl Ravina

Amazing experience! Jason was our tour guide, and he had an so much knowledge and an infectious enthusiasm. I came in not knowing anything about caves at all and I was stunned by a whole new world carved inside rock! It was a nice bonus that it remained warm and humid during this year's brutal, extended cold spell. I won't spoil anything about the cave. I'll just say it's highly accessible, well-maintained and very safe. The trails nearby are also wonderful too. I tried the Green Trial which has moderately difficult, but I saw a good view of the area through the trees, some mushrooms, and even a group of deer.

BridgeBo

We had a great time at Cathedral Caverns today with Emerson and my niece Addalynn. Our tour guide, Emma, was amazing—friendly, knowledgeable, and so good at keeping everyone engaged (even the kids). The caverns are absolutely beautiful and the whole experience was well organized and enjoyable. Highly recommend for a fun family outing! You will not regret putting this place on your must-go list!!

J. Terry McCombs

My brother and I set aside one day each month to take a day trip to visit sites in Alabama that we've never been to before. We typically choose something that is within 2 hours of Pelham/Alabaster. November's jaunt took us to Cathedral Caverns State Park, located between Woodville and Grant (just north of Guntersville). We had heard of Cathedral Caverns since we were kids in elementary school, but never visited. The natural history and beauty are both unbelievable and unparalleled. I highly recommend a visit to Cathedral Caverns.

Laura Pugh

(Photos are by @Drozemedia ) CC was the absolute best choice I made in terms of a wedding venue. Everything was so nice and we were so pleased with how everything came out (Ceremony and reception) . Stephanie, Jason and Nate are stellar tour guides and the sweetest people. Stephanie was very helpful in terms of visualizing the wedding as well. Jason had mentioned that they do weddings at our tour 18 months ago and it just clicked for us- then everything fell into place. All of my wedding guests loved the mini tour going down into the Cathedral Room, the wedding of course, and then doing the echo and total darkness activity. My guests also loved the gem mining as favors to take home. My wedding definitely “rocked” for sure and I’m so sorry but I will never shut up about this wedding, it was perfect. I have a lot of love for this very special place now and hope to visit again soon. (Photos are by @Drozemedia)

Tomi Totara

Absolutely GORGEOUS! The cave tour was brilliant. Our guide (Jason) was so fun! Took the time to take some pictures for us at the end. Camping was also great! Bathhouse was so clean! And well maintained. Camp hosts were nice! Front desk/office staff were also very nice. I truly enjoyed my stay!

Bambi Tanner Helmke

Wonderful experience yesterday evening while checking in with camp host Mrs. Mary & Mr. Bruce! They made sure I had all the info I needed, gave me an overview, answered all questions, made sure I got to my site to set up camp and checked on everybody before settling in for the night. Bathrooms were phenomenal from what I expected. Nice so far. This morning’s camp hosts were friendly and checking on everybody first thing this morning while running errands. I would imagine that any camp host could ‘make your day’ or certainly ruin it, but they don’t seem to work here! I just got another visit while writing this review and so thankful for camp host crew that go above and beyond! I haven’t explored anything here yet after my arrival, but so far so good. And I’m gonna leave my mark #burnout nurse trip! UPDATE: Camp Hosts Mrs. Dianne & Mr. Mason were just as awesome and helpful! It was obvious that they had the same passion for their positions as my first camp hosts. I never ‘wanted for anything’ or wished the camp hosts were different in ANY way… That also goes for Mrs. Judy in the visitors center, who also verified all needs and was just as pleasant to deal with. AND then there was the tour: hands down, ask for Mr. Jason and you will have THE best time in your tour journey! He adapted to all the tourists needs, made everyone feel welcomed, encouraged questions and made it a fun laid back experience. I absolutely LUV everyone that I encountered and they made me feel like insta-family. You don’t find that in many places; rare gift. The only thing about Google suggestions/questions: Goggle kept asking me to answer questions about the park; like 3 times! One of the questions that stood out was “Is there a playground?” One of my insta-friends that was here before me told me there were many children running around playing at campsite during the weekend. When I got familiar and drove around, I didn’t see a playground for them….. I will say that Rickwood Cavern had a pretty cool playground and it was really busy when I went(even though the campground didn’t look that busy.) I didn’t have youngins traveling, so it didn’t matter to me, BUT if Google is asking me- it must be for a reason & I hope the park realizes that & will plan accordingly. Luv to my insta-fam, we must part ways. It’s been awesome!

Shawn Toole

This place really surprised me. Very clean very well maintained, and it was very beautiful to visit in the fall. Everyone comes here for the cave tour and it’s definitely worth the money. I would always recommend to the staff of the state park to please run a tour with adults and older children only. A little kids talk the entire time and it’s already hard to hear the tour guides I would pay extra not to have the kids running around on slick ground. Stephanie was our tour guide and she was outstanding. Tons of Dad jokes! We bought the campsite to stay overnight as well as the facilities were a little bit above average. We definitely want to come back and it’s a wonderful experience on a cave tour before. Just large enough to be interesting and small enough not to be too tiring.

Israel Crawford

Tour guide was hilarious, we had a super small group but it was still fun we got to spend more time in the Cathedral area to take photos. It was amazing and fun. Well worth the time and money. There is also a mining setup for the kids to get some little treasures to take home.

leslie

Absolutely a MUST SEE place!! Stop in if you're in the area, you won't regret it!! If you're never in the area, I'd make it a point to be soon. It really is magical in the cave. The tour guides are amazing and really make it an enjoyable experience.. shout out to Nate 🫶you were made for this job. Thank you

Mrs D

We arrived around 11 a.m. hoping to go inside the cave, but the 12 p.m. tour was already full. That meant we had to wait more than 1.5 hours in the hot and humid weather, which was not very pleasant. Once we finally went inside, the experience improved a lot. The temperature inside the cave was cool and refreshing—such a relief after waiting outside. The cave itself is truly impressive. It has one of the world’s widest cave entrances (about 126 feet wide and 25 feet high), so stepping in feels grand and unique. Inside, you’ll find huge rock formations, stalactites and stalagmites, and lots of puddles from dripping water that add to the natural atmosphere. The tour guide shared interesting facts and stories, making the walk-through even more enjoyable. The cave is about 1.3 miles long, but the tour covers around 2 hours with plenty of photo opportunities. Overall, Cathedral Caverns is worth visiting for its size and beauty, but I recommend booking ahead or checking the schedule online to avoid the long, uncomfortable wait outside.