Reviews

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.

June Macica

What an incredible place! This is a place you really must visit to fully appreciate the natural beauty. Our tour guide was Jason and he was absolutely amazing! Tip him well folks... he's worth it! Bring a small high powered flashlight. Your phone flashlight is not enough. Your guide will show you things with his flash lights and Lazer, but if you are at the back of the group it's good and acceptable to have your own. The only thing I wish was different is a better way to " rescue" for lack of a better word, someone who cannot complete the trip. A large golf cart that cannot turn around is pretty inefficient. Do they make a cart that you can just change seats to change directions without turning the cart around?Not sure what alternatives there is, but in an extreme emergency, this process could be a problem. There is a lot of up and down hills, but all paved with railings to hold as needed. I would say this is not a trip for those with walking limitations.

Cameron Medders

Amazing park! We went on a hot hot day and still had to bring in a light jacket because the cave stayed so cool. Perfect for a summer hike! There were no stairs on the hike, though it did have some hills. Our tour had a golf cart lead us, so an older lady was able to come on the tour with no problems. Gift shop had reasonably priced items, so my son was able to get him and his friend a small item. Also had panning for stones, though it was not open at the time we visited. Love love love, would go back and do it again!

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.