Tyendinaga Caves — Attraction in Tyendinaga

Not suitable or inclusive for kids under 4 or with special needs. Children are asked to stand still and not explore or touch or speak during the entire 45 minute “presentation”. We had contacted the owners several times in regards to asking for a refund for having to leave the tour half way through due to the unfriendly and unwelcoming tour guide. After almost a week wait, Instead of discussing the experience with us, they chose to blame our children for the horrible experience and not hear our side of the story. We are extremely disappointed in this “kid friendly experience” and the response from the owners (or their guest services clerk since they didn’t take the time to respond themselves). We were not granted a partial or full refund because the tour guide had told the owners that our children were not being safe and it was our fault which is the furthest thing from the truth and I have videos of our kids waiting and listening and standing behind her the entire time. Moments when they got excited to move ahead we were ALWAYS in arms reach to make sure they didn’t move ahead. Our children had asked questions and were very excited to see the caves but the tour guide instead of responding to my sons questions, told him to be quiet and wait till she was done speaking so they could move ahead. We have lived and been apart of the Tyendinaga community for over 30 years and I’m embarrassed with their response and how they handled...

We came upon this place by chance when we were in Belleville on the way back from the Sandbanks provincial park.This cavern has the distinction of being Ontario's largest natural cavern.The entry is cash only but the guy at the entrance was nice enough to accept US currency as we did not have anything else on us.There are guided tours every couple of hours and they start off with the fossils recovered in the areas-stalactites,plant and marine origin ones .It's pretty thrilling to know that you are actually standing on what once was a sea bed many years ago.Then they show us the sinkholes which are depressions formed when the cave ceiling collapses on itself.We then proceed into the actual cave ,the highlights of which are a wishing well (you can try your hand at throwing a quarter into the well to land exactly into the center of a coin arrangement which is laid out on the floor on the well). and the stalactites and mineral formations on the walls and teeth like formation on the rocks.There are also very narrow crevices extending into the structure which apparently experienced spelunkers do explore.There's some cave art and (unverified) inscriptions from 1880 on a wall.Some of the caves are restricted as there is a danger of flooding in the narrow channels. Overall I recommend a visit to this cavern if you are in the area.As a bonus you can also stop by the Glanmore National historical site...

Visiting the Belleville area and stopped in at Tyendinaga caves for the afternoon. What a wonderful family experience. The guided tour begins above ground with a brief history of how caves form with fossils and mineral pieces to investigate. The tour continues above ground exploring a sink hole and other land formations. Then it is time to head down a staircase into the cave itself. The tour was perfect for young kids. We saw lots of cave formations including flowstone and stalactites - there is also an underground watering hole. We had the opportunity to experience absolute darkness - even the little ones did really well with it and considered it a 'challenge'.

Things to note: Only cash or e-transfer is accepted as a form of payment. -There are washrooms on site as well as a picnic area. There were some drinks available to purchase but no food. The gift shop was lovely and had some very reasonably priced souvenirs. We purchased a variety of minerals and make-your-own quartz necklaces. expect to spend...