Cascade Caverns — Attraction in Boerne

Racist and disrespectful owner.

My fiancé and I decided to go in this morning. It was before sunrise and we were going to eat at the tables. Then walk the trails once they open. We did not know that they were open at 9am and not sunrise. Just a honest mistake. The owner approached our car, mind you our 9 month old child is in the back. He asked what we were doing and we stated as I said above. He said “I appreciate you guys coming in for the trails before we even open” which was a backhanded sarcastic comment because he obviously didn’t appreciate it. For safety reasons, I asked who he was because he never said he was the owner and like I said, I have my son in the back and a man approaches the vehicle seemed suspicious. When I asked who he was, he said he was the owner and followed it up with “do you speak English?”. He was speaking to my fiancé who is indigenous. Even though we have held a clear and honest conversation up until that point, he still decided to say that. Then he said we are acting “suspicious” because he turned off his headlights. He reassured the owner that he turned them off because we were getting out of the car. That still wasn’t enough for him. He began pointing his finger and raised his voice telling us to “get out”. My partner and I said, “excuse me, we will get out but we have our baby in the back. Please stop yelling”. But of course, he just kept pointing and shouting “get out” until our wheels were rolling. Then as we get out onto public road, we pull off to check on the baby and here comes the owner. He parks behind us for 3 minutes and then follows us out back into the main town.

That was such incredible harassment for just an honest mistake. We are parents with our young baby. Yes, we could’ve looked it up online but the owners reaction did not match our mistake. We have gone through these trails many times, even pregnant with my son, I was out here loving it. I even went into the shop and bought crystals and items. Just to be talked to by the owner like that when we have been nothing but respectful to your park.

I know this place is highly rated and this is one of the more negative reviews. I’m not saying that this place doesn’t have a good campground or that they don’t treat those who stay, good; but I’d definitely be wary about coming in and making honest mistakes. The owner doesn’t seem to handle them appropriately. We will not be returning as we don’t feel welcomed anymore.

I gave 2 stars for our successful experiences we have previously shared here.

Edit: I just read some one stars and the owner comments “suspicious” under all of them. He called us suspicious this morning too. Guess I won’t take that so personally since that’s his favorite word to throw around and accuse people with. Hope those “suspicious” reviews really bring some proof that my experience this morning with the owner is unfortunate truth.

Edit #2: he replied saying “later on I found their car parked down the street” when I clearly stated that once we left the park and got off their property, we checked on the baby. Making false accusations to new parents is just odd to me.

I am white too and as someone who shares the same race as this owner, I have to say people like him are what keeps racism...

I thoroughly enjoy caves no matter where they are or how big or how small. But Cascade caverns doesn't have a problem with their personnel. Doesn't have a problem with their cavern but they have a problem with their business philosophy. I went down with 23 other people with one tour guide who by the way was excellent but the passageways were narrow and slippery and almost half of the guests were kids under the age of 10. You couldn't hear what the tour guide was saying about formations or any technical information. I was extremely disappointed. I would have paid twice the fee to get in if there was only four people in my group. I have never been in a cave with a tour group of more than 12-13 people. Max. It's an absolutely beautiful cave, but there was so much talking between the kids and the adults. Let their kids continue talking. I was just disappointed. I'm a grandfather. I know how kids and grandkids can be. It would have been better off to have broken this into a much smaller group. I know it's spring break and I know that they have a lot of people coming through, but the experience was lost in the noise. Also, I think issuing a flashlight to every guest on the tour. Detracts from the experience. For example, I was there with a black light. I had a broad beam black light and a pencil thin black light and I was trying to determine what would glow . So when people saw me pointing my black light in a fixture they would all turn their flashlights and point it right at the object. I was trying to illuminate and have and glow. Well that didn't happen. I'm sorry if I sound better but it could have been so much better with just a little bit more effort. The staff were amazing. I got there 5 minutes before the tour started and they were able to check me in and walk me to the group. Already heading down to the cave. Which I was not expecting and I told them that I would wait because I was not in a rush. But little...

Cascade Caverns is located just a little bit leaving San Antonio and heading to Boerne. You can spend some time at this location camping in your tent or in your RV. They have camping areas with electrical outlets for your RV. It is an area that gets a lot of flooding when it rains but this happens every 3 years or so. The tour guides are knowledgeable and friendly. The tour lasts about an hour and you come back the same way you went in. You take several steps down to the entrance and it feels really cool inside the cavern. I went during the summertime and you don’t need a jacket. I have not visited during the winter but I would recommend a light jacket since it would get really cold. They filmed the movie “Fatherhood” with actor Patrick Swayze here, so it’s pretty interesting to see the place where the shots in the movie took place. It’s a great place to bring the whole family but bring some light snacks since there are no nearby restaurants. They do sell Gatorade and bottled water and other collectibles, such as rocks, shirts and cups. They filmed the movie “Fatherhood” with actor Patrick Swayze here, This is similar to Natural Bridge Caverns, also located near San Antonio, TX. I will write a review about that place too. Here are some links to view some videos of Cascade Caverns for you to enjoy. Please feel free to comment about this if you’ve been here or if you have any questions. Have a great day in...