Bonne Terre Mine "The Mine at Bonne Terre" — Attraction in Bonne Terre

Let me start off by saying this review is going to cover the diving and not the above water tour.

The dive guides are knowledgeable and passionate about what they do to lead divers though tunnels, overhead environments and around items left behind when the mine closed.

The on site facilities for divers have definitely been well used over the years and need some maintenance. The locker room is small but well heated for drying gear overnight but if you have a large group (6+) be ready to have to take turns due to tight confined space.

The surface interval's between dives were lengthy (1 to 2 hours) due to short staffing related to Covid reportedly. Keeping in mind the average depth was 35 to 50 feet. This did make for a long day with 3 dives covering a day from 6:30am (breifing) to 4:30pm (departing the mine). If there were more guides or well marked trails for a self guided tour it could help make it a more manageable day. The surface intervals and long walks to the surface allowed your body temp to cool significantly so by the end of the 3rd dive it was very chilly. This was using a 7mm wetsuit, 10mm hood, 5mm gloves /boots and a 3mm vested hood.

The dock we dove from was large but needed some repairs and was large enough for 1 or 2 of the 4 total groups to be on it at a time. When your gear was not in use it has to be set off to the side of the cave on well used /abused tarps.

Be aware that Anything you need to dive other than tanks and weights is your responsibility to carry into the mine down and back up. It is about a 1/4 mile walk which is including 90 steep stairs at the entrance of the mine.

Overall, I would recommend this site as it can be a once in a lifetime dive with friendly knowledgeable staff. The mineral deposits, mining equipment, and overhead tunnels and swim through areas are fun but divers beware it can we intense with the darkness and semi tight spaces. Just also keep in mind everything here is well used and hard to maintain due to...

The woman running the register in the gift shop was extremely rude and unwelcoming. Signs everywhere that came across as rude and condescending as well. "SHOP WITH YOUR EYES, NOT YOUR HANDS!!" signs scribbled every three or four feet... & by every single child's toy & souvenir. It's like you are inconveniencing them by being in there. Prices were crazy and when she wasn't belittling other elderly customers, the woman glared at us the entire time we were in there and my children were very well behaved. My 8yo daughter was also stung multiple times by wasps on the equipment outside and they just shrugged it off, offering not even an "I'm Sorry". (She got more compassion and sympathy from the other patrons than the staff) There IS a small handwritten sign up by the front door warning of wasps on the equipment... If you can make out the handwriting. It might make more sense to put the sign BEFORE the hazard... Or maybe spray them if you know they're there. The woman was also unfortunately the guide for the first part of the tour. She was very rude and again acted inconvenienced. She knew little to nothing about the mine or it's history as she reluctantly led us onward. She even yelled at us for waiting for her exactly where she said to wait. All & all it was a terrible experience after dropping a substantial amount on tickets and in the gift shop. Spending two days pay here to be treated like that was disheartening to say the least. That being said, once the tour was handed over to a young man who had only been there a couple months... It took a turn for the better. He was enthusiastic, kind and engaging, even with the children. Honestly, was one of the coolest things I've ever experienced once she was out of the picture. There was a recent price increase which was significantly higher than the prices on the website which was unfortunate but is what it is. Great memories made and some awesome sights seen. Would...

It is, as far as I know in the area a unique experience but pricing is awful. We did the walking tour and the boat. Adult and children tickets are overpriced. Even a 1 year old had to pay full children price, ridiculous (first time ever anywhere). Most places 2 year olds and under are free. The tour is short really and the water trip is also very short for the money paid. We had two guides, one on the way down and another for the boat and the way up. The one on the way down rushed the group through, talked way to fast and really didn't seem to be in the right job for his skills. The one on the way up tried his best to be entertaining and give the most out of the experience, I am sure he knows that for what people pay they are expecting better so he tried hard to deliver. It overall doesn't feel like the owners are trying to make a great attraction, or haven't gotten advice on how to make it amazing. There are quite a few improvements to be made if they want to make it better. For example, there is old mining equipment on the surface but they haven't thought of conditioning anything for a picture riding it, you can't touch anything or ride anything even if it's exposed to the elements 24/7 so it can't be argued that is to preserve them. Just about any attraction you go to there is a good photo opportunity, here, there's not much really, you get there and you wonder if that is actually the place, if it wasn't for all the signs you would think it's just a parking lot with rusty abandoned equipment. There are plenty more improvements.

It really is unique but so much more could be done and people from Missouri and visitors from out of state deserve more for...