Bluff Dwellers Cave — Attraction in Gravette

I have loved in Arkansas most of my life, as a child and now as an adult. We have a few caves in Arkansas and the ones I've been to have all met my expectations of what I read in books as a kid. I've even been on the cave tour at Silver Dollar City. For three years now I have lived in NWA, (North West Arkansas), very close to the Arkansas/Missouri state line. I have driven past countless signs directing passers by to Bluff Dwellers Cavern. I honestly thought, oh that's just another cave, just a another muddy, dirty, wet hole with stalagmites and stalactites. Well, I went there today after work. Why, you ask? Just to go, to be able to say that I've been. Well, guess what, it is just another dirty, wet hole with stalagmites and stalactites. Duhhh!!! Thats what caves are!! It was pretty awesome though!!! Being that I went there at 4pm on a Wednesday, lame right, I got to do the tour with just the tour guide, Cory, and myself. Cory, where to begin with Cory...even though I only just met him I think he's a pretty awesome guy!! He has been working with the family that owns the cave for 8 years now and says, "they're stuck with me now." The grandchildren of the first people that discovered the cave are still the property owners and live near by. Too cool, in my opinion. What a legacy to leave behind! So, back to Cory, not only is he very knowledgeable about the history of the Bluff Dwellers Cave he has an active working knowledge of caves in general. As well as a working knowledge of the creatures that live in the cave. He was able to point out two different species of salamander that call the cave home. I can't remember their names but one was a brownish orange with blackish spots and the other was a bluish black and probably the size of a sewing needle, with legs. Too cool!!! Not only is Cory a great guide because of his knowledge of the cave, he is just an all around intelligent individual, able to make jokes on the fly and keep you interested in learning the history at Bluff Dwellers Cave. The tour is only an hour long to go in and back out. Some areas are no longer accesible due to previous patrons disobeying the rules. That's understandable. As they say, it only takes one to ruin it for everyone else. Would have been nice, though, to have been able to see it in its entirety and learn that little bit more of what it all looked like back in 1925. Yes, the cave was discovered in 1925. It was opened to the public just two years later in 1927. Awesomeness!!! 100 years and it is still considered a "living cave." Definitely recommend checking it out!!! It was definitely a great way to end my day and to learn a little bit about the history of my neighbors to the north, the discoveries they made 100 years ago and the discoveries that their family is still making to this day. Thank you Cory for the awesome experience!!! I will definitely be returning, in the near future, with...

The cave itself was really fun, and my kids had a great time with the whole experience. The gift shop was exciting for them, especially the rock displays and the “secret closet” with glowing rocks. Panning for arrowheads and gemstones was a huge hit, and the little wooden structure simulating tight cave passages gave them such joy. These parts created core memories for my kids, and I truly appreciated that.

The cave tour, however, left us with a very different feeling. Our tour guide, Jillian, created a situation that was unnecessarily uncomfortable. We had our 4-year-old with us, and whenever she demonstrated something by touching the cave, he naturally mirrored her behavior and lightly touched the wall as well. Instead of addressing me as the parent, she glared directly at him and spoke in a way that felt harsh and hostile. This made the entire group uncomfortable and created a very awkward atmosphere.

I completely understand that touching the cave walls is discouraged to help preserve them, and I respect that rule. But the way it was handled—directing frustration at a curious child rather than calmly explaining it to the parent—felt unfair and rude. He wasn’t being rough at all, just barely touching his palm to the wall while watching her knock on the cave to demonstrate different sounds. At his age, curiosity is natural, and as a parent it became stressful to spend the entire tour trying to physically restrain him.

There are better ways to handle situations like this, whether that’s giving parents clear instructions at the start, offering gloves for kids, or simply choosing not to allow young children on the tours if it’s that strict. The way it was handled left us feeling unwelcome, and honestly, it made me not want to return despite how much fun the kids had with the other activities.

For that reason, I’m giving this experience 2 out of 5 stars. The cave itself and the surrounding activities were wonderful, but the negative interaction on the tour overshadowed...

The cave, tour, and our guide Jackie was fantastic. It’s a bit pricey, but we really enjoyed the experience. It was a pretty hot day outside, and the cave really cooled us off. If you get cold easily, bring a light jacket! I thought the lady in the gift shop was kind of sassy and they have a rule of no drinks allowed in the cave. That was very frustrating to me given it was a hot day, I’m over 6 months pregnant at the time of our tour, and the signs have no context as to why no water is allowed. I would love to see them encourage drinking a lot before the tour, explaining the no drinks on tour policy is for historical preservation, and then leading the group toward cold drinking water at the end of the tour. That one factor of not being allowed to take water on an hour long tour without understanding why would have completely kept me from experiencing this gem. I was ready to leave immediately when I learned no water is allowed. I do think it’s important to have access to water, so maybe a tour guide could bring along one of those shareable no contact water bottles in case of an emergency and to give visitors peace of mind.

Other than that, the cave is so cool! It’s definitely worth the time and even the price of $21 per adult if you’re able to afford it. My personal opinion is that the price is a bit too high for a 1 hour experience. We are fortunate enough to afford it, but not everyone is so fortunate and I don’t think it’s fair for those who can’t afford to bring the family on this pricey outing is right. Lower the price, and folks will make up for it at the gift shop. Give everyone a chance to see this place! Cool stop, but it’s not something you need to do twice. I also think you see most of what you’re going to see in the first pathway, so the whole tour could easily be shortened and therefore prices could be lowered. If it wasn’t for our nice tour guide, I’d give a much lower rating due to the price for the experience and the no...