Grand Caverns — Attraction in Grottoes

A fun place to take the family.

Pricing is reasonable: AAA members don't forget to show your card.

Remember to get tickets at the main shop next to the parking lot. There are no tickets sold at the top of the hill by the museum and cavern entrance.

All discounts require proof with card/ID.

Regular Adult - $20.00

Regular Child - $11.00

Senior Discount - $18.00  (60+ years old)

AAA Adult - $17.50 (Card required)

AAA Child - $9.00 (Ages 6 through 12)

Children age 5 and under are free

Military/Public Servant Adult - $17.50 (Police, Fire, and Rescue personnel with proper ID. Discounts apply to all individuals in the party/on the same receipt and paid for by one purchaser.)

Military/Public Servant Child - $9.00

AARP Member - $17.50 (Card required)

Group Adult - $13.00 (Group rates apply to groups of 12 or more in one party and paid for by one purchaser.)

Group Child - $8.00 (Child rate applies to ages 6 through 12.

Children age 5 and under are free.)

Grottoes Resident Adult - $11.00(Proof of residency required)

Grottoes Resident Child - $8.00

Tours run at regular intervals and usually not more than a 20-minute wait.

Tour groups seem to be kept to around twenty-something.

The distance of the tour is around 1.4 miles, 90 minutes (tour started at 11:30, back in car at 1:00)

The path is somewhat lit and compacted with gravel for traction. Stairs are concrete with metal railings. There are several locations the path narrows to one person at a time and roof lowers to less than six feet of head clearance. Wear comfortable, rubber-soled shoes that won't slip easily, expect to duck occasionally, unless you have a very, very wide frame, you shouldn't need to squeeze through the narrowed passages.

Temperature is steady around 54 degrees, even in summer I would bring a light jacket or sweatshirt. They do have some loaner jackets, but the risk is not having something that's in your size.

Health and Mobility: (In My Opinion)

If you use a wheelchair or scooter for mobility this isn't going to be accessible.

If you walk with a cain; provided you have a cain with slip-proof tip, you can walk up/down a normal incline of ten stairs, you can walk around ten steps unassisted, you could most likely walk the tour.

If you have poor night vision, have a companion to help guide you.

If you can walk a mile or flight of stairs without needing to sit and rest, you should have no issues with walking the tour.

Unless you are extremely obese, you shouldn't have issues walking through the narrowed paths.

Parents, if your children are under three, this will be nothing more than a cold dark space to them, they may...

The caverns themselves are marvelous. I’ve seen a lot of caves, and these were definitely at or towards the top of the list. We chose a walking tour, but “adventure tours” that go deeper into the caves are also available.

Our tour guide, Diana, may have been the best tour guide I’ve had the pleasure of following in my entire life. At the beginning of the tour, a little girl expressed her apprehension. Without missing a beat, Diana called her over to a formation where she shone her flashlight and pointed out the sparkling calcite to help her see how magical (not scary) it was.

She was upbeat, funny, projected well, and she answered every question asked of her. She kept things moving at a good pace (not too rushed, but quick enough that we could see as much as possible). She remembered that I had asked about helictites halfway through the tour, and she took special care to point out one as we exited (and of course gave a great explanation of the science behind them).

She did a great job of balancing her commentary between the history and science of the caverns. She pointed out the imagined shapes and corresponding names (e.g. a “zoo” of animal-shaped rock formations), but she didn’t dwell on them to the point of tediousness the way I’ve some cave tour guides have done in my experiences elsewhere.

Perhaps most importantly, it was thoroughly apparent that she loves caves and teaching people about them.

Please give Diana a raise (and a laser...

We stopped here on a late Sunday afternoon in early March after visiting the Alpine Brewery and seeing signs along the road. We made it in time for the last tour at 3:30p. I did not buy tickets ahead of time but you may want to do that in the summer months. They do offer a AAA discount. The ticket seller was friendly and polite.

Our tour guide was Daisy and she was super knowledgeable about the cave formations and history. She was also well spoken and a good story teller. I think there were about 15 people in the group with us.

I don’t remember how much ground we covered but I want to say it was 3/4 of a mile. There are steps along the way and of course water dripping. I guess it’s lucky to get cave water dripped on yourself - follow up with me in a couple years to see if that’s true. I have also drank water from the fountain of youth so only time will tell, right?

There was a lot to see in this cave and the explanations that Daisy have made it interesting and fun. I have been to the Lost World cave in Lewisburg, WV and the caves in Luray. I’d say this was comparable and there would be a little more to do - I saw picnic areas, I think mini-golf and I read they have hiking trails and kayaks. They also do musical events in the cave which I think would be cool.

We had an enjoyable time and I’d...