Mystic Caverns — Attraction in Harrison

Just left from the caverns a few hours ago. Took both tours--the first with Nellie and the second with the owner, Steve. Nellie was incredible. Enthusiastic, knowledgable, easy to get along with and talk to. She showed us the first cave (the one not destroyed by people). It was small--definitely smaller than I was expecting--but beautiful.

We were in the gift shop for a bit before the first tour and between the two tours. I picked out a number of rock items I wanted to buy (only $20 worth or so) & my partner contemplated quite a few pricier items for his collection ($250-$450, depending on what we decided after the second tour with some time to think).

When we were in the gift shop, I felt that some of the man's (owner--Steve) comments were a bit snarky, but I just took them with a grain of salt and didn't think much of them. He joked for a while as the tour started with him as our tour guide. Some of them were funny and I got a few chuckles from them.

As we got into the cave, he mentioned the age of the caves as a mere thousand years old, but I wasn't really listening too closely and didn't pay it much mind. In one of the rooms, another patron asked him why the other caves in the area were so much older than this one. He replied that it was what he "believed" to be true. He proceeded to state he felt that the earth was made by God in six days, therefore the age of the earth was much younger than widely believed because of his belief in the Creationism Theory. "Yikes!!" I thought. I would have just accepted that as his belief that he was explaining, since the one gentleman DID directly ask the question.... except that he was spouting out the dates as scientific information before it was asked. Clearly not scientific, but his belief. I respect his right to have his beliefs.

Then, metaphorically speaking, "all hell broke loose." As we're standing on the landing to go up the stairs to leave, he began telling us a story. "Something told me to pray for my son one day...." My gut sank. You have got to be kidding me. This guy isn't going to preach to us, is he? YUP!! Trapped below ground, in a cave, on a guided tour that I spent good money to go on---I was CORNERED and made to listen to him preach to me about Jesus. NOT OKAY. Not even a little. You have your beliefs. I respect that more than most people. But do NOT push them on me, especially after I PAID to visit your establishment!!!!!

Remember I said we had been eyeing several hundred dollars worth of merchandise? After that, we were still considering purchasing it---we didn't know at that time that he was the owner. I asked Nellie for the address & phone number for the person in charge so I could complain. That's when I found out he WAS the owner. You'd better believe I wasn't giving that man one more dollar of my money. I was very disappointed to have to say no to my beautiful pieces I had picked out. My partner was very disappointed about his finds, too. There is no way, however, that I will give my money to someone who preaches to people after they are in a trapped space when the lecture is completely unsolicited. Very bad form.

If it were not for that, this would get a much better review. Even if he had those beliefs and kept them to himself, I would have no problem with him or his establishment.

But HOW DARE YOU preach at me your religious beliefs while I am trapped in your cave AFTER I paid you to get in. Harassment in it's finest form. I will also be contacting the BBB regarding this. I was livid.

Let me clarify--I have no problem with people of differing beliefs from me. I have friends who are of all religions and races. I strongly adhere to the "live & let live" mindset. But DO NOT preach at me what you believe. Especially after I've paid you money to be there. Trapped in a cave with you. When I cannot leave.

Do NOT go here unless you are into religious preaching or have the same belief system as...

Mystic Cavern and the adjacent feature, Crystal Dome Cavern, are fairly good show caves. While they do not begin to compare to Blanchard Springs Caverns (an hour away), they are worthwhile experiences for someone looking to see how caves vary in appearance. While Mystic and Crystal Dome are considerably damaged by 1940s era vandalism to the features (hundreds of broken stalactites), there is still plenty to see. Unfortunately, muddy water flows in both caves have left most of the surfaces coated with dried mud--altering the appearance of the features and taking away from the pristine feel. One cannot help but feel disappointed.

Still, I do not regret the two hour drive we made to see these two caverns. While both are relatively small, Mystic Cavern is intensely populated with fascinating features. Plus, it has an intriguing set of views, turns, elevations and complexity that one experiences along the short, winding pathway. Different but interesting.

Other observations: There are some unevenly staged stairs and tight turns, but anyone in decent physical condition should not have a problem. The gift shop has wonderful rock items--most are very modestly priced. The tour guides are cordial and reasonably well informed. In sum: a worthwhile experience for those who wish to see how muddy water flows redecorate...

We visited on a weekday that seemed fairly slow. We signed up for a tour of both Caves, and waited about 15-20mins to see if anybody else would show up for a tour. We didn't mind, we know how small business works and gladly perused the gift shop and talked with the tour guides working.

The caves were awesome, we've seen many caves before that used colorful light featured that make the caves seem very "touristy", these however were lit with a more natural feel (just simple lighting so you can view the features). In my opinion, the caves were setup to preserve their natural form as much as possible, while still remaining safe to be toured commercially. The walkways were easy to use and the cave guide was very friendly and informative.

We would definitely recommend visiting if you're in the area and enjoy visiting caves or would like to learn more. Our tour guide was new to the company, he mentioned he only started working there this past month but was full of details on the history of the caves, as well as details on features specific to these particular caves, and general cave terminology and answered any...