Crystal Onyx Cave
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We ended up here because all the reviews said this was the cave not to miss. This was an amazing experience! 🥹 Upon arrival, we found lots of corky statues in silly places around the outside. The owner was busy cutting down a tree and our entire group was absolutely loving watching him work. 😂 we peaked around the gift shop and knew we'd have to come back for a few things. As we were browsing, our tour guide popped in to ask if we'd like to join their group. We said of course and got set up with tickets. Only $18 each! At the start of the tour, our tour guide, Jack, was quick to break the ice with a few jokes. He explained the history of the cave and all the work the new owners, Scott and Sara, had put into making the tour safe and up to date. Being that this is my second cave tour as an adult, I really appreciated this reassurance! There are two levels at Crystal Onyx. Our group (which was only 9 people) took the top level. Along our route we counted 30 salamanders. 😂 we walked slowly to count them and make sure not to step on any as it's hatching season. This gave a great opportunity to see the cave up close and slowly check it all out. Jack was very entertaining and kept us all laughing as well as having a bunch of knowledge on this cave and others. On the way out, he mentioned 10% on the lower level and THE ENTIRE group was ready to go! Gary was our tour guide for this trip. He was super warm and knew a lot about the caves. The lower level is similar to the upper level but felt a little longer length wise, not sure if that's actually the case or not. The upper surely seemed to take longer with all the information. The light shows at the end of both tours were my favorite part! Our entire group was still thrilled at the end. Side note, my husband is a contractor and couldn't stop raving about all the hard work that Scott and Sara have done including hiding as much wiring as possible and making you feel safe and secure while standing on grates 90 feet in the air. Not to mention the gravel they were able to bring in by hand to cover the walkway. Highly highly suggest!! Almost forgot to mention these beautiful painted rocks that I could not pass up or the awesome piece of coal my husband bought!
LeAnn CassidyLeAnn Cassidy
00
Favorite cave so far!!! We did the historic tour and the dome and dripstones at mammoth caves first. Next day we did the lost river boat tour, and last minute decided to check out crystal onyx caves (not to be confused with onyx cave, mammoth onyx, etc). We all LOVED crystal onyx!! First reason, it was not nearly as busy, very small group for the tour so we got to stop for pictures and ask more questions. I felt like I learned more and saw more features of the cave. While we still really liked the domes and dripstones, there were just soooo many people and the guide had to rush us through to keep us on schedule. I felt like we couldn’t stop to take pictures and not all questions were answered. Crystal onyx blew them out of the water when it came to that. Our tour guide was Jana, and she was great! Very friendly and patient (our son had to pee and she snuck him out the back door so he could go before we went back up). The gift shop had some of the best prices I’ve ever seen! They had games outside for the kids to play while we waited for the tour. They shared the history of the cave and how the current owner became the owner. And lastly the cave itself was AMAZING! If I’m not mistaken they said they updated all the stairs and lighting to LED in 2018, and the pictures you can get are incredible compared to other caves with the dim lighting. I was blow away even at the entrance of the cave… although it was raining so we actually went in a different way than they normally do to avoid more outside walking. I should also mention we took the lower tour, there is another upper tour but we didn’t see that one (yet). If we can squeeze it in we might go back tomorrow before we leave. I’d highly recommend adding this one to your trip.
Kristy StieberKristy Stieber
00
Definitely a 10/10! Don't go to Cave City without a stop here at Crystal Onyx Cave. After spending a couple of hours at Mammoth, which was fine.... we were wanting more, specifically beautiful cave features such as stalactites, stalagmites flowstone, draperies etc.... of which Mammoth has very little. Crystal Onyx was easy to get to and has a really cute area in front with alien statues, dinosaurs another fun things for kids and grown ups to enjoy. They also have a sizable shop with snacks drinks and other souvenirs. We took a few photos and a walk around before our tour started and Gary was our guide. Gary is the real deal. He's been a tour guide for something like 20+ years in various Kentucky caves. Unlike our tour at Mammoth where I felt like the guide memorized his speech, Gary was a walking encyclopedia and pointed out so many different features and gave us an excellent understanding of what we were looking at. This guy really loves his job and his enthusiasm was delivered with every word. The tour was about an hour and 15 minutes and I could have stayed for another hour easily. The cave is covered in features that I love. Just look at the pictures and you'll see what makes this place very special. It's also family run and each of the workers that we met was super friendly. At Mammoth, the guides rushed our tour of 65+ people along. Here at Crystal Onyx, there were 4 people on our tour, Gary took his time, he offered to take pictures of my son and I and it was nice to walk the narrow winding passages of the cave at a slow pace. Mammoth might be the big draw in the area, but for me, the best memories of this trip will be of Crystal Onyx. Do yourself a favor and put it on your list of must do's when in town.
Jim TschetterJim Tschetter
00
This was the cave tour I was looking for! I'm more into pretty formations and sparkly cave things. I originally had planned to go to Mammoth Cave (like most people here), but found all the tours I wanted to go on sold out. After some research I found Crystal Onyx Cave. I liked that it was locally owned and you can tell the love that the owners and staff have for this cave. They run two separate tours, lower and upper level. The lower level has a bit more stairs and walking, but the rooms are bigger and was a bit easier on my claustrophobia. There was one section where the ceiling was about 5 feet tall for about five steps, but that was it. The upper level had the, in my opinion, more awesome formations. There were a few spots where we had to squeeze through. I am a heavy set (probably biggest in my tour group), 5 foot 5 woman, and I made it through just fine. However, I'd be concerned that anyone bigger than me may have some trouble fitting through. Both tours I went on had people of all ages and fitness levels. The floors are fairly even and I felt safe the entire time. The tour guides (Steve and ......I cannot remember her name, but I know it started with a C) were super personable and engaged every member of our group. Steve shared a lot of his cave knowledge and other knowledge (he knew every state fossil for everyone in the group!) And the other guide (she was wonderful, I just cannot remember her name) had great stories and really kept our attention. Do both tours! You get a discount and you get to see so much more. TLDR, this cave is amazing. Go on both tours. I recommend this ten times over Mammoth Cave.
Alicia MoonAlicia Moon
00
I loved my tours off the upper and lower caverns! Both guides were knowledgeable, informative and answered the many questions our group had. The caves were easily navigated and there were several interesting life forms that were inside the cave. We were lucky to see several salamanders of different types as well as a few other inhabitants. There is a nice crystal shop with drinks, snacks and souvenirs, as well as a covered area with games, if you are waiting on the next tour. The groups were small enough that we weren't crowded and had plenty of room for photos and to walk around the cave and see the beautiful formations. One extremely interesting fact I learned about caves, I only learned here. I have never seen it anywhere else on my travels across the United States. I won't tell you what it is, so as not to spoil the fun, but everyone in our group thoroughly enjoyed the surprise. It's a very beautiful cave with formations I've never seen before and not an excessive amount of steps. It was easy for me and I have two bad knees and a heart condition. Located just a few miles off the major freeway, it's an easy drive with lots of parking. I highly recommend Crystal Onyx Cave and take both tours if you have the time. It's fun for all ages and I guarantee you you will leave learning more than you did before.
A Divine CanineA Divine Canine
00
The most affordable cave around… tour lasted nearly 2 hours and it was $16 for adults and $13 for 4-12 yrs.. Our tour group was small so it was very individualized so we was able to take our time and really take it all in. They are very creative fun people. The yard has quirky art like aliens and ships, Dino’s.. just fun stuff for the kids to pose with. They also have a covered tent area with games to play as you wait. Their rock shop was very cool and much more affordable compared to the other places we visited. Legit half the price of not less then everywhere else we visits and just as good if not better. The kids and adults enjoyed learning the history and how the crystals form. Def a fun way to get kids eager to learn.Will def return our next visit. We toured the upper level and if you choose to do both they take like 3$ off each ticket too. But honestly after 1.5 hrs I was ready for a drink, the water in the cave looked soo good it made us all thirsty and we let the naturally filtered water drop into our mouths some lol some of the best water I’ve ever tasted. They are very eco friendly and even shut down in the winter to avoid salt going on their roads. This is an active cave and continues to grow new formations all the time.
Hannah ChoateHannah Choate
00
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Address
425 Prewitts Knob Rd, Cave City, KY 42127
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Phone
(270) 773-3377
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Website
crystalonyxcaveky.com
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4.9
(1.1K reviews)
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adventure
outdoor
family friendly
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