What a pleasant surprise! This place is legitimate! Really enjoyed the 1 hr classic tour with friendly young man who was passionate about the cave and its conservation. Way more to see here than we expected. Great value and we just walked in. Probably should have booked online but it worked out for us! Highly recommend read more

Bristol Caverns - Cave formations - Hiking Near Me - Bristol, Tennessee

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Fun little stop! This cavern is impressive even though it's fairly small. It seems like a family run business and everyone was so nice. Dusty (Crusty/Musty) was our guide and he was very informative and entertaining. There was 9 on our tour including an ETSU English teacher and 2 students from Ghana, a family of 4 from Germany, and hubby & I from Texas. We really enjoyed it. Sure, there are larger caves to see, but this was inexpensive ($13 each) and more intimate. We recommend!! read more

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I grew up coming to Bristol, TN for vacation, but has never been here. We had a wonderful guide, who was knowledgeable about caves, rock formations and animals that live in caves. He even located and pointed out several fish, a salamander and some cave crickets. If you go, expect to walk a lot, and expect a huge amount of stairs. My phone said I had climbed 11 floors after! Of course, wet rock can be slippery, so care is needed in navigating the caves. There was always something to hold onto, like a railing, to help steady. I was a little nervous because I am afraid of heights, but I always felt safe. The tour too close to an hour. I think there were 4 separate groups of fiends/families that were in our tour. After the tour, we went to the gift shop. Not much is made locally in the shop, but prices are reasonable. read more

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Spectacular hidden gem! From the street, one would never know these caverns were here. Excellent guides who give good geology background. Stalactites, stalagmites, rock curtains everywhere and even a little stream with fish and crayfish who enter from the outside. Loved it!! read more

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Went to Bristol Caverns - very cool (literally) but hard to get great pictures. It's a very doable but deep cavern. Stays the same temp all year around (I think in the 60's) so it's actually warmer down there in the winter. If you're in the area I recommend checking out. 9 out of 10 stars. read more

We've been in quite a few caverns in various states of the USA, and this one was just on the low side of average in my opinion. Head hight is mostly good, although there is the double-dip "headache rock" to negotiate. Both my wife and I ducked for the first low spot, but got whacked by the hidden second low spot immediately after it, so beware. There is some underground water with small fish in it at the bottom. All hand rails in the cavern are rusty, gnarly, and damp, so you'll want to wash your hands upon exiting. A fair few steps to negotiate in the cavern, and a slight uphill walk to get to the cavern, so not for those with a health condition that would preclude these activities. In fact, three, apparently able-bodied women in the tour group after ours, refused to go further down in the cavern when they encountered stairs. I appreciate that our guide didn't give stupid names to the formations (e.g. bacon slices, angel, elephant, troll, etc.) which I've heard in other caverns and find very puerile. Small gift and candy store with rest rooms and friendly, helpful staff. read more

It was a ton of fun. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and attempted to make the tour fun and interesting. So with that said, it's the first time I was ever in a cavern the lighting so many cool features the bottom there was actually running water. Totally cool highly recommend it lots of steps, so take your time if you are not in decent shape. read more

In for the race, very interesting and fun family place to visit. Would recommend. Great way to change up the trip.

This was a great walk the tour guide was great and funny. I was able to do in sandals. We took our time and took lots of pictures. read more

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This place was really cool. When you drive up, you don't realize the magnitude of what you are about to see. My mom and I wanted to see some caves, so these were the closest to NC. We arrived, paid our fee and waited for the tour. The guy leading our group was really friendly and knowledgeable. The caves are huge and apparently go on for miles, although our group pretty much only stayed on the track. We went up/down the inside, pictures galore and it just feels like you are on a whole different planet while there. Definitely worth seeing once. You won't be disappointed! read more

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Great place to visit. The price was very reasonable for a private tour of the caverns. The place is very safe and we'll kept. I was so amazed by the size of this cavern, worth every penny. The whole experience lasts about an hour. I highly recommend this. read more

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The family and I went here for some cave exploring. It was amazing. Our guide Cole, was very fun and informative. The tour was a good amount of time and we all had masks on ( that made it a little hard to breathe that far down). My kids loved it, my husband and I were amazed. All that beauty is growing down there! If you ever have a chance to go and check it out, we all highly recommend it! read more

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Wow! As many times as we have passed this little hidden gem we never knew what we were missing. It's a nice little walk, lots of steps but the cool air of the cavern makes it bearable. Jonah was our guide and he was funny and very knowledgeable about the history of the cave. Cute little gift shop and a small "gem mining" set up the kids enjoyed. Highly recommend if you're in the area. read more

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I have been to Bristol Caverns several times. I highly recommend it. A great place for all family members.

Great little place and very informative and beautiful especially if you are a cave dweller- our kids who are younger had a lot of fun. The tour is about an hour and the price is decent. read more

Rip off! My wife got spooked in the first 3 minutes and returned up to the entrance station but they would not give her a refund. So I continued the tour and it cost me 37$ for just me. Complaint went unanswered. Gift shop full of crap from China. read more

Such a cool tour and this place is hidden in the valley of a small town. I enjoyed what I learned and the price of the tour is fair. I wish the gift shop had more to offer for souvenirs that was consistent with the area (they had items like rocks that were marked from Mexico and other foreign countries) but otherwise I'd recommend this Tour. read more

Bristol Caverns - There's a natural spring water creek that comes from the mountain and weaves in and out from above ground to this underground cave. - Hiking Near Me - Bristol, Tennessee

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Awesome place to see. The staff were incredibly friendly and the tour was very informative. They have a nice gift shop as well. They are also members of Harvest Hosts if you are an RVer as this is how we found them. read more

This is a family owned business has to be one of nicest caverns around once you walk down the path to the entrance you will be amazed by the inside . Our tour guide Reid was informed on the different things taking time to explain each area read more

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I was disappointed in these caverns. They are very small, but the thing with them is the steps are very slippery along with being steep and narrow. Along with that the rails they have are also slippery and they are super low, they are about the height of my knees. Not very safe. read more

The tour lasted about an hour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. We had a good time. read more

Bristol Caverns - Hiking Near Me - Bristol, Tennessee

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Fantastic Caverns. A few tips: tours are guided and start every 15-20 minutes. I would call a head to figure out their schedule. Also, the tour guides vary greatly- I got a fun, knowledgeable, good guide but my husband and brother got a creationist who insisted the caverns were formed by the flood and those dumb folks at the Smithsonian don't know anything. Maybe call ahead of time and make sure you get a guide who believes in science? read more

This is an amazing cavern with very mature formations. Not commercialized at all like Luray Caverns. This is huge and a lot to take in. I really enjoyed the tour. read more

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We were really excited to go to Bristol Caverns with our 3 kids. However, it was a rainy day/week so thought we'd call ahead of time to be sure they were open before we drove an hour over there. I specifically asked "with all the rain will you be open?" I was told they would be. We arrived and they had a note posted on the door that they were closed to due to flooding. Another car that was leaving when we arrived said they too had called and been told they would be open. That is a bummer of a 2 hour trip that we would have saved for another day if they had told us it was possible they would close. Really bummed w how they handled this and felt they should have been honest and given a heads up that circumstances may change rather than just saying "yes". Not very considerate. read more

We had a great time at Bristol caverns. Our family was on a short three day vacation, and decided to do the touristy thing and check out this attraction. We were not disappointed. The caverns were amazing, and our tour guide Eric, was very knowledgeable and made the whole experience that much more enjoyable. If you are in the area, it is definitely worth checking out. read more

I was very excited to take our Chinese foreign exchange student here for an afternoon of learning, beauty, and fun. Well, we got one of the three- beauty. Our tour guide was nice enough, but started "witnessing" to us as a Christian right off the bat. He could not answer any of my questions scientifically, but instead had Biblical answers for us. For instance, "How were these caverns formed?" Answer: "Well, the Bible tells us the great flood would have formed these caverns." I asked, "Seriously, how did these caverns form?" He said, "I am serious. But some scientists would have you believe that an underground river flowed through here 400-500 million years ago, but that can't be true, since our world is only 6000 years old." And on and on we went. I couldn't believe it! Here we are in PROOF that the world is billions of years old, and our guide was still buying that 6000 year line, and trying to feed it to us as truth. It's fine for someone to believe that, but PLEASE LEARN SOME SCIENCE for a tour like this. The tour lasted approximately 45 minutes, and cost $14.50 per person. The caverns are very beautiful, and I give the guide credit for knowing the different kinds of rock in the cavern, and where the bats and insects hide. For the time and money, go to Appalachian Caverns- the tour we took there last year was spectacular. read more

Had a wonderful time today visiting the cavern. Our tour guide Zack was very knowledgeable and did a great job!! Would recommend to anyone except those with small children, the handicap or elderly. read more

I grew up not too far from Bristol Caverns and only went once as a child for a field trip. My dad is somewhat of a connoisseur of caves and we would usually end up driving hours to check out various other caverns in the south. Bristol Caverns is small, but has some really beautiful formations. I recommend it if you're in the area because it's a nice short hike and on a hot day it's great to be in the cool cave. If you're in the Tri-Cities and craving some cave time, this is the one I would visit. read more

Visited the Bristol Caverns with a friend. Was able to purchase tickets within minutes and then it was a small waiting period for the next tour to begin. Our guide was knowledgeable, and was very willing to answer any questions. The tour was pleasant, time was allowed for those to take pictures, and we always waited on those that needed more time to travel up stairs. The tour is within only 1/3 of the cave but lasted for 1.5 hours. Rates are reasonable if looking for something to do while visiting the area. read more

Bristol Caverns - Hiking Near Me - Bristol, Tennessee

I was happy with my first cave exploration. It was very large and beautiful, the flooring is very damp but there are plenty of hand rails. The tour guide was knowledgeable and nice. There are a lot of stairs so keep that in mind. read more

Bristol Caverns - Hiking Near Me - Bristol, Tennessee

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This was a great stop. Pretty close to Bristol Motor Speedway. Takes about and hour to do the guided tour. It was really fun and informational. I learned a lot from the guide. read more

We loved the caverns. It was a rainy day and you felt one with the cave as the water dripped all around you. Don't let people say the tour was hokey. It wasn't. Our guide has probably given this tour once or twice and was still friendly and informational without seeming bored of us while we paused to snap pictures and take in the sights. read more

Very beautiful and interesting. Tour guide was very knowledgeable. Some areas are steep. I was wearing our 1 month old and my husband carried our 2 year old the whole time, we had no issues. However there was an elder lady with a cane who seemed to struggle. So be prepared to climb steep stairs both up and down. And it's a cavern so it is slippery. read more

Very nice staff. Our tour guide was funny and very knowlegeable about the history and science of the caverns. This was both fun and educational. Would recommend. read more

These caverns are sooooooooooooooo coooooooooool. Definitely worth a stop, even though it's out of the way. A real natural wonder

We loved this tour. There was a ton to see and look at. Absolutely beautiful formations. Our tour guide was great, he was patient with us and let us look around and ask questions. He was very knowledgeable about the cave and the area. Definitely worth it to anyone who is considering going. There are a few steep spots and many steps to climb. read more

My wife and I had to kill a damp afternoon. Looked at things to do in Bristol and the Caverns were highly recommended. We arrived at 3pm, paid our $15 and expected a canned guided tour through a limestone cavern. The tour exceeded our expectations. The caverns are huge! They are spectacular. The guide was a geologist who knew his rocks and history of the cave. It helped that we were being given a private tour because we were the only patrons. We spent almost 1.5 hours going through the accessible areas. The lighting allows for great photography and around every turn was something surprising and stunningly beautiful. Well worth the visit. This isn't your everyday cavern. read more

Matt and Dee When we went there had a wonderful time. Definitely will return and it was a great place to visit. read more

Is this the largest cavern? no. It is not as expansive as Carlsbad or Luray. However, if you dig caverns, this cavern is worth your money and time. You'll have to hike up over a hill to get to the entrance. I will say that there is one part that is quite steep. They warn you ahead of time if you don't want to do the nearly vertical stairs but it is a little strenuous. I won't say too much because I'd give away the good parts but I enjoyed my tour very much. Figure about 90 minutes to see this attraction. read more

The caverns here are pretty cool... the tour is really hokie and touristy. It's pretty fun. It's well-lit for photos. There's some really neat things in Bristol Cavern, but the coolest stuff isn't on the tour. I was very disappointed to find out the worlds largest natural column (which is in Bristol Cavern) isn't on the tour! They do sell pictures of it. Who cares? I went here and bought a picture? No, I didn't see it. WTF? If you're driving past Bristol I'd recommend the detour and stop, it is a pretty cool cave. I just wouldn't make it a primary destination. read more