We missed the 90 minute tour by about 5 minutes, so we did the 45 minute tour with Jay as our guide. Before the tour you watch a pre recorded video. It's actually worth watching as the employees are featured in the video and the dramatization of situations are pretty funny. I'm pretty sure I said "oh wow" about 40 times and "that's so cool" at least 20 times. If you have any interest/appreciation of nature, the formations in the cave will not disappoint. It will impress you with regard to size, and the huge chandelier and story behind it was very cool. We enjoyed our tour. It was just our little 3 person family so it was like having a private tour. We knew nothing about this cave when we arrived, but we left with a lot of interesting facts. If you're looking for an interesting place to spend an afternoon, I would highly recommend this place! read more

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Great place to explore a local cave, learn about the history of the area, and get some light exercise. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and will to help each other. Several tours are available depending on length of time and how in-depth you want to explore. We've taken two different cave tours and both met our expectations in terms of what was advertised. An added benefit was being able to escape the heat of the summer into the cool 58-degree interior of the cave! read more

Cumberland Caverns - Tours Near Me - McMinnville, Tennessee

Staff was very welcoming. They were glad you were there. The tour guide Derek was superb. He knew his cave. He enjoyed sharing information with you. The pictures online do not do it justice. You have to the cave in person. If you are in the Sparta / McMinnville area please stop in first a visit you will truly enjoy. My wife and I were in town for another event. This cave tour turned out to be the highlight of our day. read more

Amazing experience!! My son was seven when we went with our Cub Scout pack. It was such an incredible overnight summer adventure! We can't wait to go back. read more

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Amenities have become "rundown". Area around the stage looks unkept and the handrails along the tour we took were dented/broken/loose. Not to mention we could barely understand our tour guide. He seemed lost and unsure of himself. He even mistook a section we were in for another part of the cavern. read more

Justin, our guide was awesome ! he was very friendly and so knowledgeable!! we truly enjoyed Justin and the caves ! I wish I could have seen more of the caves ! maybe next time ! read more

A really amazing cave and Zoe was a really great tour guide. Would go back there again for more tours. read more

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Derek was our tour guide at Cumberland Caverns. He was knowledgeable and personable! He was able to share the history of the cave system AND answer any questions we had. read more

My son and I had an amazing experience at Cumberland Caverns! Our tour guide, Derek, was amazing and knowledgeable! I've been on many cavern tours throughout my life and I have to say that this one was my favorite! Can't wait to return to go on a different tour. read more

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One of Our guides was Justin and he was real nice, but they are very strict about their rules! My boyfriend got yelled at for touching part of the ceiling that was right in his face. I do not recommend going with little ones or with anyone who has bad knees. The cave has a lot of rock stairs, the floor of the cave is your typical uneven surface. Both were hard for my grandparents to see and navigate. The light show and story is nice! A little less than what we were expecting, but the story and light show was a cool experience. read more

Cumberland Caverns - Stalagmite - Tours Near Me - McMinnville, Tennessee

Great cave tour, we took the 45 minute walking tour. Eli, our tour guide, was knowledgeable and led a good tour. Plenty of our questions were answered. The longer tours would likely be even better. Highly recommend! read more

Hidden gem in middle Tennessee! I've lived in TN almost my whole life and only recently learned about this place. It is an incredible site to behold! Caves are already cool, but when they are this big, it's hard to believe it exists without seeing it with your own eyes! Our tour guide (Macy) was great and I loved how small the groups were--you could easily ask your guide questions. They have a wide variety of tours so if you want a more mild 45 minute tour you can or if you want a 4 hour crawling adventure that's possible too. Highly recommend! read more

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Such a great visit here!! I loved it and am looking forward to my next visit already! The tour guide was personable, the caves were incredibly beautiful, the price for the experience was acceptable, and I got a great workout lol. Overall, great experience! Why not 5 stars? The light show in the cave wasn't functioning. Such a bummer! read more

It's been over 30 years since I've been in this cavern. Such a unique place with lots of history and checks off lots of boxes for the adventurous at heart. Admission cost was reasonable $22 for the walking tour (adults). I was surprised to know there is an overnight option & different tours to take. Summertime concerts in the cave.. wow! I had no idea! Highly suggested checking it out online to see all thy have to offer to plan a unique adventure experience. It's a must see if you're planning on exploring Tennessee. read more

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We loved our tour today! Our guide, Macy, was amazing!! Made the whole experience so fun. The cave is so beautiful. My tennis shoes did ok, but next time I'll wear more of a hiking shoe. Some spots are slick but they have hand rails. Highly recommend!! read more

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Had an amazing time on the adventure tour at Cumberland Caverns!! Our experience was great, and our tour guide, Zoe, heightened our experience to a whole other level. She was amazing and was so kind and friendly!!!! read more

We had hiked at a waterfall earlier in the day so by the time we got to the Caverns we were tired so took the short tour. Markie was an excellent tour guide describing the history and names of formations. She always asked if we had questions. We really enjoyed it and then drove into McMinville for an affordable, clean and modern motel room at the Best Western Tree Inn. We had been camping for 10 days, so the standup shower & washer/dryer down the hall was very welcomed. read more

Such a wonderful tour! Markie was our tour guide and was very informative and took her time explaining the cave. The cave light show was unbelievable. Thanks Markie for such a great time! read more

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Everything what you would expect! Great tour especially the lantern deal. Very informative

This caverns at Cumberland are a great family destination. The walking tour guides you through multiple large caverns filled with stalactites and stalagmites, underground pools and interesting rock formations of all types. There are large caverns, different colored rock formations, a small waterfall and even a historic chandelier. The history lesson given during the tour adds to the intrigue and out tour guide was interesting and genuine. They offer a monthly concert series inside one of the larger rooms in the caves that we will try to attend the next time we are in Tennessee as it looks like a really fun experience. They offer every level of tour from the modest walking tour we took to the crawling on the ground through tight spaces legitimate spelunking tour and they even do overnite campouts in the cave. Be aware the walking tour has over 300 stone steps for which the railing is not the best and many of the steps are slick and miss shaped. The seniors that went with us were able to enjoy the tour but it was rough at a few points and we had to help them through. All in all a great trip to a fun destination. read more

Cumberland Caverns - Historic chandelier - Tours Near Me - McMinnville, Tennessee

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Great adventurous and natural wonder experience! Truly impressive what Mother Nature creates, very impressive. We had a tour guide named Sebastian, who was very personable and knowledgable about the caverns history. They offer more adventure tours with exploring deeper into caverns or not too easy access areas. This Cumberland Caverns experience is worth a visit! Enjoy :-D read more

Cumberland Caverns - Naturally forming cavern Stalactite formations...Amazing! - Tours Near Me - McMinnville, Tennessee

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This was a fun day activity. The tours run on the hour and as luck would have it we arrived at 12:05 so this gave us time to hike the trail on the property...nice hike in a treed area. Our tour guy was Justin. We were the only two there for a tour so he took just us. I highly recommend getting there in the afternoon and perhaps a personal tour! Justin was knowledgeable and personable. We walked the caverns and it was super cool and interesting. They have concerts also in the caverns and over night activities where you can sleep in the cave! We loved the experience and went home to book the concert that is later this month. You have got to say you went to a concert in a cave once in your life. read more

This is a great tour! Highly recommend. Our tour guide Markie was so informative and did a great job getting us the through safely.

Wonderful window into an underground world with lots of weird formations to admire! We did the 90 min walking tour. There's enough room to not feel trapped or anything. Once you get to the strenuous part with the stairs -- optional -- get ready to have layers you might be peeling off. Tour guide was a young man whose name I have forgotten but he charmed us all by catching on that we were there to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Lord of the Rings movies. He had plenty of anecdotes and jokes and good information about caves! read more

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Okay.. wow.. so me and my gf did the extreme tour, and didn't really read thoroughly what that entailed lol but we found out rather quickly ... i was reluctant at first, having no experience, nor my gf, but she's an adrenaline junkie so i went forward, or id never hear the end of it.. however.. our guide, a young man named justin, was the greatest... super knowledgeable, funny(if u like corny jokes jk), and just great at what he does... Side note.. i have somewhat of a bum knee and shoulder, and he got us through there even when i was ready to go back. Justin was extremely helpful as well as my gf.. In all honesty.. there was some scary parts especially bcus im not an experienced "splunker" but i was super happy that i did it.. i most definitely recommend it... I'll never forget it.. THANX ALOT JUSTIN! -charles sharon and bethanie wolodkin read more

Cumberland Caverns - Monument pillar! Amazing - Tours Near Me - McMinnville, Tennessee

Went on this tour on Friday, April 14, at 2:30 PM. I really wanted to like this adventure and came with an open mind. I have been to many cave/carven tours through this country and overseas. This cavern is average but still wanted to check it out. The lighting of the formations is average compared to others but the lighting to show your foot placement on the unpaved, uneven and slick ground was challenging and you really needed to focus. The guides explained that there are 2 types of tours. One focuses on the history of the cavern and the other is a focus on the scientific and geological aspects of the cavern formation. The guides gave some info but said they are instructed that they can not give any info concerning the timeline of events. When asked about how long ago the cavern or a specific formation or a chamber was carved out by nature, all they are allowed to say is, "a long time". When asked to give a ballpark, as 10 years, 500 years, 1 million years, a billion years or a week, they said that due to religious beliefs, they are not allowed. WHAT? I thought this was the science/geology tour. How ridiculous! My other issue is the tour guides did not enunciate and I could not understand most of what she said. The folks on the tour came from all corners of the country and the guides regional accent was not accommodating to understanding those not from the area. The 2 guides were not very engaging with the group. Example: At the start of the tour, we were outside and had a 5-10 minute walk to the entrance. The 2 guides had minimum eye contact. They asked where we were from but then turned away and did not even try to appear to listen to the responses. It was because the group members talked amount ourselves, that we got a sense of where we all came from. The 2 guides mostly talked and chatted to each other more than engaging the tour group. We were given very basic info in what sounded like a script memorized and delivered in a blasé manner. I was thinking to myself that the guides did not find much joy in engaging with their group and rather chat with each other. I would have enjoyed if there was a fixed fun broadcast, with more detailed info that they could have played and they just were there to meet the safety regulations. Things that other experienced tour guides know how to do instinctively were missing. For instance, on 2 occasions there was something very evident and glaring to see along the way but appeared to be overlooked in the guides delivery. They stopped talking and began to move/walk on and so someone would ask about it. It would have been nice if they indicate that if you were wondering about ..., we will address that in the tour later vs what appeared to be a stupid question and just wait till I get to it. Felt like I interrupted her script and it was an annoyance. Perhaps the guides needed more training on how to interact with the public to make the experience more interesting. read more

Worth the drive from Nashville. When we arrived, there were a number of big yellow school buses and tons of kids running around. Lucky for us, they finished their tour, so the bf and I got a personal tour. Our guide's name was Mark or Matt; whoever he was, he was fantastic and knowledgable. Truly amazing. You have to see to appreciate the size. Would love to return for a show. read more

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Bri and Rob (I'm pretty sure ), are wonderful tour guides! I just left, and they were splendid with our group's questions. Although I was expecting a bit more from the cavern, I did get what I was looking for; stalagmites and stalactites! I chose the historical tour, and it was super interesting learning about the cave's history. (We were even treated to two teeny-tiny adorable furry bats, no bigger than a McDonalds chicken nugget!) All in all, this is a great place to go with family, and an overall enjoyable experience! read more

Cumberland Caverns - An example of the tiny bats! - Tours Near Me - McMinnville, Tennessee

It's true the acoustics are pretty good in here. On a recent visit a few things struck me about Cumberland Caverns: It's easy to get to. No, I'm not talking the winding roads. I'm talking about after you arrive and you go through will-call for your tickets. Basically it's a straight walk to the mouth of the cave and another straight path down through the cave to the concert space. Easy. The food seems yuck. Mostly hot dogs and nachos-type stuff. Overpriced. If they invested in some BBQ you bet these picnic tables would be filling up fast. Everyone is 2x friendlier than normal. Maybe because you're in an enclosed space. Maybe it's the happy music. But everyone seems to relax and smile more and who knows?..you might meet your new best friend here. The chandelier is cool. Keep scale in mind. It looks smaller than in pictures. But then, you are in a huge cave, right? The bathrooms aren't that bad. I mean, bathrooms are always gross. But if you are wondering about the bathroom situation for a 1+ hour concert then there you have it. I enjoyed my time. And the music was fun. But now that it's done I'll simply check it off my list. No need to come back. I left about 20 mins early to beat the traffic and catch a waterfall hike at Fall Creek Falls nearby. Your best bet for dining is in McMinnville. Skip the hot dogs. Please. read more

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Justin was a great tour guide for the deep underground tour. We definitely would've gotten lost on our own! Came out filthy and muddy which is always the sign of a GREAR cave tour! read more

Cumberland Caverns - Tours Near Me - McMinnville, Tennessee

Austin was our awesome tour guide for the caverns. My family had a wonderful time exploring and seeing these amazing caverns. Our tour was almost 2 hours long! Way longer then most of the cavern tours. We had such a fun relaxing time with Austin as our tour guide. I love how easy it was to sign up online and have our spots ready when we showed up. Perfect rainy day activity! read more

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One of the coolest things I've done by far! My fiancé is from McMinnville and has been in the caves many, many times! I was so lucky that he took me here because I thoroughly enjoyed it!! This looks like a ride you'd see at Disney, but this was all natural! Sometimes you felt like you were on Mars! Our tour guide was Jay and he was really awesome, even his corny dad jokes! I'd highly recommend this to anyone in the area. Be sure to bring a light jacket and wear tennis shoes. read more

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I was visiting family in Tennessee and my brother suggested we check out Cumberland Caverns. I love adventure so it was an easy choice to make and I am so glad we went. Jay,our tour guide,was a lot of fun and full of good information. The 3/4 mile hike to the end is not super difficult except at the end but you are given a choice to avoid the very last part ..but you will miss the great light show at the end. It is well worth your time. The gift shop has lots of interesting things and all of the staff that we met were wonderful. The history of the caverns is interesting and it is a great excuse to get some exercise. We got there in time for the 4pm tour and we were the only ones. Thanks Jay and Cumberland Caverns! read more

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the touror it was 1hour 25mins it good familys there is lots walking inside cafe and have night touror and camping wonderful read more

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First time being here and had a great experience! My boyfriend and I did the daily walking tour, a 1.5 mile tour, took about 1.5-2 hours for complete tour. Loved that it was a small group. Markie was our tour guide and did a great job!! Highly recommend. read more

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What a neat place. We did the 1.5 hr walking tour and thought it was fascinating. We loved the chandelier in the volcano room and would love to go to a concert here. Our guide was Nick and he was both informative and entertaining. I highly recommend visiting the caves if you're in the area. read more

We had a blast! We went with our tour guide Colin. He was so knowledgeable about the tour and made sure we all had a great time. We did the Higgenbotham's revenge, there was some pretty tight spaces I didn't expect, but ended up loving it! read more

Cumberland Caverns - Tours Near Me - McMinnville, Tennessee

Great family fun all around! Planning to go back and do the next level up! They even have night overs in the cave for $47 Our adventure 1 was $40 for about two hrs! read more

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This was an amazing experience and Berlin was by far the best guide!! We took the VIP tour and it was worth it!! read more

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This place is seriously beautiful. I've been doing a series of hikes with my friends, and this place popped up as a place where you can explore the caves in a hiking expedition. I purchased it a few months in advance, for the Rocky Topper tour. It was about 2 hours, and it was deemed "moderate to challenging." I would say my fitness level was average at that time. I exercised 3-5x a week and was in pretty decent shape. This tour proved to live up to its hype. We had several people in our party, with varying levels of fitness and struggles to complete the tour. Personally, I broke out in a sweat, but it wasn't that difficult. Someone else in my party struggled a lot, and the guides were very patient with her. They suggested that I not bring a little backpack I've taken on other tours, in other caves, but I regretted not taking it. I'd say you definitely can bring one, but it has to be pretty small, and should be waterproof. I would have liked to bring some water on the trip, because it was a good workout. We trekked through small crevices (they have you do that before even going on the tour, to make sure you can fit into the crevices that are there on the tour), through mud, and elevations. The cavern was beatiful. From the entrance where they do concerts, to the more intimate, smaller parts of it. I highly recommend checking it out. read more