Review of Smallin Civil War Cave Tour: We attended the Smallin Civil War Cave tour today and were unfortunately very disappointed. Upon arrival, we were told the first tour would begin at 10:00 a.m., but it did not actually leave until 10:20 a.m. because the group had to wait for late arrivals. Once they arrived, the tour was delayed further so they could return to their cars to get coats. The tour itself was expected to last one hour, but it extended to over an hour and a half due to frequent stops and off-topic discussions. Very little time was spent covering the actual history of the cave or its Civil War significance, which is the primary reason we chose this tour. Instead, the guide spoke extensively about working as a park ranger in New Mexico for the federal government, Roswell, and other caves in other states. While this may be interesting in a different setting, it felt unrelated and distracting given the advertised focus of this tour. Additionally, the guide stated he would not take photos for guests using their phones, explaining that a phone could go into the water. At the time, we were on a stable walkway, and this restriction felt unnecessary. Overall, the experience did not deliver on the Civil War history advertised, and the lack of focus, delays, and extended runtime made the tour frustrating. It was not worth the $33.95 per person for the two of us. We would not choose to attend again and would not recommend it to visitors seeking an educational Civil War-focused cave tour. read more

We wanted to see some of the nice caves/caverns in MO. Have to say, this one was a disappointment. Not very big, not very interesting, almost no formations. Our guide, Levi, was enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and provided a lot of history and information about the cave and the area. He did a great job. If you can't handle a lot of stairs or inclines, this cave would suit you, as the walk is short and mostly flat. However, for the $29/person entrance fee, it's just not worth it. Most every other cave/cavern in the area is better. For maybe $19/person, it would be worth the stop. read more

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While it looks like a great place to visit and I had planned to while we are in the area soon, the price is just too high for this short of an excursion. There appear to be no teacher or veteran discounts offered either; this is surprising! read more

Extremely overpriced for a small cave withfew features. Save your money. $32 for less than 20 minutes walking straight in and out of a cave. read more

Today we explored Smallin Civil War Cave. This was very educational & informative, providing historical background of the cave along with Native American & Civil War stories pertaining to the cave & surrounding areas. Our tour guide Eric was a skilled story teller & tried involving all eight individuals in our tour group. The owners were also in the gift shop area & easily chatted with everyone making you feel welcomed. Conserving the cave & its ecosystem is a priority. Eric took photos inside the cave & they were available for purchase after the tour. This is a walking tour which was easy enough to do, I walk a lot slower then most people & inclines are difficult but we were able to proceed at our slower pace with our guide waiting or speaking a little louder to not exclude us from the group. All in all an enjoyable Saturday afternoon activity. read more

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So I just moved here from the west. Yeah I'm going to a lot of the tourist places in southwest Missouri. This place was amazing. I was able to meet the owner and she is great. My guide in the cave Janice was great as well. The history in this state is amazing. Let keep Missouri beautiful not just nature, but every facet. Thank you again for a wonderful day! I'll be visiting soon. read more

Our tour guide, Nathan, was fantastic. Full of historical facts and interesting story telling. We stumbled on this place and didn't expect much. We thought the price (almost $30/ticket) seemed like a lot, but after having gone on the tour, we felt we got our moneys worth. The caves were fascinating and the owners are delightful. They should be proud of the history they've preserved. The husband and wife have both poured their heart and souls into this historical site. They also beam with the love of God. I highly recommend that couples and families come take a tour. read more

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We came 30 minutes before a tour started on a Saturday. The tour guides were helping customers in the gift shop and were just so friendly! There are a lot of things to do before your tour; can browse the eclectic shop, buy chicken feed for the chickens outside, "pan" for gems, or climb through the twisty little cave experience that can fit a small child to a small size adult. Jamie was our tour guide and super informative, super lively, he played in this cave as a child and knew people whose grandmothers did the laundry in the mouth of the cave, so has both a personal/emotional connection as well as an astounding geological knowledge. The cave is well-lit but he uses a flashlight to point out unique cave creatures such as the albino crayfish and salamanders. See if you can spot them! They also talked about additional tours such as the Civil War history experience where they cook you "soldier food" and you hike into the cave with lanterns. All in all very fascinated with this experience and all ages can find something to enjoy. read more

Smallin Civil War Cave - The Fountainhead - Historical Tours Near Me - Ozark, Missouri

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Yay cave! Saw some posters advertising Smallin Civil War Cave while visiting Fantastic Caverns. Thought it looked cool. 20 minutes later, we were in Ozark, MO entering the gate. Parking is convenient as there seemed to be just a few spots and it wasn't crowded when we went. Entered through a gift shop and was told that despite the signs outside, there really is only one tour, "the civil war tour". The "adventure tour" is by appointment only and takes you past the paved walkway areas of the cave and into the water and darkness beyond. While we were waiting for our tour guide to meet us, an adventure tour group of boyscouts were getting ready too. They had on helmets with lights, water shoes or covers, etc. For the regular tour, you don't need anything special. There is a full restroom building outside and all walkways into caves are smooth and paved. There are a few caves you can see on the way to the main one. The first is the Fielding Cave. It's a cool small cave where they have been doing some historic excavation. It takes like 5 minutes to see. Then just outside of the big cave is Disappointment Cave, that you can see in the hillside, but you don't peek into from the path. They told me it only goes 12 feet. Then the Smallin Civil War Cave, which looked a lot smaller in the pictures. It was huge. Very impressive. Apparently, the cavernous opening which dates pre-Ice Age was used by Osage natives, Union soldiers, church goers, and outlaws. I could imagine people sitting in the stream washing clothes. It was and still is a great shelter with tempting clear pools of water. The tour guide tells you about the history of the cave and points out various features inside, which included graffiti carvings from 1800, live cave-dwelling creatures (bats, bristly cave crayfish, frogs, etc.), formations, and oceanic era fossils! Who'd have thought you would see a shark tooth embedded in the ceiling of a cave in Missouri. All in all, I loved it. I thought it was a super cool cave and I'd love to come back for their October lantern tour. Spooky! Plus the family owned site was run by people who seemed pretty nice to me! They also gave a military discount. Thanks! read more

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Omg. GRRAT TOUR. loved the staff and luckily my husband and I were the only 2 on it so we got a slow going really amazing tour! An amazing history lesson. Great owners. Our tour guide was the BEST! read more

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Please so not spend Your hard earned money in this joke. We took the evening tour with the meal. If you want to call it that! This is a very rinky dink unprofessional tour. Many political innuendoes were said in the ramblings if the person giving a very speech about the so-called history of the cave. Stop trying to make this a "Branson" production. It just make it look hokey and small. Pun intended! read more

FANTASTIC!! Spent the weekend in Branson cramming in all the sights we could, and this, family-run cave was the GEM of the whole vacation!! Drawn here by the hope of some local Civil War history, we unexpectedly got a little of everything: geology, Native American and civil war history, as well as an entertaining family experience. What made the cave extraordinary was employees who really rolled out the red carpet. While perusing the nice cheaply-priced gift shop, one employee told us of the native America local history showing us artifacts and even singing Native American songs. Our guide was personable and kind, holding my young child's hand at one point & showing them magic tricks. Pretty off the charts treatment! The cave and site itself is a well-maintained and obviously well-loved by its owners and staff. My kids loved every bit of it - the tour, panning for gems, crawling through their play tower, shopping in the store. So fun! read more

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Hands down one of the best cave tours I've ever been on. Kevin was full of informational and you can tell how much he and his wife are vested in this beautiful property and historic site. A big plus is it's accessible all the way. Loved this experience! read more

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Had a great time! Will was our guide, and was very knowledgeable and made the experience super fun.

I enjoyed this one-hour tour very much and would highly recommend making time to visit. Our guide (who happened to be the owner) did an amazing job! read more

Very informative and well narrated by tour guide. Wonderful natural beauty. We'll be back for the dinner tour in the fall and sun tour in December. read more

I just moved to Missouri in early March. I soon discovered that there were several caves nearby that I was interested in visiting. Smallin Civil War Cave was the first on the list primarily because I have a friend that lives roughly 12 miles away from this location, and she had never been there either. It was very easy to find and parking was easy with just a short walk to the visitor center. The visitor center was very nice and had things to look at as well as souvenirs and a variety of other things that could be purchased, including things for children. The orientation before taking the tour was very informative and covered safety precautions as well. The whole experience took roughly an hour. The path leading to and from the cave was very easy to negotiate for most able bodied adults as well as children. The tour guide that we had was very knowledgeable and accommodating of our tour group. All in all, it was a very pleasant experience, beautiful scenery, rich in history, and a great place to spend an afternoon. I had forgotten my camera in the trunk of my car, so I anticipate returning to get some great photos. I highly recommend this cave tour! read more

Educational, interesting, and fun. Great combination. Will was an amazing guide. Highly recommend!

Entertaining and money well spent. I enjoyed every part of my experience and I would definitely do it again! Thank you to the whole staff, but especially thank you to Eric for making me laugh and enjoy a wonderful cave experience! read more

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We are so happy to have come across this while visiting in Branson. We saw many other cave attraction signs but I wanted more adventure. This was exactly what I was looking for! We did the wild tour and got way down into the cave. Waist deep water, rocky terrain, a knowledgeable host and personalized tour was the perfect way to end a beautiful trip to the ozarks. read more

Very interesting and cool place that is locally owned. We took the short walk thru guided trip. Our guide was full of interesting facts about the property, very knowledgeable, and an obvious passion for his job. Cheap prices in gift shop as well. A must see!! read more

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The family that runs the business are GREAT people, and made the tour entertaining and informative ! We traveled from Michigan to get a taste of Missouri's beauty. Our whole family was so impressed including my sixteen year old son, and we all know how hard it is to impress them read more

It was a toss up going to this cave or the heavily advertised Fantastic Caverns. The pictures in the travel book intrigued me, so this one was chosen. My son and I took the tour along with some other patrons. First we walk in a smaller cave, where people used to keep food in a spring box to keep it cold before refrigeration. Then we walk to Smallin Cave. Eric was a good guide and historian. Henry Schoolcraft, an explorer who also discovered Itasca State Park in MN, discovered this cave. Civil War soldiers even stayed in the cave. The cave also was a summer camp before the owner's purchased it. The cave had fossils if a starfish on its ceiling. This cave had some water running through it. Eric also told us about Native Americans splicing trees so some horizontal limbs are used as markers. He also sang a Native song. There weren't really any stalligtites or stallugmites in this cave but it was our first cave in Missouri, the cave state. Eric will also take your photo and sell you a print for $5. Cave is really flat, no trouble navigating. read more

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While we thoroughly enjoyed our cave visit and it tour guide, I am only giving 4 stars for the sheer price we paid. We paid less to visit more historic national sites in the area, in KC and in Branson. It is a cave, not a cavern so don't expect cavern adventures because you'll be disappointed. But if you remember it's just a cave you'll enjoy it. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and everyone was very friendly. read more

We had Eric as our tour guide today. He was incredibly knowledgeable about everything, from history, to stone, to the native American tongue of the tribe that used to live in the area. It was a very interesting tour, and we learned so much! Eric, as well as Kevin in the store, we're very friendly and made you feel like you were part of the family. I am SO glad we came here today!!! read more

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The experience was awesome. Eric is a very knowledgeable tour guide. His personal history brings so much to the tour. Allow yourself to go back in time and feel the rich history. Ask nicely and he may sing a song for you.... 5+ stars. read more

I chose this cave because Grandma was with us and cannot do the stairs of the other caves. My nerd kids ages 10-17 enjoyed the cave and were actually interested in all the history. It was beautiful and easy to walk through. Our tour guide Russ was very knowledgeable and friendly. It was a little pricey, but I'm glad we did it. read more

Smallin Civil War Cave - Historical Tours Near Me - Ozark, Missouri

A must visit if anywhere around Springfield, MO. Excellent tour guided stroll through history of the Osage Native Americans, Civil War tales to The James and Younger outlaws. The geology is intriguing and the historical ruminations will spark your imagination. Thanks, Kevin for a wonderful experience. read more

I can't recommend this place enough for visitors and anyone who lives her and hasn't been! I learned so much about our settlers and the view is so pretty. They have such knowledgeable tour staff. I highly recommend! read more

Wonderful tour guides. Knowledgeable,engaging and passionate about the history of the caves . Great experience all around !

Laura, our tour guide was wonderful! She provided history and context for what we were seeing. Her energy and enthusiasm was highly engaging. She did a fantastic job teaching without preaching. The cave itself had many different features that she made sure we all saw. Highly recommend! read more

We visited this site while vacationing in Branson, MO. After purchasing our tickets at the counter, we learned that Juanita was actually one of the owners. She and her husband were two of the nicest people we met on our trip. Both had extensive knowledge about the history of the region and the cave, and answered any questions we had about the location and the many interesting items for sale in their gift shop. Our guide shared a lot of information about the cave, the Indians who inhabited it, and its use during the Civil War. He even sang an authentic Indian chant while we were inside the cave. You won't be disappointed with this tourist stop. read more

Extremely educational regarding the area and history surrounding the cave, the formation of the cave itself and the living creatures in the cave at present and those that made the cave millennia before. It was refreshing to visit a cave that has not been overly defaced in the name of commercialism. I would have liked to have enjoyed it longer, but hourly guided tours prevent that. read more