While visiting my mom and dad over the summer, we found a really cool activity to take part in that was about an hour and a half away from their house. We went deep into Humpback Mountain to explore the Linville Caverns. We went in expecting to see some cool rocks, but the Caverns far exceeded our expectations!! These are the only show caverns in the state of North Carolina and they did not disappoint. Read on to find out about the Caverns and to decide if this is something you and your family should visit next time you are in North Carolina.

Getting To The Caverns

The Linville Caverns are located at 19929 US 221 North Marion, NC 28752. That is about two hours away from Asheville and also puts you near some other great attractions (like the Blue Ridge Parkway, Grandfather Mountain, and Little Switzerland). We typed Linville Caverns into our Google Maps and it took us right to the entrance.

They fill up fast so I recommend the earlier you can arrive, the better. We got there at about 10:30am and only ended up with about 12 people in our group and we didn’t have to really wait to go in. On our way out, the sanctions were completely full and the group going in had around 20 people.

Upon arrival you will find plenty of parking.

There is also a little area to relax and have a picnic by a creek if you have planned ahead.

Once you park, head on in to the main building to buy your tickets.

• $13 for Adults

• $12 for Seniors age 62 and older

• $11 for Children 5-11

• Children under 5 free

Inside, there are tons of souvenirs you can purchase, as well as some drinks and dry snacks and candy. Enjoy them now because you cannot take them into the caverns.

They also have some cool information about the caves posted up around the shop.

Things To Know

From the website www.linvillecaverns.com:

• “Dress:  The caverns temperature stays a comfortable 52 degrees F year round.  As an active caverns, there is some dripping water on normal days.  During periods of heavy sustained rain the caverns can be very wet & drippy.  For maximum comfort, please consider a jacket or sweater most days & rainproof jackets after a heavy rain.  Shoe comfort is up to the individual.  The caverns walkway can be damp or wet in places.  It is best to avoid shoes with hard or thick soles.  High heeled shoes are not generally recommended due to walking on an open grate at one point of the tour.  Sweatshirts & rain ponchos are available for sale in our gift shop.
  
  Strollers & Backpacks:  Due to the confined spaces & low hanging rocks, we do not allow strollers or child-carrying backpacks within the caverns.  If you are waiting in line to tour you may wish to keep your infant/child in the stroller or backpack till time for your tour.  Our porch person will gladly store your equipment while you are on tour or you may consider locking these items in your vehicle.  NOTE:  Baby front carrying packs ARE allowed on the tour.  For older toddlers please consider carrying your child while on tour.
  

• Wheelchairs:  Linville Caverns is one of a few caverns that is partially wheelchair accessible.  Please note that there is one step onto the covered porch where tours begin & there is a concrete ramp with approximately 30 degree slope down to the cave door.  Once inside the caverns the concrete walkway is fairly smooth & level.  There are two places that a wheelchair cannot access...first is a dead-end passage into the narrowest section of the caverns & you may wait at the entrance to this section, second is in the back of the caverns where it is necessary to climb a few flat steps going into one room & you may move to the left to meet the tour as it comes back to the main level.  If you need assistance getting a wheelchair onto the porch area, please let our staff know & we will gladly assist you.  Restroom facilities are wheelchair accessible.

• Restrooms:  There are no restrooms within the caverns.  The restrooms are cleaned & locked each day at closing.  If you are on one of the final tours of the day, the restrooms will be closed by the time you come out of the caverns.  Please take the time to use the facilities BEFORE starting the tour.
  
  Payment:  We gladly accept cash, VISA, MasterCard, Discover Card, American Express & travelers checks as payment for your tour and/or merchandise.  We DO NOT accept personal checks.

• Pets:  Visitors may carry a pet on the 35 minute tour.  Pets on a leash are not allowed within the caverns.”

• No backpacks, tripods, or flashlights are allowed.

• No food or drinks allowed inside the caverns.

• Flash photography IS allowed inside the caverns.

Just outside the main building there are restrooms. Take advantage and take care of business before going into the caverns. Our tour took about 50 minutes so that’s how long you will have to wait.

The Tour Of The Caverns

The tours leave with groups of around 15 people from the covered porch every 10 minutes or so with a guide.

Once everyone in your group is all together and they have a guide ready, you begin your descent into the caverns.

Just before we enter our guide introduces herself and gives us a few rules. This is an active limestone cavern that means that it still grows. We absolutely can’t touch it. If we touch it, our cells clog the pores of the stone. We are also not allowed to use flashlights (she has one) but can use flash photography. Most importantly, we are told to watch our heads and where we are stepping.

You start off by entering and being introduced to the resident trout that lurk in the shallow creek near the entrance. The first two fish we met were Big Frank and Medium Frank. Their water is around 40 degrees year-round.

Our guide shared with us that back in 1822, the fish were actually how the caverns were discovered. Because of the darkness in the caverns the fish are partially blind (before the lights were installed they were completely blind).

Big Frank has been around for about 3.5 years and is very protective of a light that is in the water. He bit off Poor Franks front fin for passing him. 

While passing through what they call the Ball Room we see some beautiful formations. The one below is what the call the Cave Alligator. Can you see it?

Next our guide shared some interesting facts with us about the bats that they often get in the caverns.

They get two kinds of bats in the caverns. Small brown bats and tri color bats. They ca get up to 1000 bats per year . Last year (in 2023) they only got 3 because of white nose syndrome (a fungus that has been wiping out the local bat population).

The image below is what they call the Bat Formation.

The next image is the Walmart Bat. On its left elbow you will see a white dot. It is actually an Orb Weaver Spider sac.

Below is actually a picture I got of an Orb Weaver Spider! Can you see its silhouette in the light?

Next our guide took us into the area they call the Fireplace. 16 men lived down here for 8 months during civil war. They actually used this space as a fireplace, but because the smoke escaped up into the mountain, they were caught by local townspeople.

From the Linville Caverns brochure: “water containing carbon dioxide is responsible for dissolving the limestone and dolomite to create the passages.”

“Water containing mineral deposits formed the magnificent features such as columns, draperies, canopies, straws, and icicle-like forms.”

We paused for our guide to point out the white calcium deposit. 

We then walked down the area known as the Capital Dome towards the Bottomless Pools.

The guide let us know that it would be very tight and that if you suffered from claustrophobia that you should probably not proceed. We would only be able to shuffle along one at a time in a single file line. My mom chose not to go on to this area.

A little ways down this path, we came to a dead end. I was the first one so I ended up standing on a metal grate over some water.

This is the area known as the Bottomless Pools.

There was a certain point in this section where after you pass you are allowed to touch the walls. It was really neat to touch and feel the cool slimy texture of the limestone and to feel all of the years of history just under the tip of your finger.

The water below us is more than 250 feet down. The water is perfectly clear, eerily still, and contains virtually no oxygen. They have had divers come in to try to explore and they have dropped measuring devices down but have not been able to find a bottom yet.

As we continued deeper into the caverns, our guide continued to point things out that fascinated me. The lines that you can see below were made from when people attempted to mine the caverns for gold. None was found.

We paused and our guide talked about this rock specifically for a few minutes. This rock dates back to Pangea and from when oceans used to be in the area. Talk about mind blowing.

The largest stalactite is green. Zinc and algae grow due because the light is shining on the minerals. There is also some copper present which make it absolutely beautiful to look at. It is estimated to be around 600,000 years old. 

The area known as Frozen Niagara is estimated to be around 6-10 million years old. It is just a few steps away from the green stalactite.

Next we traveled up some stairs into the Gilkey Room to see some truly gruesome looking formations.

The photo below shows what they call cave coral. It is in two forms. This nice slick form and then a dryer crusty form that we saw a few more feet into the room.

Below is the dryer cave coral.

Below is pure cobalt. The lights that they put in the caverns along with the moisture causes green algae to grow over it, but look closely and you will see it!

Another interesting fact that our guide shared with us was that the water that had been dripping on us as we had been traveling through the caverns takes 3-4 days to filter from outside and down through caverns.

Once we explored the Gilkey room and all it had to offer, our guide started to loop us back towards the entrance. But first she had one last surprise for us: complete darkness. She turned off all the lights and her flashlight and gave us a moment to let our eyes adjust to the phenomenon. You literally could not see your own hand right in front of your face.

It can only be found int two places, the bottom of the ocean and inside a cave. After two weeks of being in complete darkness you can start to experience damage to your vision as well as psychological distress.

As we continued back towards the entrance, our guide directed our attention above us. When she shined the flashlight directly over our heads, we saw a huge crack going down the center of the rock above. She shared with us that we were actually standing in between two tectonic plates! She also shared that it has been 125 years since the last recorded movement. 

She highlighted more of those dynamite lines again as we saw them.

Once we made our way out of the cavern, the last stop on our tour was the “bat mat”. In order to remove any spores from our shoes, our guide sprayed a solution on a mat and had us simply step in and then off the mat.

There was an incredible amount of history in the caverns. I was so impressed with our guide and with the organization of the company running the tours. It was super busy and a tight space but they did a wonderful job keeping everyone safe and entertained. I went in expecting to see some interesting formations but it really exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend going if you are in the area and looking for something to do.

Have you ever been to this or any other caverns? What was your experience? Tell us about it in the comments!