The Cave Store
The Cave Store
4
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
The Cave Store offers a variety of merchandise including handmade jewelry, towels, snorkel gear, postcards, magnets, shells, and bottled drinks and ice cream. The most exciting part of the Cave Store, however, is the 145 step tunnel that leads to the Sunny Jim Sea Cave. Although there are rarely any sea lions or seals in the cave, the view is spectacular and it is a great adventure, particularly for kids.
Duration: < 1 hour
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
130 reviews
Excellent
55
Very good
37
Average
24
Poor
5
Terrible
9
Robert Watson
West Molesey, UK1 contribution
Aug 2023 • Family
Waited 30 mins in line, then got into the shop to pay… 2 adults and a teen came to $26.
What a waste of time and money.
The awkward walk down to the viewing platform gave me no satisfaction or appreciation.
A small decked area with nothing really to look at… most other people seemed just as disappointed.
Only good thing was the exercise of walking back up to get out of this dull place
What a waste of time and money.
The awkward walk down to the viewing platform gave me no satisfaction or appreciation.
A small decked area with nothing really to look at… most other people seemed just as disappointed.
Only good thing was the exercise of walking back up to get out of this dull place
Written August 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WisconsinEco
Wisconsin157 contributions
Jun 2021
It costs around $7 to walk down 145 steps to a small cave that is exposed to the ocean. There really isn't much to see in the cave. At the bottom of the stairs is a small wooden platform where one can view the opening and see the ocean. We travel a lot to see nature's beauty, but this was not worth the money. We enjoyed the other sights of LaJolla (such as the sea lions) more and they were free. We were there with an 8 year old boy.
Written June 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
miamivice2011
Dallas, TX133 contributions
Jun 2021
The Cave Store has souvenirs, which seemed to be reasonably priced. The reason we went there was to walk down the tunnel to see the cave. It is $7 for an adult and $5 for a child up to 17. About 10-12 people go down at once and you have 15 minutes to view the cave. There are about 100 steps and the climb back up could be challenging for some people. I exercise all the time and by the time I got to the top I needed to take a second and breathe.
It was cool to be in the tunnel and imagine the construction of the tunnel. The cave itself was cool to see the waves come in. I'm glad we did this, but it is something I will only need to do once.
It was cool to be in the tunnel and imagine the construction of the tunnel. The cave itself was cool to see the waves come in. I'm glad we did this, but it is something I will only need to do once.
Written June 17, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tinaNtravel
San Jose, CA2,096 contributions
Dec 2022
If there is no line, then I would say it is worth going down the approx. 200 steps onto a short boardwalk to look out the large hole in the cave facing the ocean. You can get some great pics of the ocean splashing in front of the hole. But in our case, we waited in line 50 minutes and that wasn’t worth it. Only 15-20 people fit down on the boardwalk at a time, and that is why the wait is as long as it is.
Written January 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bethany M
4 contributions
Sep 2022 • Couples
The cave was great. We were 5 ft away from a wild sea lion! The gift shop had great things for sale as well. It’s was $20 for two people to do the cave but it was worth it to see the wild sea lion so close!
Written September 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeff S
San Diego, CA6 contributions
Sep 2020 • Couples
We’ve been wanting to visit the cave store for a long time and we’re so glad we finally went! We made a reservation and had the tunnel and cave all to ourselves during our time slot. It was really nice! The young woman who checked us in was really nice and friendly too! The walk down the stairs was really neat and it was well worth every step! The platform inside the cave at the end of the tunnel was was very secure and provided a great setting for taking photos and taking in the incredible setting. If you’re looking for a fun, inexpensive, and very unique experience in La Jolla, this is it!
Written September 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephanie M
Maumelle, AR65 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
This was my first trip to La Jolla and I’d read that a fun way to see the caves was by going through the cave store for $5 (I think its $7 now, but no biggie). I agree- it was pretty neat! It’s a very long staircase, but was totally doable for everyone in my group (3 women 30-42 & my 7 year old son). The view at the bottom was beautiful, but difficult to get good pictures of due to lighting- this is obviously no fault of the stores, just an observation. It’s worth doing once for sure, but if I’m ever in La Jolla again, I want to do the kayak tour instead.
Written August 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adventures68
Key West, FL134 contributions
Mar 2020 • Friends
Great little find. The steps down to the water that was dug many years ago and the view at the end was great. Don’t forget to walk around outside to see the sea lions and birds. Another great experience . We watched a sea lion swim along side someone swimming for a long time. I guess they are curious or protective over their area. The Cave store and a lot of cute trinkets and souvenirs. This is a great family TO Do.
Written March 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Katie S
116 contributions
Sep 2023 • Friends
The cave was a really cool experience. I knocked off a star because we waited an hour to go down and I didn’t think there was a big enough pay off for that. There are lots of slippery steps so you have to sign a waiver beforehand. When we got down into the cave there was 700 lb sea lion sleeping a foot away from the railing which was a really cool thing to behold. The safety instructor said that he’s one of the more aggressive sea lions they have down there so I that added another element of danger and fun. Another sea lion also swam in and barked which was cool. We also wished there was another photo location, but it was what it was! 120 year old experience was pretty fun.
Written September 2, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Roberts69
Northampton, UK18,928 contributions
Sep 2023 • Solo
The Tunnel & Cave store in La Jolla dates back to 1902 and is a somewhat unique attraction. You enter the store (there was no line when I visited in September) and pay for a ticket ($10 an adult) and then at your own risk descend the steps down inside the tunnel to reach the boardwalk deck at the sea cave entrance. The whole experience takes about 10 minutes (you are limited to 15 anyway) and I thought it was a fun and worth doing as it's not something you do everyday... However, I do think $10 for a 5 minutes walk down a tunnel to a cave and back is a bit excessive... $5 would seem more reasonable.
Written March 17, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Do you need reservations normally? We got turned away today bc we didn’t have them. Is that a covid or busy weekend thing?
Written May 8, 2021
Sunny Jim C
La Jolla, California
The cave tours are going on all day 10am to 4:30pm monday-friday or 10am-5pm saturday and sunday.
Written September 4, 2015
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