Bridal Cave
Bridal Cave
4.5
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Rated as one of the most scenic caverns in America, Bridal Cave has more formations per square foot than any other known cave or cavern in the United States. Park facilities include visitors center, cave tours, gift shop, rock shop, boat dock(on Lake of the Ozarks), nature trails, gemstone mining and observation tower. Open Year Round.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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See what travelers are saying
- Rachel W3 contributionsDefinitely recommend!!Woah, these caves were fantastic! It was my first time ever visiting a cave. Our tour guide was amazing, I wish I could remember her name to share. The tour was so detailed! It was quite an adventure with some steps and narrow passageways. The formations were beautiful sights!Visited June 2024Traveled with familyWritten June 27, 2024
- otcarla28Crown Point, Indiana193 contributionsExcellent tour!Our family reunion of 37, from ages 6 to 75, all really enjoyed this cave tour! The group coordinator was excellent to work with and we were able to go through as one group. Our tour guide, Tripsie, was excellent - we learned so much and she was very funny and friendly with everyone!! Amazing things to see and learn!! Accessible by car or boat. Definitely recommend this tour!!Visited July 2024Traveled with familyWritten July 4, 2024
- powr2bGrand Rapids, Michigan84 contributionsGreat Tour of the CavesIt was a well narrated tour of the caves. Our tour guide gave us alot of information on the history, the rock formations, and the creation of the caves. I wish I remembered her name. My grumpy son even said he was glad we came and that he liked the tour. I didn't feel claustaphobic at all. The caves run at 61 degrees (so I was told) all year long so plan your wardrobe accordingly if you are always cold like I am.Visited July 2024Traveled with familyWritten July 18, 2024
- Olivia S1 contributionBachelorette Party Bridal Cave Tour 8/17/24I specifically came here to write a rave review about our tour guide, Trypsie! She was an absolute delight to have as our tour guide. We came as a group of Bachelorette's in a Bachelorette party, and she was so warm and hilarious and made the experience for all 9 of us so much fun. I know all of us would agree that Trypsie is the absolute best guide at Bridal Cave and anyone who has the chance to interact with her would feel the same. 10/10 experience! :)Visited August 2024Traveled with friendsWritten August 19, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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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
4.5
538 reviews
Excellent
339
Very good
159
Average
29
Poor
5
Terrible
6
Cameron D
3 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
If you are expecting this to be on the scale of Mammoth Cave or even Meramec Caverns you will be sorely disappointed. It is a cool looking cave and definitely a unique experience however the tour is about 1 hour long and in all honesty you could probably cover the whole thing in 20 to 25 minutes. The tour guides were very knowledgeable and open to questions, no matter how stupid or time consuming. And they have tour groups that essentially file in and out at the same time. You basically spend a lot of time sitting and waiting for the group in front of you to come out of an area for you to go in and vice versa. Also, the gift shop has merch but the hoodies are $70; I guess this is offset in a way because they were buy one get one free at the time. Everyone was very friendly. Bring a hoody and/or hat because it gets to be around 60 degrees inside and there are droplets of water that drip from everywhere and you will get dripped on. If you have a boat you can literally drive up and dock to go in. If you’re needing something to do it’s not the worst thing in the world and the kids on the tour were getting a kick out of it.
Written August 4, 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.
B. B.
Minnesota115 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
Cute little shop. Tour is worth it. We happened to be in a super small your group (6 of us, 7 with the guide) so I'm not sure how big the tours can be. It is wet, cool and some walking thru some narrow and small walkways so beware. Beautiful to see and our tour guide was great. Definitely worth the time and price.
Remember where you are at... Missouri residents aren't told by their Governor to wear masks, have bars and restaurants at half capacity, and told when businesses can open and where every person has to wear a mask.... so.... Yes. This specific place the workers don't have masks and the social distancing is left to each person. Not saying you can't wear one. I did. I imagine if the tour group was any bigger, it would be fairly hard to do so in the cave.
Enough of that. It's a beautiful natural wonder. But if you have concerns, then you shouldn't be traveling to an open state.
Remember where you are at... Missouri residents aren't told by their Governor to wear masks, have bars and restaurants at half capacity, and told when businesses can open and where every person has to wear a mask.... so.... Yes. This specific place the workers don't have masks and the social distancing is left to each person. Not saying you can't wear one. I did. I imagine if the tour group was any bigger, it would be fairly hard to do so in the cave.
Enough of that. It's a beautiful natural wonder. But if you have concerns, then you shouldn't be traveling to an open state.
Written October 20, 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.
jessicawurtz
Omaha, NE5 contributions
Aug 2020
Beautiful cave that everyone in our group enjoyed! Our tour guide was great and very knowledgeable about the cave. Even the youngest kids (age 7) enjoyed it!
The only downside I could even possibly criticize was that the size of our group was very large and it was hard to get around with so many people. We went on a Saturday though and that is probably their busiest day so they needed to fill the tours which is understandable. I bet on a weekday they would be smaller groups.
Overall, it was so much fun!
The only downside I could even possibly criticize was that the size of our group was very large and it was hard to get around with so many people. We went on a Saturday though and that is probably their busiest day so they needed to fill the tours which is understandable. I bet on a weekday they would be smaller groups.
Overall, it was so much fun!
Written August 4, 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.
SJC Lawyer
San Juan Capistrano, CA77 contributions
Jun 2020 • Couples
My husband, 20-year old daughter, and I visited on a hot crowded day. The entrance to the cave sits just above the stunning Lake of the Ozarks. It would be very difficult to beat the spectacular view from the platform area outside the cave. The interior of the cave is beautiful but the tour groups going through were too large making adequate viewing difficult. The cave floor is also very wet and extremely slippery. Parts of the walk into and out of the cave are very steep and part of the passage is very narrow, making it difficult to get through. If one is on the larger side and/or has mobility challenges, this tour may not be for you. No one mentioned this at any time before our particular tour and no warning signs were seen. Even though my shoes were rubber-soled, I was constantly worried about slipping on the wet stone or tripping on the sometimes uneven steps. Even my daughter felt a little challenged. The cave is well worth visiting, just know what to expect. Most people probably do just fine.
Written June 28, 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.
roxron800
Fort Worth, TX152 contributions
Jul 2022
We ventured by boat on this all day excursion. We ran from MM25 down to Bridal Cave, stopping for gas once along the way. We parked our boat at their dock and walked up the steep steps to the gift shop. The gift shop had lots of cool rocks and gems for sell. A huge hit was the box of $10 geodes, which included breaking it open. I was super-impressed with mine!
There were 10 in our party (children 4 and under were free), so we signed up. Our tour guide was actually a sweet high school young lady who gave an outstanding tour. The cave itself was spectacular and the concrete trails were were but not slippery at all. There were some tight squeezes and low roofs you have to negotiate but that added to the mystique. It is basically an in and out tour of at least .25 miles but closer to .5 miles in length and takes about an hour to complete. We did purchase the group photo which was high quality and worth the bucks.
We've been in several caves in the past but this one felt raw and unexplored and even a bit dangerous which all added to a great experience. I did bang my head on the low tunnel, but I am just hardheaded enough that it didn't knock me out. I do have a goose egg, however.
As caves go, I rate this one in one of the best and although it is not huge it has a lot to offer.
There were 10 in our party (children 4 and under were free), so we signed up. Our tour guide was actually a sweet high school young lady who gave an outstanding tour. The cave itself was spectacular and the concrete trails were were but not slippery at all. There were some tight squeezes and low roofs you have to negotiate but that added to the mystique. It is basically an in and out tour of at least .25 miles but closer to .5 miles in length and takes about an hour to complete. We did purchase the group photo which was high quality and worth the bucks.
We've been in several caves in the past but this one felt raw and unexplored and even a bit dangerous which all added to a great experience. I did bang my head on the low tunnel, but I am just hardheaded enough that it didn't knock me out. I do have a goose egg, however.
As caves go, I rate this one in one of the best and although it is not huge it has a lot to offer.
Written July 20, 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.
LibragirlMissouri
Saint Louis, MO111 contributions
Oct 2020 • Family
Great cave in the Lake of the Ozarks. Cute gift shop, very nice employees. Tour was great! The cave is really beautiful and fairly easy to maneuver. Tour lasted about 30 minutes I think. There are also picnic tables with a pretty view of the lake if you have to wait for any reason. I highly recommend this tour with a word of warning. Masks are not mandatory in this region anywhere. If you are uncomfortable with this during Covid, you might want to skip. I noticed that most of the people on the tour wearing them but not everyone and none of the employees. The cave can get a bit cramped at times so might be an issue. You decide. Otherwise, really enjoyed it...
Written October 4, 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.
Maddie S
79 contributions
Jul 2020
The cave was super cool! And our tour guide did a GREAT job (she was very young, and seemed pretty new). But the only thing that really made me nervous was the fact that masks aren’t mandatory. Even our guide wasn’t wearing one. We are in close quarters, and about only half of us wore masks. Such an awesome place still!
Written July 21, 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.
shonaker843
Marion, SC2 contributions
Jun 2022
We chose the Lantern Tour, which is only available on Saturday evenings. The tour is conducted by a docent in period 1870s costume, and each participant gets their own LED keepsake lantern. Our docent was pretty adorable, but she was also extremely knowledgeable about the history of the cave. Although I have not taken the regular tour as a comparison, the lantern tour focused on how the first persons to explore the cave had to be very adept at climbing and quite brave to explore such a dark cavern. She showed us how the caverns would look in candle light and torch light, and we even experienced a few moments of utter blackness, something explorers using these two types of illumination would often risk. The cave itself is beautiful, with long draping stalactites and stalacmites that looked like glistening mushrooms. The cave was both eerie and beautiful and well worth the visit.
Written June 13, 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.
Laura H
Lansing, KS244 contributions
Oct 2020 • Family
What a beautiful cave! We loved the tour and tour guide and were enthralled with the beauty of the cave rooms. There are a few tighter spaces you have to squeeze through so if you are a larger size, you may need to bow out (though I'm not small and I made it through okay.) The gift shop attached has a good selection of memorabilia to choose from if you want a souvenir. The 'feed the fish' opportunity after the tour thrilled the kids in our party, as did panning for rocks (an extra cost). I highly recommend visiting this wonderful venue!
Written October 28, 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.
Corey L
Coon Rapids, MN30 contributions
Nov 2020
We had a great tour of Bridal Cave. We have toured many caves and though this cave was shorter in distance, it had a ton of great cave formations. Our tour guide was wonderful and the tour was the perfect amount of time. Our family of 4 (kids 10 and 15) really enjoyed this tour and would highly recommend it.
Written November 29, 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.
Are face masks and social distancing procedures being used by the guides...and attendees in general?
Written December 11, 2020
In July, they were not being used. No face masks and no social distancing. It was bad. I wrote to them and wrote to the area visitors bureau and never received a response. I hope they’ve changed their ways, but I don’t know.
Written December 12, 2020
If a person has some hip issues, but can do some stairs would this be doable? Are the inclines slippery? Overall how flat and how dry are the paths? Thank You!
Written May 30, 2019
If you're able to do some stairs, I think you should be fine. When we visited, it was after a rain, and the ground was pretty wet and there were puddles. However, the concrete is textured, so it wasn't super slippery. Given the recent rain amounts, you might want to call before your visit to see if the cave is even open. It's right on the edge of the lake, so it could be very wet or even closed. The largest amount of stairs was at the end of the tour when you go to the underground lake, but you could easily see it from the stairs without descending all the way down. If it's open, it's worth the effort to walk through.
Written May 31, 2019
So if a person is on the heavier side this wouldn't be a good choice to visit?
Written July 11, 2017
Depending on how heavy. 200 to 250 would be ok I think. The walk is slow and mostly flat. Some tight squeezes, but not that tight.
Written September 29, 2017
Would a parent with a front carrier be able to bring a well-behaved infant on this tour?
Written March 22, 2017
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