Fantastic Caverns
Fantastic Caverns
4.5
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Discover the timeless beauty of Fantastic Caverns, one of the earth's rarest treasures. There are only four of its' kind in the entire world, and only one in North America. Here, you'll discover one of the world's most beautiful natural wonders; giant columns stretching from floor to ceiling, delicate soda straws glistening with minerals, tiny cave pearls hidden in crystal-clear water. And best of all, you'll see it close-up from the comfort of a Jeep-drawn tram!
Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • Rochelle W
    1 contribution
    Lives up to the name
    Fantastic caverns was well worth the stop. The tour guide, Kevin, was very personable and had some great dad jokes. Everything was clean and in good repair. We can’t wait to come back to share the experience with other family members
    Visited January 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written January 6, 2023
  • Kelly
    Butler, Missouri1 contribution
    A Great Family Attraction
    Our grandchildren are ages 13, two 10 year olds and a 6 year old. For Christmas 2022, we decided to give them and their parents the gift of family time. They don’t need anything so we decided as part of their Christmas we would go to Springfield and tour Fantastic Caverns. We made it into a day trip. We were so pleased with our tour guide, Fred. He went out of his way to make our trip enjoyable. He was very knowledgeable about the beautiful cave but he added laughter to it too. The kids loved the gift shop and we all had an extremely great time. Made great memories. I would highly recommend it to someone who hasn’t visited it before. Being able to ride through it was a major plus since my husband is scheduled for a knee replacement next month.
    Visited January 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written January 28, 2023
  • Patricia S
    Hyattsville, Maryland3 contributions
    Fantastic sums it up
    My sister Laura and I stopped here on the way to Branson and were so glad we did! Our guide Larry was amiable, professional and knowledgeable…he made learning fun. He told us about the discovery of the cavern, the history and even showed the various lighting utilized over the years for exploration and tours. I have been to a few caverns over the years but this was my first drive through one, especially good for those with mobility issues. If in the area I highly recommend and be sure to ask for Larry.
    Visited January 2023
    Written January 31, 2023
  • VanEsq12
    Dallas, Texas2,453 contributions
    Only Drive-Thru Caverns in US!
    Therd are only two drive-thru caverns in the world, and only one in the United States. This attraction is PERFECT for families with small children or individuals with mobility issues. The tour is given by riding on a flatbed with bench seats. This gives everyone the ability to see and hear everything well. The caverns are beautiful, and seeing them this way is a unique and fun experience. HINT: Heavy rains can flood the caverns and stop the tours. If it's raining while you are in the area, call ahead to confirm tours are operational.
    Visited August 2022
    Traveled with friends
    Written February 2, 2023
  • Chantel S
    1 contribution
    Great Staff and Fun Limbo Game
    Our tour guide, Mike, was amazing! He brought the history of the caverns to life! He was very engaging. He even took off his jacket so he would look nice for the group photo. We didn’t even realize he had done that until afterward. Great outing for a chilly February day. We really thought it was fun to have to lean over in the Jeep in order to not hit our heads on the cave ceiling. Keelie in the gift shop was also delightful and helpful with our shopping. A great time was had by all. Don’t miss this unusual and very convenient tour.
    Visited February 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written February 16, 2023
  • Kourtney D
    5 contributions
    Awesome cave experience
    The customer service was above par! Upon arrival we were greeted by Fred who went above and beyond to welcome us and let us know about local places to visit. Dave was our tour guide and was fabulous. Definitely worth it and such a great experience.
    Visited February 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written February 18, 2023
  • Des1B
    8 contributions
    Great experience for all!
    The cave tour was awesome because the guides Larry & Ray were awesome! They made the tour fun and shared great cave history with us. We had a lot of kids and they were so patient & kind. It was so fun to have those red keeps pull you the whole time. Highly recommend!
    Visited February 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written February 21, 2023
  • Anne
    Bloomfield Hills, Michigan7 contributions
    Feels like you’re in a National Park! Beautiful cave!
    We had a wonderful tour with our guide Dave! We even got to take our dog on the tour and we sat up front with Dave in the Jeep. Detailed information about the cave and it’s history was given in a professional friendly manor. Very classy experience overall with clean buildings and friendly service. Popcorn in the gift store that you can take along on the tour was nice. The cave itself was breathtaking and the tour didn’t feel commercialized. Felt like something you’d experience in a National Park!!
    Visited February 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written February 24, 2023
  • Paul507
    Port Charlotte, Florida276 contributions
    Good to visit anytime
    This is the place to visit no matter the weather. Rain or shine, it’s all the same in the cave. We had a great tour and our guide included a lot of information on the history of the place as well as on the background of the formations. The facility was really top notch as well. Very clean, good parking and a gift shop with interesting items
    Visited February 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written February 26, 2023
  • Richard S
    1 contribution
    WELL WORTH THE VISIT
    The whole tour was awesome. Love the knowledge of Sandra, our guide, the history of the cave that we could tour thru and the history of the areas that are not available with the tour, Well worth the trip. Lot of interesting events, the civil war, prohibition era, gambling/dance hall, the materials in the cave itself. Got season passes. THANKS!!!
    Visited February 2023
    Written February 27, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.5
2,094 reviews
Excellent
1,316
Very good
505
Average
203
Poor
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Terrible
23

Gregory Gathright
1 contribution
Sep 2019 • Couples
Lots of billboards all over the state hyped this cave into visions of a Carlsbad-type experience. Reality set in with an uncomfortable tram (billboards showed a four person Jeep) that stopped every few minutes to give the illusion of a lengthy tour. Without the stops, the entire ride would be about 8-10 minutes. The guide tried to spin tales to increase the allure but the reality is it’s a high-priced ripoff IMHO. The owners have worked this into quite a nice moneymaker.
Written August 5, 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.

RiverlanGone
Slidell, LA677 contributions
Jun 2020 • Family
Our guide Brent was wonderful and we so enjoyed the cavern and it’s amazing history. We really appreciated the explanation of how the cavern was first discovered and it’s evolution of use and lighting. There were just the right number of stops for descriptions and so interesting to learn that sometimes the cavern floods when there are heavy rains! It’s a really large cavern and is do beautiful!

A perfect place to learn about caves and to get out of the heat! I also appreciated the group photo we received as part of the tour. We were all told we must wear our masks inside the cave due to the pandemic, and could take them off for the photo if we wished. We and some others chose to keep ours on as part of the memory of the experience.

If you have very young children (5 and younger) they may enjoy a lighted helmet for the tour. A nice variety of items in the gift shop and several were marked down to 1/2 price!
Written June 17, 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.

Koland
Invermere, Canada3 contributions
Dec 2020 • Couples
Very easy to find the caverns, great directions.. friendly staff. Once inside it’s amazing to see, the driver and tour guide was very informative and humerus so made for a fun time, which seemed to fly by. Would go again with family.
Written December 14, 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.

Shane W
Brooklyn, IA58 contributions
Aug 2021 • Couples
The cave by itself is truly amazing and beautiful! It has great formations and the lighting is perfect to highlight the beautiful stalactites and soda straws on the ceiling. I would love to walk through and see all of this on a walking tour. Instead- you are in a crowded tram and what I felt was rushed through. These tours are truly made by the tour guides and I felt ours was just going through the motions. One time it was hard to hear because we were right behind another group whose guide was also talking. Again, the cave is amazing- but we also went to other lesser known caves for less money and a more pleasant experience than this one. They have great signage (although I could not get the QR codes to work) and a nice and reasonable gift shop.
Written August 8, 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.

Hugh V
Peculiar, MO74 contributions
Feb 2020
Fantastic Caverns is a very good option for people who would like an easy tour of a cave/cavern. All tours are done via a tram-like vehicle where everyone is seated. This makes it good for those who are unable to walk, to walk much, or similar restriction. It is a pretty comfortable ride and the atmosphere is good. The temperature is a constant about 60 degrees, so is pretty nice regardless of the temperature outside. You can dress accordingly for what is appropriate for you for 60 degrees. The tour offers the ability to see the formations in the cave, with many enhanced to highly their features, by various lights. The tour guide offers history of the area and the cave during the about 1 hour drive. It is good for families, and pretty much anyone of any age since the only walking required is that from the parking lot to the building, and the building to the tram. Everything is pretty level and handicap accessible. They have a shop with various geological and souvenir options that you can peruse while waiting for the next tram, afterward, or anytime.
Written January 22, 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.

KCBirdLady
Kansas City, MO115 contributions
Jun 2021
I guess we are getting spoiled, because we didn't find this cave tour very impressive. The guide gave some interesting information about limestone caves in general and the history of this one in particular. But after you have seen Mammoth Cave and Carlsbad Caverns, this tour seems very short and expensive.
Written June 22, 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.

Leslie G
4 contributions
May 2021 • Couples
I think the tour was decent. It’s not the best cave I’ve been to for the cost. Not worth $60 for 2 people and the ride was very crowded and just uncomfortable. I wouldn’t recommend this cave but definitely would recommend Meramec Caverns which is a walk through cave, a lot bigger, cheaper and just better!
Written May 25, 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.

Craig M
Kansas City, MO12 contributions
Mar 2020 • Family
Don't be fooled by the cheesy (oversaturated) advertising, this place is the real deal. We visited on a chilly March Afternoon and it was absolutely worth the slight detour.

The cave itself is fascinating, and the buildings are all very clean and comforting. The visitor's center being built in the 70s, but it still felt very modern and is kept in great shape.

Our tour guide "Brent" was very knowledgeable and fun. We brought our small terrier mix and the entire staff was very accommodating. It seems like dogs are a common occurrence.

The cave has an interesting history, and is really quite beautiful.
Written March 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.

Debbie D
Cedar Lake, IN7 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
We had planned to stop on our way south but sickness caused us to avoid it. So, we tried to squeeze in the stop on our way back - even though at that point we just wanted to get home. But we are so glad we stopped!

My kids 4 and 1.5 loved it. I appreciated that it wasn’t just a ride through the cave. It had various stops along the way with different demonstrations.

Riva was a great tour guide. She stopped to take a photo at the beginning, and I automatically roll my eyes expecting a big sales pitch at the end to encourage me to pay the overpriced photo. And to my amazement, we were handed a FREE photo at the end of our tour!
Written February 12, 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.

Austinleigh20
3 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
Our Silver Fox of a guide Richard did a a tremendous job showing us all these sweet rock formations out of this cave .My kids are young and they had a lot of fun while enjoying the popcorn. I particularly enjoyed the demonstrations and education parts of the tour. Overall it's quite the experience going under ground in a cave like that it was fantastic!
Written August 5, 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.

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  • Sun - Sat 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM




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