Indiana Caverns
Indiana Caverns
4.5
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
Full view
About
A variety of experiences await you at Indiana Caverns. A beautiful cave tour through large rooms, by waterfall and formations, past Ice Age fossils as you walk along. Plus-you ride on our on an underground stream. On the property you can enjoy gemstone and fossil panning, exploring the Cavern of the Sabertooth, interpretive exhibits and more. For the truly adventurous, there is cave exploring too! New: The Escape Rooms at Indiana Caverns and The Bat Chaser-Zip Coaster. 30 minute Escape Room challenge. Save with our packages. Great family/friend adventures!
Corydon, United States
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingSimilar Experiences
Travelers talk about
Contribute
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
629 reviews
Excellent
449
Very good
122
Average
35
Poor
13
Terrible
10
Donna Jackson
60 contributions
Jul 2020
Indiana Caverns is a relatively new cavern tour. I enjoyed it. They had a kennel in their basement and did not mind boarding dogs while we went on the tour. Everyone wore masks so I felt comfortable due to the virus and they sanitized the boat before the next group went. Our guide was upbeat and friendly. The tour is on a metal platform, so you do not have to walk on the cave floor. At one point, we were stopped in the cavern to take family photos. You had the option to pick them up and purchase them for $10 upon leaving the cave. Our guide pointed out the cave salamanders and crawfish. We booked our tickets online and it was super easy. They were ready for us when we got there. Tours last approximately 1 hour and. 15 minutes. We didn’t see another tour until we were getting off the boat, so they only have 2 tours down in the cave at a time. Roughly, counting the 2 guides, there was about 16 to 18 people in our group...4 families. There were more activities to do, but we elected not to do them. The other activities were gem mining, bat ride, the plunge, lock-down, and I think deeper cave exploration. As mentioned, this is a fairly new attraction. I enjoyed it. It’s not my first cave tour. It’s safe and enjoyable. We had a person using a cane walking in our tour. Yes, I’d recommend going.
Written July 11, 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.
Thank you Donna We really appreciate your visit as well as your kind review. We have hosted several pups/dogs recently and our staff always enjoyed our kennel guests.
Glad to hear the guide was upbeat and friendly, our intent is for all staff to be upbeat, informative and fun.
Thank you again for coming!
Written July 12, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
PWHR
2 contributions
Jul 2021
This is a hidden gem in Indiana. The staff was all courteous and helpful. The Bat Chaser was a fun experience. They strap you in to the point where you feel secure. The cave tour was well-timed and quite long and unique, particularly the boat ride,, making it a fun experience well worth your money. I would, however, caution that it is largely a walking tour and requires a small amount of bending while walking (depending on your height) to get through the lower-clearance areas, as well as a bit of stair-climbing to get to certain portions through the cave. However, there was a couple on the tour who had to move a little slower to keep up, but the tour guide was extremely helpful to the guests of all ages and kept us occupied throughout the experience.
Written July 6, 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.
Allen S
5 contributions
Oct 2022 • Family
This is a great experience for anyone in the Southern Indiana area. We were surprised to learn that the cave experience is relatively new. Having been developedin 2012/2013.
Our guide Emmy, was young but very knowledgeable. We had a pretty large group of 16 people and she managed the group very well and brought us back in exactly 90 mins just as the tour was expected. The gift shop was clean an well stocked with all the items you would expect and a couple of surprises.
We didn't partake in any of the rides or other entertainment on the site but by the looks of the folks we saw that did, they had a great time.
I highly recommend spending some of your time and money at the Indiana Caverns!
Our guide Emmy, was young but very knowledgeable. We had a pretty large group of 16 people and she managed the group very well and brought us back in exactly 90 mins just as the tour was expected. The gift shop was clean an well stocked with all the items you would expect and a couple of surprises.
We didn't partake in any of the rides or other entertainment on the site but by the looks of the folks we saw that did, they had a great time.
I highly recommend spending some of your time and money at the Indiana Caverns!
Written October 23, 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.
Traci
Evansville, IN1 contribution
Jul 2020
In a normal time, this would be a good place to take children or those who have never been in a cave. While the guide had her information well memorized, the mood felt forced. Bones and lighting are strategically placed throughout the tour in a way that makes the cave feel manufactured instead of being a natural element.
The biggest problem was the lack of COVID protocols. When my small group and I arrived, we were not sure whether we were going to go on the tour or not. The mask requirements and hand washing stations were promising signs. At the ticket counter we specifically asked the worker if social distancing practices were being followed on the tour. We were told that they were following guidelines to the best of their abilities.
Once we got into the cave, it became apparent that no attempt was being made to distance. Group sizes had not been decreased to allow for distancing.
This was especially problematic on the boat where we were told to squeeze in as close as we could to others (not to mention the seats are all facing inward). During the tour, several other groups had to pass us on the path as they backtracked to get out of the cave. It seems logical that having fewer groups of people in the cave at once would be a smart move for the time being.
While I did not expect perfect isolation on this visit, I did expect to be given the truth about their attempt at distancing. It is partially my fault for going during a pandemic, but I can't help but feel the owners are putting profits over people by maximizing group size and frequency.
The biggest problem was the lack of COVID protocols. When my small group and I arrived, we were not sure whether we were going to go on the tour or not. The mask requirements and hand washing stations were promising signs. At the ticket counter we specifically asked the worker if social distancing practices were being followed on the tour. We were told that they were following guidelines to the best of their abilities.
Once we got into the cave, it became apparent that no attempt was being made to distance. Group sizes had not been decreased to allow for distancing.
This was especially problematic on the boat where we were told to squeeze in as close as we could to others (not to mention the seats are all facing inward). During the tour, several other groups had to pass us on the path as they backtracked to get out of the cave. It seems logical that having fewer groups of people in the cave at once would be a smart move for the time being.
While I did not expect perfect isolation on this visit, I did expect to be given the truth about their attempt at distancing. It is partially my fault for going during a pandemic, but I can't help but feel the owners are putting profits over people by maximizing group size and frequency.
Written July 8, 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.
Thank you for visiting and for sharing your experience and your concerns. We appreciate your perspective and candor.
Our guides receive 38 hours of individual training. We do not have a script for them to learn, rather they study on their own specific topics such as geology, customer service and paleontology, and completing tests on each chapter before they are allowed to follow several tours. There are specific stops and specific information they are to include but no script to be memorized. Your perception that the tour was memorized and that the "mood felt forced" has been shared with the Guide Trainer and will be shared with all staff.
One point requires clarification and that is the bones and lighting. The lighting of course is not natural. We use only white lights on the tour route (blue is used to show undeveloped passages) The bones however are EXACTLY where they have laid for up to 38000 to 42000 years. No bones have ever been MOVED. Bones have been removed by the staff of the Indiana State Museum during the two paleontological digs. We have NEVER moved bones for any reason including to stage them for the tour. Nor was the route developed to specifically show the bones, when the route was planned we did not know these were ice age bones. Bones have not been dug up to show guests with the exception of the dig demonstration created by a university student at the base of the second spiral.
Only two "bones" have been placed in the cave-not moved but placed there. These two are replica's of bones found in the cave but off the tour route- a fisher and a bear skull. The ISM staff helped us find accurate replica's to display TO AVOID MOVING BONES-because we did not want to move bones for the sake of showing them.
Our staff has been instructed to say we are doing the best we can to follow guidelines. They are not to promise 6 ft will always been maintained since we know that is not possible on the boats if we combine more than one group. When we reopened in mid May we limited tours to 10 people for over 5 weeks. Our maximum total possible under ideal conditions was 240 guests per day. We achieved this by doubling the number of guides to 6 and offering tours every 15-20 minutes allowing a max of 10 per tour, and theoretically 240 per day. As June neared the end, and the state moved to State 3 of reopening - allowing 250 people to gather, we opted to increase our tour size to 18, in anticipation of hosting 300-350 people a day to visit in peak season.
As a privately owned business developed in 2012 to 2013 with borrowed monies and large loans. After being closed for 2 months with all staff furloughed, we were relieved to be approved for reopening and a chance to save the business.
Some small businesses with no loans or financial obligations may be able to reduce their total business level to allow tours that would not require unrelated groups to be together on tours. We do have to be mindful of the bottom line, not to make a profit but to remain open.
I will remind our staff to continue to be honest about the fact we can not maintain social distancing on the boat. On the tour we will continue to encourage guest to maintain 6 feet between different groups.
Thank you again for your honesty.
Written July 12, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Geneva H
2 contributions
Aug 2022 • Friends
The caves themselves are amazing. The way that you have it set up to do the tours is also a very wonderful idea. I would suggest however to find more enthusiastic people who want to explain the caves themselves. Our guide was a young kid who was more upset about not getting any hours due to no tourists coming in then he was to explain to us the cave and to make it a fun joyful experience. We also had several screaming kids you kept touching the caves and he did not do anything as to guide the parents to not touch the cave walls as it will kill them. Those parents also did not help their children mind so it made it an awful experience cuz I could not hear anything the tour guide was even saying. If I remember correctly his name was Terry we were the yellow trip. Also paid for the bat Chaser did the Platinum package nobody was running the bat Chaser and then finally somebody was able to run it and then lightning strikes 15 miles out. We waited for four and a half hours hoping that it would come back up and it never did. So therefore we did leave however I did get a rain check to come back within a year to be able to ride the bat Chaser that I had paid for. Other than that honestly it is a very beautiful experience inside the caves it would just be better to find more tour guides that have the aptitude the gumption the knowledge the joyfulness the excitement truly in them.
Written August 8, 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.
Nick W
Tell City, IN724 contributions
Oct 2022 • Family
This was a great experience. Our family of two adults and two kids went for around $75. The tour is about 75 minutes and includes a boat ride in the cave. There are lots of stairs which made it a little hard for our youngest son to navigate. We arrived and had to wait forty minutes before the next tour, so we walked the trails outside. One was through the woods and one was informational with plaques about the cave below the surface.
Written October 22, 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.
Angela G
Stafford, VA4 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
Was a very fun tour with Elise as our guide. She was knowledgeable, personable, and we even loved her corny jokes. The underground boat ride was fun...a unique experience I haven't had in other caverns.
Definitely wear comfy shoes and be prepared to climb up and down stairs.
We also did the Bat Chaser, which was fun! Gem mining was good but would be better if they had someone out there helping to identify gems and fossils.
Definitely wear comfy shoes and be prepared to climb up and down stairs.
We also did the Bat Chaser, which was fun! Gem mining was good but would be better if they had someone out there helping to identify gems and fossils.
Written August 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.
Alex
2 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
My wife and I decided to visit with our kids after visiting other caves in the past. The first cave we visited hooked us all, and we really wanted to start exploring others in our area. I believe that every cave we have been to has been fun in its own way, but yours offered us something we hadn’t seen before… a boat ride! We enjoyed being on the boat very much. The cave was awesome and setup very nicely. We all felt safe during our tour and had a very knowledgeable guide.
Another aspect we enjoyed was the fact that we could participate in other activities while we were there. We took advantage of your “package” discounts and enjoyed the tour, as well as mining for gems and fossils. We have made our minds up that we will definitely be returning in the near future as we were not able to participate in the Bat Chaser… our daughter unfortunately didn’t weigh enough to ride (she was only 3 lbs lighter than your rules allow.)
At the end of the day, it was incredibly clear that we each had a great time. My son is much older than my daughter and has asked if him and I could come back for his birthday and do the “Deep Darkness” experience. Him and I are really looking forward to that!
We happily would give your cave a 1000 out of 100 if we could. We all genuinely had a great time and cannot wait to come back for another visit.
Another aspect we enjoyed was the fact that we could participate in other activities while we were there. We took advantage of your “package” discounts and enjoyed the tour, as well as mining for gems and fossils. We have made our minds up that we will definitely be returning in the near future as we were not able to participate in the Bat Chaser… our daughter unfortunately didn’t weigh enough to ride (she was only 3 lbs lighter than your rules allow.)
At the end of the day, it was incredibly clear that we each had a great time. My son is much older than my daughter and has asked if him and I could come back for his birthday and do the “Deep Darkness” experience. Him and I are really looking forward to that!
We happily would give your cave a 1000 out of 100 if we could. We all genuinely had a great time and cannot wait to come back for another visit.
Written July 21, 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.
Dennis Gade
Marion, IL13 contributions
Jul 2020
Indiana Caverns is a nice place to take the family for a day. The Batchaser was a lot of fun and the price for a package to do that and the cave tour with a boat ride was very affordable. If you are in the area and looking for something fun to do, check them out. The boat ride was the best part of the tour.
Written July 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.
Thank you for coming, we are so glad you found us to be a great place for your family. We appreciate your recommendation! And the boat ride was the best part of the tour, we love that too! Thanks for choosing to come!
Written July 13, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
J Dabster Etch
Fort Wayne, IN433 contributions
Oct 2020 • Family
neat little cave tour , notquite as beautiful as marengo or squire boones but still good to check out , notmucb to do after wards they have a bat chaser sort ofzipline but of course have weight limit ...
they have escape room but no more opening when we were there and the panning for gemstones for kids i felt was quite expensive
and they make you line up to takea picture ... which i thought was kind of annoying
the tour guide ( trey) was knowlegable and very chatty and seem to knowa lot about caving .
it has a walking part then you ride a boat
they have escape room but no more opening when we were there and the panning for gemstones for kids i felt was quite expensive
and they make you line up to takea picture ... which i thought was kind of annoying
the tour guide ( trey) was knowlegable and very chatty and seem to knowa lot about caving .
it has a walking part then you ride a boat
Written October 8, 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.
Thank you for visiting. I am glad you enjoyed Tray's tour.
Anyone can opt out of the photo, we do take photos in the cave and they are available if people wish to purchase.
Written October 18, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I haven't been in a cave for more than 15 years. Are the steps difficult? Are the steps slippery? At the end of Squire Boone they have this awful spiral staircase - that I found both scary and slippery? Are the steps here similar or better? Please let me know.
Written August 14, 2022
easy to maneuver great tour no problem at all to walk. well worth it
Written August 16, 2022
2012. It has an inter History. They talk about all that all the tour. Somethings I haven’t seen in a cave before.
Written November 10, 2020
Katie B
Woburn, Massachusetts
Hi, This question is for folks who have been to the Caverns in the last couple of months. What were your experiences of the pandemic precautions in place at the Caverns? I'm seeing some references to packed boats and no masks in some of the recent reviews. Are social distancing and mask wearing practiced?
Thanks!
Written October 22, 2020
I went last month. Masks are required. The ride was socially distanced and I believe they even sanitized the boat.
Written October 23, 2020
Describe the Bat Chaser - Zip Coaster please: age or height restrictions, cost by age, etc.? Thank you.
Written July 27, 2019
Sorry i did not see this. We keep the website updated, it has changed and will change again, so it is always best to check the website.
Written August 11, 2019
The website says they are only closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Written July 1, 2018
Do I need warm clothing for the tour? How long is the tour? Thanks!
Written March 30, 2017
no you dont need warm clothes and about an hour for it all
Written March 30, 2017
Can I take my one year old to this place ? Are babies allowed ?
Written March 16, 2017
All ages are welcome. Front carriers are very nice for babies if you can bring one, but certainly not required. Just frees us the parents hands to use the hand rails.
Written March 16, 2017
How long is the walk ? I will have my 65 years old parents with me ? can anyone suggest ?
Written September 16, 2016
I am 64 and my husband is 67 and I have a disability and we both did fine including the steps. The hardest part was walking down the incline towards the steps, I simply held my husband's hand to make sure I didn't slip. It was a great cavern tour!
Written October 5, 2016
Showing results 1-10 of 12