Squire Boone Caverns
Squire Boone Caverns
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:00 AM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 AM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 AM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 AM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 AM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 AM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 6:00 AM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 6:00 AM
About
Squire Boone Caverns is a natural wonder attraction that provides guests a respite from their plugged-in, technology heavy lives. Squire Boone, American pioneer and legend, discovered the caverns in 1790 and soon built a thriving settlement centered around Boone's Mill, which is still operating today. Rich in history and geological wonders, guests to the Caverns will leave with plans to visit again and again. Along with the cave tour and Historic Boone's Mill, activities at the Caverns include: Indiana's Largest Rock Shop and Gem-Mining Sluice, the Soap Shop, Hannah Boone's Candle Shop, homemade sweets and savory lunch options at the kitchen and a nature trail to simply take some time out. For the adventurous, make a reservation for the Squire Boone Caverns Zipline Adventure. The tree-top canopy course is family-friendly (a smaller zipline course is available for those who may not meet the height requirements). The complete tour through the beautiful grounds at Squire Boone Caverns includes 6 canopy zip lines and a swinging suspension bridge. Squire Boone Caverns Zipline Adventures is ACCT (Association for Challenge Course Technology) certified for installation, maintenance and operation, so you can feel secure and concentrate on having fun!
Duration: 2-3 hours
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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
219 reviews
Excellent
134
Very good
51
Average
29
Poor
3
Terrible
2
Christmas On Crestline
1 contribution
Jul 2021
We drove 6 hours to the cave today only to find out it was closed. As we came upon the entrance road, there was a sign in the middle of the road saying the road was closed due to flooding.
So, thinking there may be another way into the cave, we spent 10 minutes calling the cave only to have the line ring unanswered. Then we called their secondary 888 number. Finally, a woman answered. She said they were closed due to the recent rains. So, why was this not on their website??? Their website loudly announces, "WE'RE OPEN EVERY DAY! CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU!". However, this is not at all true. I figured that maybe this was my fault for not doing my due diligence and I must have missed a warning on the site informing visitors the attraction may close due to rains and to call before traveling. Nope, I found no such warning anywhere on their website. So, that was a fun trip.
Squire Boone Caverns, please, update your website and let visitors know they would be wise to check the weather forecast and call you about the possibility that you will be closed. Also, please, don't advertise a phone number if you aren't going to answer it. It's too hard to get a signal around your attraction as it is. Not answering your phone just adds additional frustration to the situation.
So, thinking there may be another way into the cave, we spent 10 minutes calling the cave only to have the line ring unanswered. Then we called their secondary 888 number. Finally, a woman answered. She said they were closed due to the recent rains. So, why was this not on their website??? Their website loudly announces, "WE'RE OPEN EVERY DAY! CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU!". However, this is not at all true. I figured that maybe this was my fault for not doing my due diligence and I must have missed a warning on the site informing visitors the attraction may close due to rains and to call before traveling. Nope, I found no such warning anywhere on their website. So, that was a fun trip.
Squire Boone Caverns, please, update your website and let visitors know they would be wise to check the weather forecast and call you about the possibility that you will be closed. Also, please, don't advertise a phone number if you aren't going to answer it. It's too hard to get a signal around your attraction as it is. Not answering your phone just adds additional frustration to the situation.
Written July 12, 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.
oakleaf
Delphi, IN158 contributions
Jun 2020
There certainly are interesting formations in the cave and it is well worth the visit. Please be advised that the are many iron steps on the cave tour culminating with a 60-foot iron spiral staircase required to exit the cave. This pair of senior citizens were puffing at the end.
Written June 16, 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 so much for coming to visit us. Those final stairs are tough.
Written October 6, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Terri M
Cambridge, Canada20 contributions
Mar 2022 • Family
Mallory is an excellent guide who spoke clearly and obviously knows the facts and history of the cave. The property is very well maintained, animals look happy in their clean barnyard. 73 steps up/down spiral staircases.
We were a group of grandparents, adults and grandkids. Our group had a variety of ages and all thoroughly enjoyed the cave. It had been about 40 years since my last visit. It has only improved with age.
We were a group of grandparents, adults and grandkids. Our group had a variety of ages and all thoroughly enjoyed the cave. It had been about 40 years since my last visit. It has only improved with age.
Written March 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.
April B
Indianapolis, IN28 contributions
Sep 2020 • Family
We enjoyed Squire Boone Caverns so very much!! The cavern itself will take your breathe away!! There are so many different things to see and they have it lit up perfectly! I enjoyed walking throughout. There are a lot of steps here and there as well as a huge staircase at the end so be prepared but it is so worth it!! We also did the gem mining, candle making, watched soap making and the gristmill. It was very informational and we enjoyed each stop. The gift shop has a lot of cute and neat items as well. Beautiful grounds!
Written September 25, 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 so much for coming to see us. Thank you so much for the wonderful review!!
Written October 6, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Andy W
Kansas City, MO30 contributions
Jan 2020
We really enjoyed the up close aspect of this cave. You can see the many wonderful sites inside the cave as you are walking above the water. We will definitely return to see the other parts of the property in warm weather. So worth the cost of admission.
Written January 23, 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 so much for the awesome review!! We will be thrilled to see you again when the weather gets warmer.
Written January 24, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Porthos7
West Chester, OH8,938 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
Incredible, and beautifully showcased cave system with a bit of old school roadside America attached to it! Definitely go for the caves, but there is a whole lot more to explore and learn there. The cave system is NOT handicap accessible, and know that there is a fairly strenuous, tight (small width) circular staircase to actually exit the cave with (I'm athletic and I was winded going up!). You can easily spend half a day here with everything to do, and very friendly/accommodating staff. Go and enjoy!
Written May 16, 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.
Kristen
1 contribution
Jul 2020 • Friends
Beautiful formations. Unfortunately, the tour guide, Liz, is obviously new and has not memorized her script. Listening to her fumbling with her words, confusing terms, and forgetting part of her script was unacceptable and made the experience that much less enjoyable.
Written July 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.
I apologize for not responding quicker. When we saw your review we did some retraining with LIz and it seemed to have helped considerably. She is now getting much better reviews. I am so sorry for a bad tourguide experience but thank you for telling us so we could correct the problem.
Written October 6, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Dan459
Dearborn, MI45 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
Great experience! My wife and I went here as a last minute add on to a road trip. Well worth going. The entire location is well maintained and staff was extremely friendly, even the three legged cat (Tony). our guide was Don, he did a wonderful job. Explained everything and led a great tour of the cave. We wished other activities were open too, but only the cave tour was available.
Written October 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.
Thank you so much for visiting us! Tony has become our official greeter and I'm glad to see that he is doing his job well.
Written October 6, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Circle_City_Traveler
Indianapolis47 contributions
Living in Indiana I have always wondered what Squire Boone Cavern & Village was like. As residents we get bombarded with tourism info to visit. It was a big disappointment.
As mentioned previously, there is a spiral staircase to traverse ( 60 ft in height) as well as other stairs inside the cavern. They do not inform you of this climb until after you've purchased tickets. Our tour guide met with our group of about 20 and told us right before going into the cavern. I felt bad for two women who ended up not being able to handle the hike. They appeared to be mid-to-late fifties in age and were a little overweight. As soon as they walked into the entry door and looked down the spiral staircase they knew right away it was not for them. This information really needs to be mentioned either on the website or in the brochure. I enjoy very good health, am an avid exerciser, yet the spiral staircase made me dizzy. It seems to go on forever and is poorly lit. On the return trip our two teenagers even had trouble breathing once we got to the top of the spiral. They were ready to be done with it all.
Squire Boone Cavern costs $14.50 for an adult admission. This is way too costly for what you get. You walk into the cavern for what seems about a 50 yard distance in total, if that, turn around and head back out. There were several other tour groups inside the cavern at the same time making it very crowded and noisy what with all the guides giving their different spiels. It was incredibly difficult to take photos because of this. The entire trip lasted all of about 30 minutes and that included downtime while waiting for other groups to squeeze past us on the narrow walkways. Our guide told us that he was supposed to give us a "total blackout" experience by turning out the lights at one point but because there were so many groups down there it wouldn't be possible this time.
We've visited many cave & cavern systems in the US and this one makes our "Joke List" unfortunately. The cavern, like most, is beautiful. What little of it you see. The guides will tell you there is 5 miles to the cavern in total.
If you are in the neighborhood anyway - it is certainly worth visiting the village (this is FREE) if only for the architecture of the little log cabins. Very picturesque. Nearly 99% of the souveniers sold here are made or mined elsewhere.
The village is also located at the top of a VERY STEP hill. At the top of this hill the parking lot is inclined gravel rather than pavement. We watched a minivan literally slide about 60 feet downhill in the parking lot because they couldn't get traction due to the fact they were pulling a small trailer behind them. It was a little scary to watch. Fortunately a couple of gentlemen were able to help the family by towing them up the rest of the way with their large dualie pick-up truck. Folks traveling with an RV or trailer of any kind would do best to park as soon as they enter the property and not try to make it up the hill.
Next time we're in the area we'll opt for Marengo Cave instead. It's just 30 minutes from Squire Boone and the one that the locals told us we would enjoy much more.
As mentioned previously, there is a spiral staircase to traverse ( 60 ft in height) as well as other stairs inside the cavern. They do not inform you of this climb until after you've purchased tickets. Our tour guide met with our group of about 20 and told us right before going into the cavern. I felt bad for two women who ended up not being able to handle the hike. They appeared to be mid-to-late fifties in age and were a little overweight. As soon as they walked into the entry door and looked down the spiral staircase they knew right away it was not for them. This information really needs to be mentioned either on the website or in the brochure. I enjoy very good health, am an avid exerciser, yet the spiral staircase made me dizzy. It seems to go on forever and is poorly lit. On the return trip our two teenagers even had trouble breathing once we got to the top of the spiral. They were ready to be done with it all.
Squire Boone Cavern costs $14.50 for an adult admission. This is way too costly for what you get. You walk into the cavern for what seems about a 50 yard distance in total, if that, turn around and head back out. There were several other tour groups inside the cavern at the same time making it very crowded and noisy what with all the guides giving their different spiels. It was incredibly difficult to take photos because of this. The entire trip lasted all of about 30 minutes and that included downtime while waiting for other groups to squeeze past us on the narrow walkways. Our guide told us that he was supposed to give us a "total blackout" experience by turning out the lights at one point but because there were so many groups down there it wouldn't be possible this time.
We've visited many cave & cavern systems in the US and this one makes our "Joke List" unfortunately. The cavern, like most, is beautiful. What little of it you see. The guides will tell you there is 5 miles to the cavern in total.
If you are in the neighborhood anyway - it is certainly worth visiting the village (this is FREE) if only for the architecture of the little log cabins. Very picturesque. Nearly 99% of the souveniers sold here are made or mined elsewhere.
The village is also located at the top of a VERY STEP hill. At the top of this hill the parking lot is inclined gravel rather than pavement. We watched a minivan literally slide about 60 feet downhill in the parking lot because they couldn't get traction due to the fact they were pulling a small trailer behind them. It was a little scary to watch. Fortunately a couple of gentlemen were able to help the family by towing them up the rest of the way with their large dualie pick-up truck. Folks traveling with an RV or trailer of any kind would do best to park as soon as they enter the property and not try to make it up the hill.
Next time we're in the area we'll opt for Marengo Cave instead. It's just 30 minutes from Squire Boone and the one that the locals told us we would enjoy much more.
Written August 9, 2009
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.
asanjo14
Syracuse, IN12 contributions
Jul 2017 • Couples
Absolutely loved this cave. It is my 5th cave that I've visited. 4th cave in Indiana. I love history and the fact that I got to learn about Daniel's brother was wonderful. Unfortunately, our tour guide, Maila seemed to act like this was a summer job that her parents *made* her get. When we got to the bones of Squire, she flat out said "if reading is your cup of tea, you can buy the book about him in the gift store. It's not my cup of tea but they made me read about him for training so we know what to talk about". "Ok, let's move on, I have more to say on this tour". "I know this is boring but they make us stop and talk about it". I love to learn but she was making it painful to listen to so while we were down in the cave I removed my ear buds and just looked at the beautiful scenery around me. The views were amazing but I would recommend requesting a tour guide that enjoys his/her job.
Written July 4, 2017
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 so much for being so honest and letting us know about Maila's attitude. We will be changing things very quickly. We take over a week to train our tour guides but in this case that was not long enough. I am very happy to read that you did think the cave was beautiful. We are so proud of the work that has been done in the cave to show off it's beauty. I'm glad you enjoyed the cave itself.
Written July 5, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
What is the youngest age that you would recommend to visit the attraction? Is 4 years old too young?
Written May 26, 2021
The cavern tour is well worth taking. I don't remember any rv parking area and the parking area isn't particularly large. There is a log bridge with no rails over a little creek just before reaching the parking area that I found intimidating in an suv. Try contacting the caverns for their take on this.
Written September 14, 2020
Cavern tour prices for seniors is $19.00/senior.
Written July 8, 2020
How many steps are there to climb up in the cavern?
Written July 29, 2017
There are several sets of stairs within the tour but the toughest set is at the very end. There are 73 stairs in a spiral to get you out of the cave.
Written July 29, 2017
Stacey M
Elgin, Illinois
Some comments refer to off season. If my family visits in early October, would we be missing out on some attractions?
Written September 19, 2016
Cavern tours depart at 10:00, 12:00, 2:00 and 4:00 everyday in October unless we get a large amount of rain. The village is closed for the season but if you come during the week the candle shop and or soap shops will probably be open. The gift shop is always open.
Written October 5, 2016
$21.00 per adult and $12.00 per child, ages 4 to 11.
Written June 1, 2019
Sandra S
Strongsville, Ohio
Everything you can possibly tell me about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Written October 16, 2015
Our cave is not a large cave but it is beautiful! Lots of formations like stalactites, stalagmites, columns, rimstone dams and more. There are two natural flowing streams in the cave also. It's a fairly easy walk except for a set of stairs you must walk down and then back up (73 stairs). This time of year cavern tours depart at 10:00, 12:00, 2:00 and 4:00EDT. The pioneer village is open during the summer months.
I hope this helps.
Written October 16, 2015
I'm so sorry for missing your questions a few days ago. Basic information for the cave right now: Cavern tours depart at 10:00, 12:00, 2:00 and 4:00 EDT. The village has closed for the season. If you come during the week you will probably find the candle shop open though. If you happen to come on a morning that we have school groups you will probably find the gristmill, soap shop, gem mining and the candle shop open. I hope this helps.
Written October 21, 2015
Jennie F
Walton, Kentucky
Any recommendations for a Girl Scout Troop of approximately 20 (likely 12 girls +/- 8 adults) for overnight accomodations on a budget? Thanks!
Written March 5, 2015
There are a couple choices depending on your budget and what you like. High Ridge Cabins are very nice and we have had many groups stay there. If you prefer a hotel, there are several in Corydon but I'm figuring you might want a pool. If that's the case I would suggest Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn Express. If you are looking for camping, a couple choices: O'Bannon Woods is a state park and about 40 minutes from us. it is very nice with a small water feature and nice facilities. If you are looking for basic, basic camping we might be able to help you here. We don't do regular camping but for scout groups we do make exceptions. If you would want to give us a call we can let you know the specifics. Our website gives you the phone numbers for the other lodging facilities. Our office number is 812-732-4388
Written March 7, 2015
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