For a real look at geology and history, take your kids on an exciting and educational family vacation to the Central Texas caves.
Does your whole family love adventure? Taking your family on a tour of the show caves of Central Texas would be the perfect way to help them learn about science history, Texas history, and geology. Indeed these caves and caverns have become a popular vacation stop for thousands of Texas families every year. There are six show caves located between in the Texas hill country between Austin, Texas and San Antonio, Texas. It takes approximately one and one-half hours to get from Austin to San Antonio and each of the caves is within an hour from one city or the other, so they are all truly within less than half of a day's drive from each other. You could probably see them all in three days or, if you have more time, you could spread out your visits to the caves and do some other fun things in between.
Cascade Caverns is a wonderful place to start. It is located in Boerne, Texas, very near San Antonio. It is still an active cave, which means it is growing and changing right before your very eyes as you tour through the cave. It is a dim cave which makes it even more exciting because you have to seek out the details. Tour guides will lead you through the cool, damp cave highlighting the important parts and giving a geological history of the cave as you go. For the grand finale, you will be able to enter the largest room in the cave and watch the 90 foot waterfall cascading through the cavern. It is a wonderfully unique experience.
Wonder World is a different kind of cave, lacking complete rooms, but it gives kids a great lessons in how earthquakes play into our earth's geological make-up.
Cave Without a Name is approximately ten miles from Boerne, Texas, just a short drive from Cascade Caverns. It would be easy to squeeze in time to see both of these caves in just one day. This cave is smaller than some of the other caves, but it is one of the most beautiful. Your whole family can add new geological terms to your vocabulary as the tour guide points out and explains cave formations such as Stalactites, Stalagmites, Soda Straws, Cave Drapery, Flowstones, and Rimstone Dams. And, you can learn the secret behind the cave's most unusual name.
Natural Bridge Caverns is especially family friendly. This expansive cave has a built in snack bar, and special children's activities.
Inner Space Caverns is located just north of Austin, Texas in a city called Georgetown. It was discovered in the 1960's during construction of Interstate 35 and its sign can be seen from the highway, so there's no way to miss it. It's easy to find location makes it one of the most accessible of the six Hill Country caves. It also has a shaded picnic area for family eating, and lots of other fun activities, such as panning for gems, built in to the ticker price. It's definitely a fun-filled adventure for kids of all ages.
Longhorn cavern is one of the lesser known caverns of Central Texas, but it is actually one with the most history, which you will find out all about from your tour guide when you make a trip to this one- o-f a- kind cave.
