Lost World Caverns

120 feet under the surface lies the underground world of Lost World Caverns. Discovered in 1942, Lost World Caverns is a place of beauty and wonder, filled with stalactites that hang from the cave ceiling (from the Greek stalaktites, meaning "drip") and stalagmites, that rise from the cave floor. In 1973, the National Parks Service named Lost World Caverns a Registered Natural Landmark. The caverns offer tourists a self-guided tour, for those that are just there to see the sights, and "wild" cave tours, for the more adveturous, which require spelunking gear and a whole lot of crawling. The temperature in the cave remains at a constant 52 degrees, no matter what the temperature is above ground.

Robert J. Traister writes in his book, Cave Exploring, "The large size of the rooms, with magnificent panoramic views, are more comparable to some of the larger western caves. The decorations of Lost World Caverns are among the most spectacular cave formations in the United States, and they occur here in their most beautiful form."

Among the formations seen in the cave is the "Ice Cream Wall," a calcite wall so named for its creamy white coloring. Another famous feature of the cave, the "War Club" is a 28 foot tall stalagmite, estimated to be some 500,000 years old. This stalagmite went into the Guiness Book of World Records in 1971, when Bob Addis sat atop the "War Club" for 15 days, 23 hours, and 22 minutes, setting a record for stalagmite sitting - I doubt there was a previous record for this. "Goliath," estimated to be five million years old, is so named due to its size - it is 40 feet tall and 25 feet in circumference. "Snowy Chandelier," is the largest stalactite at Lost World and one of the largest compound stalactites in the United States. Other cave formations include "The Birth Canal," "The Castle" (which visitors are allowed to touch - it grows one cubic inch every 100-125 years), "The Bridal Veil," and "The Chapel," a place where many couples have gotten married.