A trip to the Natural Bridge Caverns allows you to discover Texas’ largest show caves and a premier tourist stop that is known worldwide. A family-friendly guided tour provides details of the incredible underground chambers as you walk along paved and lighted walkways. There are four types of tours (Discovery, Hidden Passages, Lantern, and Adventure), and if you’re so inclined, the opportunity to witness the Bracken Bat Flight – the world’s largest bat emergence.
Things to Do
Natural Bridge Caverns: Triple-Threat Fun in the Texas Hill Country
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1. Pan for Gems, Minerals, & Fossils
Photo: Facebook/Natural Bridge Caverns
There’s more to the four types of tours than simple discourse and educational fun. Similar to the days when miners would pan for gold at the Natural Bridge Mining Company, visitors also have the opportunity to pan for gems, minerals, and fossils. Water runs from a wooden water tower through a sluice designed for this part of the fun. Kids (and adults) can pour bags of mining “rough” into a screening tray and lower the tray into the water while sifting and shaking it to see what appears when the water washes the dirt away! And they’ve ensured that there’s an ample assortment of “treasures” in each bag of mining rough! Visitors can select from Gem & Mineral bags, Fossil bags, and Arrowhead bags, and can use identification charts to identify exactly what they’ve found.
2. Ziplining & Canopy Challenge
Photo: Facebook/Natural Bridge Caverns
Once you’ve gone down into the caverns, why not complement the experience by going up into the skies?! The Canopy Challenge, which is also at the Natural Bridge Caverns, is a four-level zip lining course, allowing family/friends to fly through the air (with the greatest of ease) above the Texas Hill Country, connected to secured lines and with the assistance of trained, onsite staff. The outdoor features are weather-permitting, so please contact the site in advance to ensure it’s operable if this is a feature you’re interested in. They offer a Canopy Explorer feature which gives users a maximum of 30 minutes to grapple to the top of a 60-foot, four-level adventure course, and there are also 47 obstacles on which you can test your agility, strength, and balance, including a course designed specifically for kids (including toddlers).
3. Maze Fun for the Whole Family
Photo: Facebook/Alamo Area Parents
Finally, the AMAZEn’ Ranch Roundup is a permanent outdoor maze feature recently added to the Natural Bridge Caverns site, which adds a whole other level of challenge and enjoyment. Designed to incorporate the use of real ranch materials, AMAZEn’Ranch Roundup was built to honor five generations of ranching history within the Natural Bridge Caverns family. There are three towers and a bridge to help you get a higher viewpoint and gauge your bearings, but timing yourself and maneuvering through the maze in as adept a fashion as possible is always fun. With all of these attractions in one place, it’s easy to see how a day at the Caverns is naturally amazing!
