Things to Do

Stay Cool at These Hill Country Caves

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Tony Maples Photography

 

The Texas Hill Country is full of beautiful and picturesque views that take your breath away. It’s also home to some of the most interesting formations located deep within the landscape of caves just waiting to be explored. They are one-of-kind gems full of history and a welcome escape from the city.

Below are a few Hill Country caves sure to cool you down during the hot summer months ahead, while also inspiring and unveiling mysteries that lie deep within the surface of these Texas towns.

Cave Without a Name

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Photo: Facebook/Cave Without a Name

The description alone makes you curious about this cool spot to visit. Cave Without a Name is located eleven miles northeast of Boerne, TX. It’s a natural living cave that some claim is the most beautiful to be found in Texas.

“The cave is filled with spectacular formations of Stalactites, Stalagmites, delicate Soda Straws, Cave Drapery, magnificent Flowstones, Rimstone Dams, and more,” shares its website. Concerts held in the Cave Throne Room become memorable experiences with the right blend of acoustics and an awe-inspiring backdrop of the beautiful natural creations within its walls. With easy walkways and great lighting to guide your tour of the six major rooms, your sure to take away amazing memories and all in the comfort of 66 degrees year round. Cave Without a Name, 325 Kreutzberg Rd., Boerne, TX 78006. Phone: (830) 537-4212. For more information visit  www.cavewithoutaname.com.

Inner Space Cavern

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Photo: Facebook/Inner Space Cavern

Discovered in 1963 by the Texas Highway Department, Inner Space Cavern is said to have been hidden for 10,000 years. It’s one of the best preserved caves in Texas according to its website and one of the few where you will find prehistoric remains.

With over 5 miles of passages to explore in a comfortable 72 degrees, it is the second largest cave in Texas. For months, the only way into the cave was through a two-foot-wide hole know as the Discovery Hole, a hole drilled through 33.5 feet of limestone bedrock.

Tours consist of an Adventure tour with well-lit paths and a Hidden Passages Tour, where you will be given a flashlight and a guide leads you through “a newly opened section of the cave to explore delicate formations on a rugged, intimate tour of the cave,” shares its website. There is also the Wild Cave Tour. An off the beaten trail featuring exploration through undeveloped sections of the cave. Inner Space Cavern, 4200 S I-35, Georgetown, TX 78626. Phone: (512) 931-2283. For more information visit innerspacecavern.com.

Cascade Caverns

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Photo: Facebook/Cascade Caverns

With a temperature of 68 degrees year-round, this is one of the more “up close and personal” kind of guided tours you will experience. It’s one of the wettest but most alive and unique cave explorations. “It is host to the albino Cascade Caverns Salamander (Eurycea latitans), unique solution domes, “chubby” stalactites, Eastern Pipistrelle bats, cliff and leopard frogs, as well as an underground waterfall and lake,” shares its website. They recommend calling ahead due to flooding but definitely a tour not to miss full of mysteries to uncover. Cascade Caverns, 226 Cascade Caverns Road, Boerne, TX 78015. Phone: (830) 755-8080. For more information visit www.cascadecaverns.com

Caverns of Sonora

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Photo: Caverns of Sonora

Internationally known as being one of the most beautiful caves in the world, Caverns of Sonora is a showcase among all caves in Texas not to miss. “Where the Texas Hill Country meets the Chihuahuan Desert sits thousands of acres of limestone-rich ranch country,” shares its website.

Located on Interstate 10, about half-way between Big Bend National Park and San Antonio Texas, 15 miles southwest of Sonora is where you will find this unique cavern to explore during the summer months and to also camp out and enjoy the surrounding nature trails. The guided tours take you inside to a spectacular display of highly decorated passages unlike no other. They even have an underground classroom where kids can dig for fossils and view a slideshow all within the walls of this picturesque cavern. Caverns of Sonora, RR 1989 at I-10 Exit 392, Caverns of Sonora Rd., Sonora, TX 76950. Phone: (325) 387-3105. For more information visit www.cavernsofsonora.com.

Natural Bridge Caverns

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Photo:Facebook/Natural Bridge Caverns

The gem of all caves and probably the most popular among avid cavers is the Natural Bridge Caverns. Located just 28 miles outside of San Antonio, Natural Bridge is the largest known commercial show caverns within the State of Texas shares its website. “Pan for precious stones, take the ultimate leap of faith from the Canopy Challenge, go caving on one of our adventure tours or simply experience nature on the original Discovery Tour.”

Natural Bridge Caverns is a Hill Country treasure to kick back and relax and take in the wonders of nature amid a comfortable 70 degrees. Massive formations at a grand scale formed by a single drop of water over the passage of time create a wonderland of nature’s beauty at its best. Natural Bridge Caverns, 26495 Natural Bridge Caverns Rd., San Antonio, TX. Phone: (210) 651-6101. For more information visit www.naturalbridgecaverns.com.