Marvel Cave in Branson, Missouri: A Cave Review

Marvel Cave is located at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. Marvel Cave is a National Natural Landmark. The cave was discovered by Osage Indians in the early 1500s. Marvel Cave is currently leased by the Herschends who created Silver Dollar City around the cave. Marvel Cave is free admission to any ticket holding guest of Silver Dollar City.

Marvel Cave is one of the largest caves in Missouri with a large entry room called the Cathedral Room. Visitors descend over 200 stairs to reach the bottom of the room. The tour starts off with a photo in the cathedral room which is available for purchase after the hour tour. The Cathedral Room is 204 feet high with an opening in the top of the ceiling that lets through some sunlight. The opening in the ceiling is referred to as a sinkhole and is the original opening that was discovered in the 1500's. The room is large enough to fit five hot air balloons at one time, which was done in 1994 to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of tours in the cave.

After the massive Cathedral Room, visitors are lead through narrow pathways and slippery stairs. The tour is quite vigorous with narrow turns, low ceiling passageways and numerous stairs. The tour might not be easy but it is well worth it because the views are spectacular. The cave system is full of waterfalls, calcite formations, stalactites, and stalagmites. Visitors might even see an occasional bat. Marvel Cave has a large colony of Gray bats but only a few are seen by visitors. The majority of the bats stay in the Mammoth room which is not currently open to visitors.

As with any tour, the tour guide can make or break the tour. I have toured the cave several times and have been blessed with wonderful tour guides. My favorite tour guides are the ones who enjoy giving historical information about the cave. On one of the tours, I learned that Marvel Cave used to be called Marble cave. Early explorers thought the cave was full of Marble and even created a mining company called Marble Cave Mining Company. After the miners realized the supposed marble was actually limestone, they mined bat guano instead which was used as fertilizer and in ingredient in gun powder.

My last tour was not as good because the tour guide was more interested in being a comedian instead of a tour guide. He actually threw a plastic bat into the group at one point. That killed my sense of humor and I proceeded to ignore the tour guide, which was easy since he did very little talking. The groups are limited to 60 people and even 60 people can seem a bit much depending on the group. My tip is to stay at the back of the tour because most visitors seem to think the tour is actually a race to the end. I prefer to go slow and take pictures, which tends to irritate some visitors who aren't interested in actually looking at the cave formations.

Overall, Marvel Cave is a great tour, one that is worth repeating. After three tours, I am still looking forward to the next tour. There is always something different to see at Marvel Cave.