Described by many as, “the most beautiful cave in the world”, Marengo Cave has drawn visitors from all over the globe. It is absolutely a wonderland of cave formations, unlike anything you’ve ever seen! First explored by two children, in 1883, it has delighted visitors for nearly 140 years. It is absolutely worth the hype, and a must see when visiting Southern Indiana!
They thought they saw diamonds sparkling on the walls in the dim candlelight. At the same time, bringing candles instead of lanterns and the thought of them going out and being trapped convinced the two explorers to return to the surface. They climbed up the steep incline and returned to the ordinary world outside.
They waited three days to approach Samuel Stewart, the landowner, and tell him that they thought he had a diamond mine. Taking Blanche and her brother thoughtfully, Samuel gathered men from the town to explore the cave. Instead of diamonds, they found a fantastic cavern filled with immense sparkling mineral deposits.
Immediately, Samuel saw the business potential and started charging people a quarter to see the beautiful cave. And the rest is history.
Marengo Cave Park is the oldest roadside attraction in Indiana. It opened in 1883, less than 18 years after the Civil War. And there’s a good reason why it’s been in business for nearly 140 years, according to the US Department of the Interior. It is the most profusely decorated cave known in the Interior Lowlands; these formations are of the highest quality.
It is hands down one of the most fantastic showcases. You’ll never see a true wonderland of cave formations. It has over five miles of gnome passages and the largest known room in any Indiana cave.
You can choose from one of two tours or a boat ranging from 40 minutes to an hour and one mile underground from the gift shop.
Without a doubt, Marengo Cave is an experience you’ll never forget, and it’s one of the least strenuous of all the Indiana showcases.
The guided tours are about a mile and a half, taking visitors through what some have called the most beautiful cave in the world. The Crystal Palace tour includes this section of Blanche and Oris’s first discovery, an easy half-mile walk. It takes about 40 minutes, and the cave is not handicap accessible. However, you will be fine if you can handle the stairs to a typical house basement. Both tours exit by these same stairs.
In many ways, it’s like walking through an underground park. The first wonder of the tour is Mirror Lake. It looks intense, but it is only a few inches, with a mirror image of the above cave resting on its surface. And the further along your path, the more elaborate the formations become.
This is where Blanche and Oris slid into the cave. This section leads to the Blowing Back Crawl. In 1992, cave explorers followed a narrow channel where they filled the air. It eventually opened up another three and a half miles of the cave and Indiana’s most significant known cave room. They also found that all the water drains at a much lower depth. Because of the much lower water table, you can visit Marengo Cave on the rainiest days and never worry about the cave flooding. Instead, you will be nice and dry. However, there will be places where you have to duck if you’re over five and a half feet tall. But that’s a minimal price to pay to see one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
If you don’t have much time for a cave tour or have never been to a showcase, the Crystal Palace tour is an excellent choice. It shows some of the cave’s most beautiful formations and offers low commitment. But after most people take one tour at Marengo Cave, they also want to take the other one.
The Drip Stone tour takes over one hour and covers a much larger cave section. It is seen here in green and has an entirely different character. For starters, you can walk down to another entrance a short distance from the gift shop. It’s raining. Umbrellas will be provided, so don’t worry. As soon as you enter the cave, you can leave them in a box and won’t have to carry them. Then, you enter what resembles a shaft to a mine or maybe a top-secret government facility.
The tour has a lot to see and shows some of the more significant passages in the cave. It’s nothing short of an underground wonderland filled with flowing water, countless formations, and tall ceilings.
Marengo Cave is great for families, and little ones will delight in seeing something that looks like it came from a storybook.
Long ago, tour guides would provide water to guests, but the mineral content was so high that it provided quite the colon cleansing and was discontinued. These cups are around 100 years old, and minerals have made them a permanent part of the cave, set into the floor like concrete.
While a light jacket is recommended for both tours, this one feels like walking through a shopping mall. A small section of the cave recreates what it was like when it first opened, with lanterns dimly lighting the way. But the majority is beautifully lit and easy to navigate. A trendy part of this tour is the penny ceiling. If you throw your change up, it will stick. Someone has been part of the cave once through their phone ever since.
One section of the cave has served as an auditorium for ages. The acoustics are excellent. There’s even a bandstand. One night during the Christmas season, the public is invited to come and sing Christmas carols. The hall is filled with over 800 seats. Santa is there for pictures and to hear requests? Christmas trees even line the path.
Marengo Cave has been the site for square dances, church services, and not to mention many weddings. While no longer allowed, you can see where cave guides and early visitors signed their names so long ago. But check out this shadow. It looks like a woman on a swing.
Simply amazing, Marengo Cave Park is one of the most beautiful showcases you’ll ever see. The lighting visitors with a fantastic adventure. They’ll remember it for the rest of their lives.