🌧️☔️ Embrace the beauty of a rainy day at Cave of the Mounds! 🌿✨ Explore the stunning limestone formations and enjoy the cool, damp atmosphere that makes the caves even more magical. Don’t let the weather hold you back—discover nature’s hidden wonders indoors and make unforgettable memories. #CaveOfTheMounds #RainyDayAdventure #NatureExploration @mounthorebchamber @travelwisconsin @destinationmadison
🎄✨ This holiday season, experience the magic of "Light Up the Cave" at Cave of the Mounds! 🌟 Join us for an enchanting underground adventure where sparkling lights illuminate the stunning cave formations, creating a festive wonderland like no other.
Stroll through the beautifully lit passages, enjoy the sounds of the season, and celebrate the holidays in a truly unique setting! ❄️🎶 Perfect for family outings, date nights, or creating unforgettable memories with friends.
Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind holiday event—grab your tickets now! 🎟️
FYI, these lights will be on every tour, all December long! No special tickets are needed.
#LightInTheCave #CaveOfTheMounds #HolidayMagic #FestiveFun #ExploreWisconsin #UniqueHolidayExperience #FamilyTraditions
Cave of the Mounds – National Natural Landmark: Discover Buried Treasure – Discover Fun. This natural limestone cave offers tours daily on paved and lighted walkways. Tours pass a stunning array of colorful crystal formations including stalactites, stalagmites, and columns. Enjoy the constant 50-degree year-round temperature. While on the grounds, have a picnic and enjoy gemstone and fossil mining, the Rock and Gift Shop, natural perennial gardens, and prairie restoration. Cave of the Mounds is located just 20 minutes west of Madison, off U.S. Highways 18/151.
Explore the enchanting Cave of the Mounds this summer in Wisconsin, where adventure and natural wonder await. Just a short drive from Madison, this breathtaking underground labyrinth offers a captivating experience with its stunning formations, crystal-clear stalactites, and vibrant mineral colors. As you wander through its cool, subterranean passages, you'll be immersed in a world of geological marvels, guided by knowledgeable staff who bring the cave's history to life. Whether you're a geology enthusiast or simply looking for a unique escape, Cave of the Mounds promises an unforgettable journey into the heart of Wisconsin’s natural beauty.
Visitor Center Ribbon Cutting at Cave of the Mounds
Happy Caves & Karst Day!
🎥: Robbi and Matthew
Happy Caves & Karst Day!
🎥: Robbi and Matthew
We are open on Memorial Day
In memory of many, in honor of all, thank you.
•
We are open from 9 AM to 5 PM with the last entry at 4 PM.
Clips of our tour guide Larry! Larry was active in building hospitals all over the country before coming to work at Cave of the Mounds. As we build our new building, Larry walks around to check out all of the updates.
The dodecagon-shaped building is the first stop of any guest’s journey. It is the place where tickets are sold and where the only restrooms on the property are available. Today it is called the Visitor’s Center. It houses a nature-inspired gift shop and in the middle hangs a large, metal, and fabric sculpture illustrating a stalactite. •However, this building has changed over the years. Constructed in the late 1970s, this building was designed by local architect Lloyd O. Krueger. He also designed the Holy Name Seminary on the UW-Madison Campus and the Ridgewood Pool on the west side of Madison. The layout for this building was also used for a pavilion in Brittingham Park in Madison. Originally this building was built as a restaurant named “The Runestone”. It opened in June of 1979. The official opening was August 4th, 1979, the 40th anniversary of when Cave of the Mounds was discovered. At this restaurant, they served food like burgers, fries, chili, hot dogs, Garden Greens Sandwich, Fruit and Cheese, and of course, soft-serve ice cream. By the 1980s, “The Runestone” had changed hands and it became “The Brigham Farm” named after the original owners of Cave of the Mounds. A description of the Brigham Kitchen is written on the back of one of the Cave of the Mounds postcards and it reads “Ginny & Clint Johnston Homemade food is a specialty in this lovely restaurant. Wide windows afford a panoramic view of woodlands, birds, and flowers.” Once the restaurant was proven not of great value, it became the Visitor’s Center. Over the years, desks have been built, merchandise changes and a Penny Press has been installed. This building will continue to change as needed. Most recently, we have expanded the walls and updated the inside.
Learn about Calcite with Holly! *Happy Birthday Holly’s Mom!* Calcite is an abundant carbonate mineral composed of calcium, carbon, and oxygen. It can appear in a larger variety of crystal shapes than any other mineral, and it is usually white but can also be found in shades of gray, green, yellow, red, and blue. This mineral is what makes up the cave formations within Cave of the Mounds and many caves like ours, but it is found in many localities around the world–not just caves. Calcite is found in abundance within rocks like limestone and marble and is often used in the manufacturing of glass, cement, and steel. It has a hardness of 3 on the Mohs scale.
Lantern Tours at Cave of the Mounds! Starting again in March. Come explore the cave like the first people who discovered it in 1939!
Anyone else miss this video? Many of the tour guides pre-2020 had to watch this video more than 4 times a day. It’s been awhile but I think I still got it!
Happy Winter Everyone! It has been snowy this last week but before the temperatures dropped, our hard working team who was out shoveling pathways decided to take a moment to enjoy life! This snow angel was just the happy moment we all needed!
