Q: Renae asks, "My kids and husband want to go into the cave. I can't go into small spaces. I would love to go in with my family, but I don't know how small or how big this cave is. I would love to have some feedback on this."

A: The cave is truly one of the most spectacular things you can see at Silver Dollar City.  It is a beautiful natural wonder and I would highly recommend that you take a tour.  The Silver Dollar City attractions department provided me with a brief description of the tour to help answer your question.

"To begin, you will travel 300 feet below the surface and enter the Cathedral Room. The breathtakingly beautiful Cathedral Room is the largest cave entrance room in the United States. The visitors' trail consists of stairs and ramps. The tour lasts approximately 60 minutes, with most of that time spent climbing nearly 600 stairs. The strenuous nature of the tour requires us to not recommend the tour for visitors with heart or lung conditions, bad backs, weak knees or ankles. The smallest space in the cave that you have to pass through is referred to as "Tall Man's Headache" and it is 3.5 - 4 feet tall and seven feet long.  A trained cave guide will host your journey and provide you with interesting and entertaining anecdotes of historical or geographical importance. "

At the waiting area for the cave tours there is actually a cut out in the size and shape of the smallest cave passage, so you can check it out before your tour.  Hope this information helps in planning your trip.   

Comments (8)

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... written by bdatchley , April 11, 2008 I would highly recommend trying the cave! It really is beautiful. You didn't say how old your kids were. Be prepared, there are a lot of stairs to go down! The smallest place was described well above. As one who doesn't have any problems with small places, I can't guarantee that you wouldn't have any problems, but you can see the end the whole time! I hope you are able to work this into your plans!

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... written by Renae , April 12, 2008 Thanks so much Bdatchley, your comment helped me to make up my mind. I think that if it' just a very short doorway like space I will try it. My kid's are preteen and want me to go with them. You said you must go down stairs , I guess that means you must go up as well?

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... written by bdatchley , April 12, 2008 No going back up the steps!!! They have a short little tram ride of sorts that will take you back up to the city at blazing speeds of 1-2 mph! Make sure to hang onto your hats! HA!

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... written by mrsmoser07 , April 14, 2008 The Marvel Cave was an amazing trip to go on. It was very slippery in some spots, but overall fun! If your kids or yourself happen to have asthma or allergies, be careful! I have both, it wasn't too bad, but it was a little damp! Make sure you are wearing tennis shoes! Most of all, Have Fun

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... written by tara_t_w , April 17, 2008 My 3.5 yr old son was really excited about seeing the cave. Are there any ride-on tours or are they all walking? Sounds like he may be too young to walk that far.

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... written by bdatchley , April 17, 2008 It is all walking with the exception of the short tram ride back up to the top at the end. It starts with several stories of stairs and then the walking around--not an extreme amount, but enough. The stairs are fairly steep, so I would not recommend carrying a child down them, but there are parts of the tour itself that he could be carried if he needs it. Hope this helps you make your decision. You know how well your child can handle and navigate stairs and such, I just wanted to help explain a little more about the tour to help you make an informed decision! Good Luck!

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... written by Renae , April 17, 2008 Do you come back out into the park?

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... written by bdatchley , April 18, 2008 Yes, typical of any theme park and their brilliant marketing department, you exit your tour through the gift shop. It is the same area that you will start your tour, just on the other side.

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