meramec caverns

Stopped by last summer to see the cavern and to catch up on the Jesse James Gang story. The tour was fantastic and awe-inspiring, Our tour guide was excellent and explained everything very well. I have been in one other cave and it was outside of Luray, Virginia, but this one was the absolute best one I have ever been in. I enjoyed the whole tour, but, the ending was absolutely the best way to end the tour. The light display and the slide show of lights was really the best way to end the tour of this cavern or any other one for that matter. I highly recommend you see this amazing bit of Americana.

First time to this landmark of history and many a barn side signage. Old but cave is an experience and if traveling to St. Louis area from southwest, a worthwhile stop.

A long overdue comment,but have been so busy.Stopped here while on Route 66 tour,and really enjoyed the highly educational tour.Worth doing in my opinion,our tour guide was fun and knowledgable.

You would think that the Meramec Caverns staff would want to share the wonderful attraction by donating tickets to school children and their parents who are not in a position to finance their own trip. Transportation had been so graciously donated by a grandparent of one of the students and at first Claudia said that tickets would be donated to the school due to the low income status of the families. However, she went back on her word and when she was asked about the change of heart she was not only rude but inconsiderate and would not even hear of giving these kids an unforgetable educational experience. Meramec Caverns should be ashamed that they have a representative like Claudia as an ambassador representing Missouri's natural beauty. Shame on them!!!!

Due to it being the off season, my husband and I were the only 2 people booked for our tour time. This place is just magnificent. From the entry where you buy your tickets until you leave it's just breathtaking. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and it was clear he truly loves his job. This is a must see stop in Route 66

After visiting my son at Ft. Leonard Wood, we stopped to see this attraction. I've read how people think it is tacky or "too touched by human hands". I prefer "Campy" or "Kitchy". The place is full of natural beauty, things hidden deep underground that will leave you in awe. But it also had to be discovered and made safe, drained so you weren't dredging through waist deep water, and a profit had to be made to keep it operating and staffed. So when they tell you about the game show or the episode of Lassie, its part of our crazy American history. The open areas at the mouth of the cavern are tiled and yes, a disco ball hangs in the ceiling. But this "hall" has hosted proms and meetings and weddings and history societies. Deep in the cave you will find the beauty of what frequently lies away from human eyes. The Stage Curtain, as it is called, took my breath away. It is truly remarkable and worth every minute if that was all I could have seen. This is Americana at its best, campy, kitchy, old and dusty, back to the days of barkers and Rt 66. I loved it!

We saw the sign to Meramec Caverns and decided to stop. Very glad we did. These caverns were once the hideout for James gang. Interesting artifacts found there. Also other interesting history about the caverns. Beautiful cave. I don't normally like caves but I love this one.

Definitely this is one of the amazing wonders of nature. Well preserved for the us as well as for future generations to mesmerize. I was taken aback when I saw those natural cave formations. Felt did not have sufficient time to enjoy in that moment. There is an excellent guide, who explains all the real details in her humerous high pitch talk.One should definitely visit this place in their lifetime.

these is the biggest cave ive been in. would like to go a couple more times to take it all in. great tour.

During my last stay at St Louis in for business, One weekend we traveled to visit 'Meramec Caves'. It is about 65 Miles from 'St Louis' Down town, and take around one hour to reach here. I really like these caves, this is one of the natural wonders. Our Guide was very good, he explained us very well and let us spend some time to observes this natural beauty. It is really difficult to communicate this experience in words, but if you are nature lover, you will find it 'mesmerizing'. I have attached few photographs to support this. if you visiting these caves, you can also do zip lining/camping/picnic at riverside. Recommendations:> Inside caves it is very cold, hence it is recommended to carry a jacket.> Since duration of trip is around one hour, and there are no utilities available while on tour, make sure that you take care of these needs and carry a water bottle (in case you need). > Caves are very dark inside and lighten up through electricity in steps by tour guide, hence it is recommended to carry a torch (if your mobile doesn't have one).

The caverns are nice and an interesting attraction if you live in St. Louis for a couple of years but they also have a rather artificial look. A large fraction of the cave is covered with tiles in the floor or concrete. Some parts of it even have a disco glass ball on the ceiling which might be great for a party but probably not as much for an authentic cavern experience. There is even an auditorium in one section of the cavern. Also the entrance fee is 20 usd plus tax which for the 45 min trip is rather pricy but you need to drive for one hr from St. Louis to get there so most likely every visitor ends up paying that price. Finally do not expect a very informative description about the geological or mineral attributes of the cave. More than half of the tour would focus on how 30 seconds of the film lassy or other old Hollywood movies were filmed there. Some of the stalagmite or stalactite formations are beautiful but overall my perception was that the caverns are too touched by the human hand and thus rather artificial

Excellent place to visit but needABetter guide! She was rude and did not care that one of the people in her party had aBroken leg. She made jokes about it. She even made jokes about my husband who has copd. Won'tBeBack!

This was a nice trip for a short getaway with the kids. The caverns were very beautiful, the tour was well laid out, and the guide seemed knowledgeable and left you wanting to explore more of the caverns. The tour lasted about 90 minutes, and once you're out of the gift shop there isn't much else to do in town (at least not in November) so plan accordingly.

Not sure what to make of this place really. The caves themselves are worth seeing and the tour guide was knowledgeable, although the script seemed a little well worn and delivered with little enthusiasm. A bit pricey though. What made this a fairly low rating was that none of the other attractions at the site were open due to us going late in the season, and we thought maybe we would have a picnic by the river in the camping area but it turns out the camp site is totally disgusting, flies and discarded food everywhere. Sort of worth going but if when we do route 66 again I doubt it will be one of the places we go back to. Might try the caverns out near Springfield instead.

My parents took us here as a family outing in the '60s and I took the opportunity recently to walk through the caverns again. Beautiful interior lighting and a knowledgable guide made the trip a lot of fun. If you are cold blooded carry a jacket or sweatshirt with you.