Discovering Adrenaline at Natural Bridge Caverns
This post was sponsored by Natural Bridge Caverns however, all opinions are my own.
The great Lonestar State of Texas is host to an extensive and breathtaking collection of caves and karsts. While Natural Bridge Caverns is known for its myriad of caves and exploration opportunities, it also boasts amusement park-level challenges and attractions to sharpen your mind, tests physical strength, and administer a healthy dose of adrenaline. This underground wonder has invited visitors to take in their extensive underground show cavern full of stalagmites and stalactites, and other geological wonders starting in the 1960s.
Throughout several visits to Natural Bridge Caverns, we have extensively consumed the subject with so many resources for exploration in one place. Ancient artifacts, prehistoric tools, fossils, so many caves for investigation and brain training physical activities and challenges. I suggest you bring a nature journal and take notes because the learning opportunities are infinite!
Texas Hill Country Adrenaline
Twisted Trails, Rails & Zip Line with Twisted Tikes for little One's!
This is the main event at the surface level of Natural Bridge Caverns. There is a Twisted Trail level for any age starting with Twisted Tykes for the littlest family member and moving up to a 60-foot ropes course for those who dare. The views of the Texas Hill Country from the top of the course are breathtaking as you fly across multiple zip rails and test your bravery on tight ropes and balancing challenges in the air while harnessed into rock climbing gear. This was a family favorite for sure, and my adrenaline was at an all-time high for the year!
Amazing Maze Ranch Roundup
This is fun for all ages! An expansive maze of tunnels with a scavenger hunt twist. When you begin the labyrinth, you stamp your card to clock your start time and begin looking for the letter punches to spell the word of the day. While using observation decks, a sky bridge, and navigation skills, the goal is not only to get to the end but complete the challenges within. This was a lot of fun, and it was something we could all do together.
Climbing Challenges
There are various additional climbing challenges to engage in: a large stack of balls, a vertical rope course, and a twisted stack of blocks. This is an excellent exercise for getting comfortable in a harness and rock-climbing ability.
Eat, Shop & Sip
There are plenty of options to relax, unwind, cool off, and enjoy each other's company in between activities. You can grab a meal or a snack to enjoy inside. Sweet treats, novelties, and beer and wine to snack, sip, and enjoy before you head out on your next adventure!
2021 is the International Year of Caves, and Karst and Natural Bridge Caverns is hosting hands-on Discovery Days!
Texas Cave Exploration
Discovery Tour
This is the starting point for cave exploration at Natural Bridge Caverns. When you arrive, pick the time most suitable for your tour and meet your group under the outdoor pavilion. A highly trained cave guide will lead you down under the natural bridge formation where the entrance to the cave is. Many of the artifacts that surfaced during the excavation of the opening and passageways of the cavern are on display in the lobby.
Hidden Passages
The Hidden Passages tour is a different cave from the Discovery Tour with a different geological story. The discovery of the cave itself is of interest to this tour, and the physical demand of this tour is more intense than the last. This tour features a time of total darkness at the lowest floor of the cavern while the guide talks through educational points and sounds of the cave. You can choose to combine the Discovery Tour with the Hidden Passages tour and experience the best of both worlds.
Down and Dirty Adventure Tour
Our family has not embarked on this tour, but it’s on our list of things to do. This tour requires two weeks of advanced booking and good physical ability. This tour decks you out in full caving gear and guides you off the manicured paths of the cave into the depths of the cavern to crawl through small passages on your way to see undeveloped cavern rooms.
Plan Your Trip To Natural Bridge Caverns
The family-owned operation has dedicated its heart and soul to developing this treasure to share with the public and invite them to engage in its wonderful sights. Much of the advocacy work done by Natural Bridge Caverns is in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to educate and teach others to be respectful and proactive about the conservation of this cave and caves and karsts all over Texas. It is an incredibly immersive experience to visit Natural Bridge Caverns and take in this fragile but essential ecosystem that exists right below our feet right here in the Texas hill Country. The unique geology, archaeology, and history Natural Bridge Caverns holds is rich and highly educational.
