Arkansas' Largest Privately-Owned Show Cave Is An Enchanting Underground Paradise With 'Bottomless' Lakes

Arkansas boasts a myriad of outdoor adventures, its Ozark region in particular offering watersports on the lake, forest hikes, and rock climbing in the mountains. Yet, nature enthusiasts may agree that there are no landscapes more otherworldly than caves' subterranean vaults. Stalagmites, stalactites, and rare minerals abound, and the magical formations of underground caverns are a dazzling display none should miss.

Perhaps not as eerie as the caverns in Blanchard Springs Recreation Area in the wooded hills of Arkansas, Cosmic Cavern delivers an enchanting underground paradise. Located in Berryville, a quirky Ozark mountain city with Southern charm, the caverns boast a wonderland of geological formations that will have you "oohing" and "aahing" at every turn. And if the cave's stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstones aren't enough to drop your jaw, the cavern's two bottomless lakes certainly will. 

Cosmic Cavern takes some effort to get to, if you are traveling from any of the closest major cities. Tulsa is about a three-hour drive away, while Fayetteville is an 80-minute drive. If you are familiar with the local area, Cosmic Cavern seems less far-flung, as it's just 20 miles east of Eureka Springs, a unique, funky city bursting with creativity and mountain charm.

Discovered in 1845, you can now take guided tours of Cosmic Cavern, which last an hour and 15 minutes. Visitors are wowed from every direction as they are led through well-lit pathways past mesmerizing stalactites, stalagmites, and cave bacon. Soda straws sprinkle the ceiling, one of which is the longest in the Ozarks at 9 feet. Sparkling draperies flow down the walls, and pristine, mineral-rich helictites are suspended overhead, seeming to defy gravity. It's comfortable to visit Cosmic Cavern regardless of the season, as it remains a steady 64 degrees year-round.

As you venture a little deeper, you'll reach South Lake, where trout once thrived. North Lake caused quite a stir when it was discovered, as it wasn't found until 1993. It's reached via the "North Lake Passage," which is said to feature some of the cave's most dazzling formations. When the lakes are described as bottomless, that isn't hyperbole. Their exact depths have never been measured, deepening (so to speak) the cave's natural mystique.

You'll have to go above ground to continue exploring this geological wonder, but it will be well worth it. A man-made sluice awaits with pans and sieves for all the modern-day panners out there. All you have to do is buy your $5.99 bag of panning dirt at the gift shop and commence sifting. You get to keep what you find, and each bag contains varieties of wonderful gems, including copper, fluorite, ore, talc, fool's gold, lodestone, and geode.

Cosmic Cavern's gift shop ensures you can take some of its enchantments home with you. It offers rocks, fossils, and other natural items, plus international treasures and local artifacts from the Ozark Mountains. Other great collectibles and gifts include jewelry, old-fashioned sweets, and other treats made in the area.

Prices for the cave tours are $15.50 for adults and $8 for kids. Group tours are also reasonable and are tiered according to age range, but don't exceed $20 dollars for adults, or $10 for children. It's fine to take pics, and in fact, it's encouraged. The cave's formations glisten in photos, and the lakes appear pristine and aqua blue.