12 Caves and Caverns for a Cool Summer Adventure

Ohio Caverns, West Liberty
On Aug. 17, 1897, a farmhand in West Liberty noticed a sinkhole at the farm where he worked. Wondering what caused it, he began to dig, ultimately uncovering a cavern filled with colorful mineral deposits and formations growing from the floor and ceiling. 

For years, the farmer who owned the property would let curious visitors into the cavern. In 1925, Al and Ira Smith saw the opportunity to create a tourist attraction, so they bought the property, excavated the cave and opened it as Ohio Caverns. Ever since then, visitors have traveled here to explore Ohio Caverns’ roughly 3 miles of passageways, which go as deep as 103 feet below ground. 

Ohio Caverns is the largest cave in Ohio, but what makes it unique are the colorful mineral deposits in the limestone wall and ceilings that leave behind blues, purples, reds, oranges and yellows. There are also large stalactites (icicle-shaped calcite formations that grow from the ceiling of caverns) and stalagmites (calcite mounds or columns that grow from the floor).

“At some point, somebody nicknamed us America’s Most Colorful Caverns,” says Aaron Smith, Ohio Caverns’ manager. “It’s due to different minerals deposited by water. In this cave, it’s because of the Columbus gray limestone. There are not a lot of impurities in that. The water is seeping through and picking up that calcite, manganese dioxide and iron oxide and depositing pure color down in the cave.”

These colors, as well as stalactites and stalagmites (such as the Crystal King), are found throughout the rooms of the cave’s winding passageways. The Crystal King is Ohio’s largest stalactite at around 400 pounds and is estimated to be 200,000 years old. When this and other formations were unearthed in the 1920s, the cave grew in popularity with visitors. 

“It wasn’t unheard of to take 1,000 people through the cave in one day,” Smith says. “In current times, it is maybe 800 people in a day.”

Ohio Caverns offers one-hour guided tours of the cave, with offerings that include a history-focused summer tour that uses the cave’s original 1925 entrance, and a trek that focuses more on the cave’s geological features. Visitors can experience both for a discounted rate.

“People are always amazed by what they’re seeing,” Smith says. “You always get comments that it’s a different world down there. It’s amazing what Mother Nature can do and what it produces.” 2210 E. St. Rte. 245, West Liberty 43357, 937/465-4017, ohiocaverns.com

Seneca Caverns, Bellvue
In June 1872, two boys were hunting rabbits when their dog chased one into a brush pile on farmland near Bellevue. The dog disappeared into the brush pile and didn’t come out, so the boys began digging through the pile. 

Suddenly, they tumbled into an underground cave and discovered what is today known as Seneca Caverns. At that time, the Good family owned the farm where the cave was located, and it became known as Good’s Cave.

“[People] would come in and explore,” says Denise Bell, Seneca Caverns’ current owner. “Those two boys who discovered it would come back many times and bring people with them.”

Visitors soon began chiseling their names into the wall or writing them with paint. By 1930, the property owner, Emmanuel Good, knew the cave was worth excavating and opening as a tourist attraction, but he didn’t want to do it himself. So, he leased it to Bell’s in-laws, Don and Fannie Bell. 

The Bells began excavating the cave and discovered several levels, including its most defining feature, the Ole Mist’ry River, which is fed by an underground river system. In 1933, the cave opened to the public. Today, visitors can take an hour-long guided tour of up to seven levels of the cave, depending on the water levels of the crystal-clear underground river. The seventh level is 110 feet below ground. 

“The underground river is really what people want to see and experience,” Bell says. 

Despite being discovered over a century and a half ago, the cave still holds mysteries.  

“No one has ever been to the bottom of the cave because we don’t know where the bottom of the river is,” Bell says. “There is a lot more cave. We have no clue as to how far down the cave goes, nor how wide.”

Visitors can enjoy descending to different levels of the cave and seeing the inscriptions of those who have visited over the decades. One of Bell’s favorites inscriptions is by itself on a rock: “CL Royer, Sterling Kansas, Nov. 27, 1892.” 

“If you were to look at this inscription, you would think it was a tombstone engraving,” she says. “Mr. Royer was, in fact, a tombstone engraver.” 

Some of his engravings can be seen on tombstones in the cemetery next to the cave. 15248 E. Township Rd. 178, Bellevue 44811, 419/483-6711, senecacavernsohio.com

Olentangy Caverns, Delware
J.M. Adams was searching for his missing ox on the farms around Delaware in 1821 when he fell through a sinkhole into a large, rocky cavern. That’s where he found his ox, which sadly did not survive the fall. Adams’ tumble into the cave is one of the first stories of locals discovering what is today known as Olentangy Caverns, but Native Americans likely first found the cave as early as the 1600s. 

“When the cave was excavated, they did find implements and arrowheads that gave us very strong indicators that Native Americans were in the area using the cave to get away from the elements or using it as a place to hide,” says Katie Meyerdirk, Olentangy Caverns head of marketing and events. 

There is a rich history of Native Americans, especially the Wyandot tribe, in the area. In the caverns’ Echo Chamber room, visitors can see what looks like the outline of a Native American’s profile. Staff members like to say it depicts Chief Leatherlips, the Wyandot leader known for keeping his word. 

Then there are the stories of Adams and his ox, as well as robber L.M. Wells, who is believed to have hidden in the cave in 1834 with his stolen loot. 

“There are definitely some colorful stories,” says Meyerdirk, who has been scouring historical records while helping her father, the cave’s owner, run the business. “These are in the category of oral history. I don’t know if they’re legend or reality.”

The cave was known by at least 1866, according to a map that Meyerdirk found with an arrow pointing toward the cavern and labeled “cave.” In 1934, local teacher Richard Leitch had the cavern excavated, named it Olentangy Caverns and opened it for tours on July 4, 1935. 

Visitors can take a self-guided tour and learn about the cave’s rich history and geology. The walls of Olentangy Caverns’ Cathedral Hall room are embedded with fossils of prehistoric creatures like trilobites and cephalopods.

“You can come in and explore at whatever pace you want to explore,” Meyerdirk says. “We’ve tried to reposition ourselves as a really great starter cave. It’s easy to traverse. It’s not super big.”

Olentangy Caverns also has a petting zoo, gem mining, Bigfoot walking trail, miniature golf, treasure hunt maze, fire truck slide and playground. 1779 Home Rd., Delaware 43015, 740/548-7917, olentangycaverns.com

Cave Crawl
A visit to the Hocking Hills offers the chance to visit five different caves that add up to some spectacular exploring.

Ash Cave
Most of the caves in the Hocking Hills are recess caves, meaning they are created by large rock overhangs. At 700 feet wide and 100 feet tall, Ash cave is our state’s largest recess cave, and its sheer size astonishes visitors. During excavations, flint, pottery and animal bones from Native Americans were there, and it is believed that Native Americans used the cave for shelter or other purposes. A half-mile paved trail leads visitors to the cave. 

Old Man’s Cave
Although Old Man’s Cave is one of Hocking Hills State Park’s smaller recess caves, it is also its most well-known. Take the 1-mile Old Man’s Cave Trail and you can see popular sites of the area, such as the Upper Falls, Devil’s Bathtub and the route’s namesake cave. Legend has it that a fur trader lived in the cave in the 1800s and was buried in it after his untimely death due to a gun accident, giving the cave its name. 

Whispering Cave
Measuring 105 feet tall and 175 feet wide, Whispering Cave is Ohio’s second-largest recess cave. It features a 100-foot waterfall and unique acoustics, which make it so that a conversation at one end of the cave can be heard at the other. Just below the cave is the park’s best example of honeycombing sandstone — erosion that leaves behind what looks like little holes in the rock. Visit the cave by taking the  1.5-mile trail from Hocking Hills State Park Lodge. 

Chapel Cave
Also known as 21 Horse Cave, this large recess cave can be found in Hocking State Forest. (The forest bridle trail that leads to the cave can be accessed via the state forest’s parking area for rappelling and climbing on Big Pine Road.) The cave has an arched ceiling, like a chapel, and is about 30 feet deep. It is known as 21 Horse Cave because local legend purports that a bandit stole 21 horses and hid them all in the cave. 

Rock House 
Rock House is the Hocking Hills’ only publicly accessible cave enclosed in rock. Mineral coloring has created layers of orange, yellow and pink rock, and clues remain as to how Native American once used this cave. Small carved insets that once held drinking water still fill when it rains, and there are scorch marks in recessed areas of rock where food was cooked. A 1-mile moderate trail leads visitors from the parking area to the cave. 

For more information about these caves, visit explorehockinghills.com or parks.ohiodnr.gov.

Island Finds
These two small caves welcome visitors who want to dig into the history of Lake Erie’s South Bass Island.

Perry’s Cave
When Chip Duggan was growing up on South Bass Island, he and his friends loved to explore the island’s caves, most of which remain privately owned. Today, Duggan shares that love with the thousands of people who visit each summer at Perry’s Cave, which he co-owns with his sister, Dee Dee Duggan. 

Perry’s Cave has the distinction of having been an asset to U.S. sailors who won the pivotal Battle of Lake Erie, which took place in the waters off South Bass Island during the War of 1812. It is named for U.S. Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, and it is believed that Perry’s men found the cave and used the lake inside for drinking water. 

“Based on some of the descriptions of Perry’s men, they described it being about an acre-large room,” Chip says. “Our cave is the only cave that fits that description.” 

Visitors can see the dome-shaped room, about 170 feet in diameter, and the small lake as well as stalactites and stalagmites. Perry’s Cave Family Fun Center: 979 Catawba Ave., Put-in-Bay 43456, 419/284-2283

Crystal Cave
In 1897, Gustav Heineman was digging a well for his winery on South Bass Island when he stumbled onto a cave covered with beautiful whitish-blue crystals. He named it Crystal Cave, excavated it and opened it to the public in 1900. 

Today, the cave is part of Heineman Winery, and Crystal Cave is billed as the world’s largest known celestite geode. It is 42 steps below the earth and measures 30 feet across. “Most people are intrigued and in awe of the cave and just how big it is,” says business co-owner Dustin Heineman, Gustav’s great-great grandson.

“Usually, geodes are only golf ball or softball size. So, to have one where you can fit 20 to 25 people in is amazing.”

Visitors can examine the multi-faceted celestite crystals, some of which measure 18-inches, and learn the cave’s history. With a combo ticket, they can tour the cave and winery and enjoy a glass of wine or grape juice. 978 Catawba Ave., Put-in-Bay 43456, 419/285-2811, heinemanswinery.com/crystal-cave 

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