Inside the cave, the mixture drips from the ceiling and the minerals in the water are left behind. The rate of growth varies, but generally, it's about one inch every 100 years. As the most popular cave tour at Natural Bridge Caverns, the Discovery Tour guides visitors through the first half mile of the cavern, which is situated 180 feet below the surface. Later, the owners and the cavern developers began to wonder, "what if the sinkhole formed in the middle of the cave and not at the beginning?" Get down and dirty with the caverns climbing up a steep, mud covered 20-foot hill. So dress for a warm humid hike. For additional information, visit www.naturalbridgecaverns.com or phone 210-651-6101. You will select the time for the Hidden Passage Tour below, and we will place you on the next available Discovery Tour when you arrive. 15%. For years it appeared that the entrance sinkhole was the beginning of Natural Bridge Caverns and that the only passages extended for two miles to the north. "We believe we are giving guests an experience they haven't seen anywhere else in Texas.". Show Coupon Code. There are three different tours to choose from: the Discovery Tour, the Hidden Passages Tour, and the Combo tour – where you do both. The hidden passage tour. If you are the adventurous sort you could really like climbing down into the Clark crevices, off the beaten path. Natural Bridge Caverns will continue offering daily tours of the largest cavern system in Texas with our Discovery Tour and Hidden Passages Tour, private tours, and it’s amazing surface attractions. First-time cavern visitors may be surprised by the colors of some formations, sometimes subtle, sometimes deeper, depending upon the mineral content. "Natural Bridge Caverns is called a living cave because the cave formations are still being formed by water dissolving rock," explains Brian Vauter, Cave Geologist for Natural Bridge Caverns. We went on the combo tour which included the hidden passage general tour. May 21, 2019 Witness the size and grandeur of undeveloped cavern rooms the same way they looked to their discoverers! Because of this, payment is required at the time the reservation is made, and there are no refunds. The Hidden Passages Tour lasts approximately 70 minutes. Guests should also bring a towel, a clean change of clothing and shoes. See the difference between the developed caves and the serene, untouched beauty of their natural state. This slightly acidic water then seeps through the ground absorbing minerals like calcium carbonate along the way. The Combo Tour consists of two tours: the Discovery and the Hidden Passage tours. The formations are plentiful and beautiful, even breath-taking, and nearly all of them are still growing. The Discovery Tour explores the originally discovered, and very dramatic, North Passages. In 1968, while drilling south of the main cavern entrance, an additional half-mile of cavern was discovered and was named the Hidden Passages. See Details. ... natural bridge caverns san antonio • natural bridge caverns san antonio photos • See rare and delicate formations, including some of the longest "soda straw" formations in North America. Shower facilities are provided. Purchasing the combo option allows guests to save about $10.00 per person on their visit. The Natural Bridge Caverns are the largest known commercial caverns in the U.S. state of Texas.The name is derived from the 60 ft natural limestone slab bridge that spans the amphitheater setting of the cavern's entrance. Save money with Natural Bridge Caverns 20% Off coupons, promo codes and discount codes for October 2020. Prior to your tour date, you may reschedule your tour for an additional $25 per person fee. There's also a lot of geology, history, and cave exploration stories in the discovery tour. One special feature of the tour occurs when all the lights are turned off and guests experience total darkness. Day Trips & Beyond: Natural Bridge Caverns Underground expedition explores hidden passage By Gerald E. McLeod, 7:00AM, Tue. Savings with Natural Bridge Caverns coupon codes and promo codes for October 2020. Discounts average $4 off with a Natural Bridge Caverns promo code or coupon. Natural Bridge Caverns: WOW...hidden passage tour - See 3,810 traveler reviews, 2,507 candid photos, and great deals for San Antonio, TX, at Tripadvisor. Fun times, great staff! Over hundreds of thousands of years they create the cave's formations, including icicle-like stalactites on the ceiling and pillar-like stalagmites on the floor. Media Contact: Shirley Wills The tour features two vast underground chambers and highlights such extremely delicate and well-formed formations as unusually long soda straws,' waves of cave ribbon' and a profusion of intriguing welt and turnip shields.' Natural Bridge Caverns | Hidden Passages Tour Natural Bridge Caverns has two world class caves for you to explore. On the Hidden Passages Tour, light and darkness combine to enhance your exploration of huge underground chambers decorated with some of our most rare and delicate formations. We were amazed with the pristine condition of the stalactites and the straws that were in the hidden passage. Hiking boots that provide good traction and ankle support are required. Caroling in the Caverns tours or the Twisted Trails may be added to any ticket for $12.99 each. Witness the size and grandeur of undeveloped cavern rooms the same way they looked to their discoverers! The Natural Bridge Caverns runs tours every 40 minutes at the most, but we got our tickets immediately and were touring 10 minutes later. For additional information, visit www.naturalbridgecaverns.com or phone 210-651-6101. Or, explore our Hidden Passages Tour, where shadows dance over delicate formations and mystery awaits in every shadow. The physical difficulty of both Adventure Tours is moderate to hard, so guests should be physically fit (height/weight limitations may apply). Natural Bridge Caverns was discovered in 1960 by four cavers from St. Mary's University in San Antonio. Another world-class cave is the Hidden Passages Tour, a smaller system of huge underground chambers decorated with rare and delicate formations. Natural Bridge Caverns will continue offering daily tours of the largest cavern system in Texas with our Discovery Tour and Hidden Passages Tour, private tours… The Mining Co. is a kid-friendly mining sluice where little ones can pan for gems, minerals and fossils. Guests should wear jeans and a t-shirt or long-sleeve shirt that may become stained or ruined. Valid only on the Discovery Tour. Experience being lowered 160 feet down a 22-inch Well shaft. Natural Bridge Caverns is open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. Code. Natural Bridge Caverns is truly spectacular known as the most extensive cavern within the San Antonio area and one of the largest caverns within the state of Texas, making it one of the top attractions in Texas. Although parts of the Hidden Passages were open to tours in 2002, the Hidden Passages Tour includes a chamber not open to tour groups until now. Like on the Discovery Tour, where you’ll see massive, otherworldly formations formed by single drops of water and the slow passage of time. Get down on your stomach to crawl through a narrow passage to marvelous, undeveloped cavern rooms. 1/3 mile. Gerry Lewis April 16, 2013. And each guest who brings a nonperishable food item to donate to the Food Bank will receive $2 off an adult or $1 off a child Cavern tour ticket, redeemable for any Cavern tour. What is the total distance of the Discovery passage? Phani K March 16, 2012. Note: Approved face coverings (masks) are … It is a living cavern, so the water dripping throughout it keeps the formations growing. Individual tour hours vary by date, but typically start at 9 a.m. and depart for the final tour between 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. For exact times, visit Natural Bridge Caverns’ website. ... controls Castle of the White Giants through the Emerald Lake passage. Experience being lowered 160 feet down a 22-inch Well shaft. Discovery tour was enough for us as it had walking and we saw quite a bit of the cavern. If true, this would mean the possible existence of additional passages to the south. Natural Bridge Caverns is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with extended hours for spring and summer. Start studying Natural Bridge Facts pt 1. The Hidden Passages and Discovery Adventure Tours give you the same feeling as our original explorers in the early 1960s. For more inforation on Natural Bridge Caverns follow the link:http://www.naturalbridgecaverns.com/(S(5ykylc45slrakm451peedfbp))/Index.aspxPlease Follow us … , better than the Inner Space Caverns ( Austin ) LaShonte ' April. ) are … the Hidden Passages to a depth of 180 feet below ground. Ih-35 at exit 175/Natural Bridge Caverns Road hard, so guests should be physically fit ( height/weight limitations may ). These are not your typical cavern walking tours, but generally, it 's about one inch every 100.... 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