FANTASTIC CAVERNS - On the Road With FIDO
September 24, 2020 • Travel
While on the road for our 12th Annual cross-country pet adoption tour, Get Your Licks on Route66® there are a few points of interest to review in between events. One such great opportunity presented itself recently while traveling in Springfield, MO.
Kangaroos, turtles and parrots have taken the tram underneath the earth’s surface so imagine our delight to learn that Fido is welcome to accompany their pet parents for this once in a lifetime experience.
Our 12-pound Honey joined us as we were allowed VIP riding access in the Jeep which pulled the tram through the cave. Honey sat on my lap while we descended into the cave and seemed just as interested in the history lesson our driver shared during the hour drive.
I highly recommend your well-behaved pet join you when your next adventure includes the Fantastic Caverns.
ALL THE DETAILS -
Fantastic Caverns, America’s Ride-Thru Cave, lies beneath the rolling Ozarks hills just north of Springfield, Missouri. Approximately five miles off Historic Route 66and about an hour north of Branson, Missouri, this North American cavern offers a completely ride-through cave experience. Propane-powered Jeep-drawn trams tour the path left behind by an ancient underground river. During the 55-minute all-riding cave tour, trams drive along a one-mile tour route providing guests an up-close look at beautiful cave formations, like giant columns stretching from floor to ceiling, delicate soda straws glistening with minerals and tiny cave pearls hidden in crystal-clear water. No walking is necessary and trams are equipped with pull-out ramps to accommodate wheelchairs, making the tour convenient for everyone, especially older visitors, parents with small children and individuals with physical limitations. Fantastic Caverns is an all-weather natural cave attractionopen year ‘round, with the temperature inside Fantastic Caverns hovering at around 60 degrees F (15 degree C) all the time.
The cavern was discovered by John Knox and his hunting dog in 1862. Knox did not want the cave to be exploited by the Union or Confederate governments, so he kept the cave's existence quiet until 1867. Knox put an advertisement in the Springfield paper for someone to explore the cave. On February 27, twelve women belonging to the Springfield Women's Athletic Club explored Fantastic Caverns. These twelve ladies are considered the first explorers of the Ozarks cave. Their names are still visible on the cavern walls today and they were mentioned in an article published in the Springfield Tri-Weekly Patriot newspaper.
SEE MORE HERE -
