Fantastic Caverns

Fantastic Caverns, located in Springfield, Missouri, is a show cave. Fantastic Caverns is North America's only cave with a completely ride-through tour that lasts 55 minutes and is conducted in a Jeep-drawn tram. The trams follow the path left by an ancient underground river.

The Fantastic Caverns, also known as America's ride-through cave, were discovered in 1862 by an Ozarks farmer named John Knox, who kept the caves a secret throughout the Civil War. A dozen all-female volunteers, whose names can still be seen carved on the cavern walls, explored the caverns for the first time about five years later. Ride-through tours have been available since 1962, and are conducted on Jeep-drawn trams that preserve the caves' integrity. A one-hour tour takes visitors through stalactites and other formations formed over thousands of years. Fantastic Caverns is open daily from 8 a.m. to dusk, and admission is $30 for adults and $17 for children (children under 5 are free with a parent).

Address: 4872 N. Farm Road, Springfield, MO 65803