We recently took a Cave Tour at Onyx Cave in Eureka Springs, Arkansas
*Disclosure – This trip was sponsored by Eureka Springs Co-op but all of our experiences and opinions are our own.
After a delicious breakfast in the Crystal Dining Room at the Crescent Hotel we headed to explore the Onyx Cave. The Onyx Cave made it on our list of 20 Family Fun Things in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Be sure to check out our full list article to see all the family fun things.
What is Onyx Cave Park?
Onyx Cave Park has a Gift Shop, Fossil/Gem Find, Axe Throwing and of course the Cave tour! The cave was discovered in 1891 and has been toured since 1893. It is the oldest toured cave in Arkansas.
Our Experiences at Onyx Cave
We had always seen many signs and advertisements for Onyx Cave during our other travels. We were excited to finally see it.
The cave is 7 miles from downtown and takes around 15 minutes from downtown. You see many signs along the way but if you use a GPS you shouldn’t have any issues arriving.
The path to the visitor center and cave is fairly steep. Our kids had no issues getting to the building, but you may want to keep it in mind when walking down the path.
After arriving at the visitor center building we got our tour tickets and got a brief description of how the tour works.
The Onyx Cave Tour
The tour comes with headphones, they might look old but don’t let their looks fool you, they worked great for us. As you walk you will reach stations with buttons that start the audio as you walk the path.
In some areas, lights are triggered as you listen so you can see exactly what is being talked about.
The cave tour wasn’t too long and by the time you reach the end of it you get to walk back and just enjoy the cave from a different perspective. We walked back without using our headphones so that we could appreciate the silence of the cave.
We all loved the cave tour. There were many fun shapes throughout the cave and plenty of photo opportunities! Be sure to stop and find the Dragon and the Elephant.
A couple things to keep in mind for your cave tour would be:
- Don’t touch the formations. It can prevent growth and damage the cave.
- It may be wet inside and you could potentially get dirty. Take it from me, after picking up Cale every so often, I got dirt from his shoes on my pants. It wasn’t a big deal though, we had extra clothes packed
Make sure and take a photo with the Onyx Cave Caveman! It is a must!
Overall
We all enjoyed the tour. We were surprised how well Cale kept the headphones on, they worked without any issues
Onyx Cave Gift Shop
The Gift Shop was full of many items ranging from jewelry, rocks, fossils, clothing and various other things.
Cash and I were amazed to see all the fossils for sale. Next to these fossils are descriptive signs about the different types of fossils.
I was surprised at the variety of fossils they had. Ranging from smaller rocks with fish and trilobites for under $5 and then they even had a large fossil of a Mosasauras Jawbone that cost $700.
They also had many different rocks and gems for sale, some were even made into jewelry.
We took advantage of this large mirror for a family photo. However, I’m sure this would be used to model the jewelry or clothing items available.
Onyx Cave Gift Shop Photo Opp
As you walk through the gift shop make sure and get a photo with the massive amethyst angel wings.
Onyx Cave Fossil/Gem Dig
Cash and I love collecting rocks. We love finding them out in nature and making our own discoveries.
We saw the Onyx Cave Mining Company Bags in the gift shop to go panning with. There were options for different gems and rocks but we went with a fossil dig bag.
The deck in the back of the shop was so fun. They had plenty of areas for panning and a gift shop employee instructed us on how to pan for our fossils.
We were surprised how many fossils we found. They ranged in different sizes and types. Cash’s favorite finds were the different kinds of teeth found after panning.
Axe Throwing
They have recently added an axe throwing experience that looked like a ton of fun.
You can call to schedule the Axe Throwing at 479-253-9321.
More info about Onyx Cave
Hours
Monday-Saturday 9:00am to 5:00pm, Sunday 10:00am to 4:00pm
Prices
Adults: $10.00 +tax Children 4-13 years: $6.00 + tax 3 and Under: Free
Location
Where is Onyx Cave?
It is in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
The address is Onyx Cave Park
338 Onyx Cave Lane
Eureka Springs, AR 72632.
You can see it on the map below.
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If you need additional information check out their official website.
Check out more Family Fun Things in Eureka Springs on our list of 20 Family Fun Things in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
