Located in Woodville, Alabama lies Cathedral Caverns. Originally called Bat Cave, the cavern opened to the public in the 1950’s and became a State Park in the summer of 2000. The Park offers a 1.5 mile round trip cave tours to explore the caverns on a paved route through the cave, which allows you to explore this official ‘fallout’ shelter for yourself, all while enjoying the cool, year around temperature of 60 degrees.
The grand entrance to the cave is a massive 126 feet wide by 25 feet high, which is believed to be the world’s widest entrance to a commercial cave. The outside is only the first impressing part of the caves. Inside the cavern are beautiful formations including “Goliath”, which is one of the largest stalagmites in the world measuring 45 feet tall and 243 feet in circumference, along with a "frozen" waterfall, and a large stalagmite forest.
At the turnaround point (the farthest point on the tour that guests are allowed to go), your guide asks you to turn off your cell phones and turns the route lights off, leaving you in complete darkness. This is one of the only places in the world you can experience this, allowing your other senses to heighten- leaving you to listen to the bats fluttering above you and feeling the crisp air around you. Once the lights are back on you can look over the balcony, which overlooks jagged rocks. Beyond the rocks is the Crystal Room, which is full of white calcite formations sparkling all around you. You can see this room and more on the “Wild Cave Tour.”
I have been to this cave many times, and it never disappoints. Next time I visit I will be opting for the "Wild Cave Tour," to get a different experience in the caverns.
