The Caverns Cave Tour

Whether you arrive a day early, or just want to hang around and extra day, you need to see the "other side of the Caverns"! The Caverns offers two kinds of cave tours -- one, focused on that part of the cave where your show will be (or was) taking place, which is pretty cool in and of itself -- kind of a "behind the scenes" tour. And then there's the other Caverns cave tour, taking you into another branch of the cave, decidedly wilder! You'll follow an underground stream, see Tennessee Cave Salamanders (which really are a sight to behold!) and much more. But be prepared to get wet, and in some places, a bit muddy -- this is the kind of tour your tweens and teens will love!

Exporing Scenic Pelham

The Caverns is located in scenic and rural Pelham, Tennessee, where the Elk River, one of Tennessee's top five rivers (by length) begins. Pelham doesn't have a downtown, per se, but along US Highway 41 (part of the ledgendary "Dixie Highway", you'll find a number of unique and tasty places to visit. If it's just a good cup of coffee you seek, check out the Pelham Valley Coffee Roasters. Staying in a nearby cabin and need a few more groceries, maybe a good deli sandwich, too? Check out the Northcutt Family Market on Highway 50, just west of US 41. But if a meal is what you're cravin', Try the Simply Southern Cafe or Tess's Kitchen Cafe, both on US 41. Both feature excellent Southern fare; Tess also offers pizza and Asian dishes. (An insider's tip: Tess's is open Tuesday thru Saturday for lunch and dinner; Simply Southern is open 10 am to 2 pm Monday thru Friday, and is closed Saturdays and Sundays.)

Born on a Mountantop in Tennessee...

If you come to the Caverns and fail to explore what's up on top of those beautiful mountains that surround it, you've missed the best part of Tennessee's South Cumberland. The nearby communities of Monteagle, Sewanee and Tracy City have some great places to explore -- just peruse the rest of this website and you'll see! Discover great food options, excellent hiking in one of our area's three State Parks (South Cumberland, Head of the Crow and Savage Gulf) and tons of interesting unique and historical sites to visit! Definitely allow some time to explore the campus of The University of the South at Sewanee, which has beautiful and historic sandstone-clad buildings reminiscent of Harry Potter's Hogwarts, except here, it's all real! For the kids, plan a visit to Cove Creek Farm, in Monteagle, just west of I-24, open weekends 10-6, where they have a huge pirate ship the aspiring young pirates in your family can conquer, plus an indoor play facility. The entire family can tour this working farm, and take home some great memories (and in the fall, great pumpkins, too)!

So make your visit to The Caverns a longer weekend, or even a full week! There's so much more to see and do here in Tennessee's South Cumberland -- so start checking out our Do, Eat, Stay, Places and Events tabs and create your own awesome exploration of the Mountains of Adventure!