Crystal Cave Provides Unusual Cave Formations and Native American Graves

The first time I saw Crystal Cave near Springfield, Missouri, I was a child. Even then it made quite an impression on me. When I ended up back near Springfield, Missouri this summer, I made a promise to take a tour of Crystal Cave again.

The entrance is through a locked gate. There are stairs both inside and outside of Crystal Cave that lead to its first big room. There are signs of two Native American graves with markers along with all the splendid cave formations. There is also a slab of stone that was used for fires. Crystal Cave tends to stay at the same temperature all year around. It can be a bit chilly.

When the cave formations are dry, they tend to glisten and sparkle. The cave formations include bacon, popcorn, and drapes. The bacon is multicolored and I saw both white and caramel popcorn. There are also unusual cave formations that appear to be animals and praying hands. I also spotted a live salamander on Crystal Cave's wall.

While showing visitors a tour of Crystal Cave, the guide also relates stories that were created to help explain the shape of some of the cave formations. This includes a witch's teeth and stuck out tongue. The guide delighted in imparting that information to the young girls that were part of my tour.

Since the last time I was there, new areas of Crystal Cave have been explored and opened up for visitors. While in the process of exploring the cave, new cave formations have been found. These are called Helictite cave formations. They do not grow down like stalactite's or stalagmites. They tend to grow sideways or in other strange ways instead.

There are times when the visitor has to stoop over or walk steep steps to get to the next stop on the tour. These are quite worth it. The formations on the cave are all around the visitor who is learning the history of Crystal Cave while on the tour. The tour is excellent. This could be because the guide is also the owner and explorer.