Natural Bridge Caverns (San Antonio, Texas)
Posted by: 
Raven
N 29° 41.519 W 098° 20.567
14R E 563582 N 3284836
The Natural Bridge Caverns is large commercial active (i.e. "living") cave system near San Antonio, Texas -- open to the public for a fee.
Waymark Code: WMY2MZ
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/08/2018
Views: 3
Natural Bridge Caverns is a large commercial cavern located just Northeast of San Antonio, Texas. Discovered on March 27, 1960 by four college-aged cavers, the cavern system is currently mapped at 2.5 miles. It was added to the US Natural National Landmarks listing in 1971 and the US National Register of Historic Places in 2004. The USA Today news outlet once chose it as one of America’s "10 great places to get nature on film".
Formed by underground rivers, the cavern system includes one of the largest chamber rooms in Texas. With ceilings over 100 feet in some areas, the display of stalagmites and stalagtites are even more dramatic.
Back in the 1950's, both state and federal official suggested to its landowner -- Clara Wuest (Heidemann) -- that the cavern e opened to the public, but neither agency had the funds to do assist at the time. The landowner therefore obtained the funds to develop the cave on her own: work started in 1963 and was completed in 1964.
Public tours through the caverns is for a fee: the main tour includes the "Hall of the Mountain Kings" -- larger than a football field -- as well as other locally-famous large formations. Other non-main tours include the Illuminations Tour, The Lantern Tour, and off-trail Adventure Tours.
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