LINVILLE CAVERNS FAST FACTS
LOCATION: Blue Ridge Mountains in McDowell County, North Carolina
HOURS: 9am-5pm, Thursday-Sunday & Monday. Closed on Tuesday & Wednesday
COST: $12 Adults, $11 Seniors age 62+, $10 Children 5-12, & Children 4 & under are FREE.
TIME TO COMPLETE: 30-minute tours leave every 15 minutes
ACCOMODATIONS: Large parking lot, public restrooms and gift shop
There is something magical (and creepy) about caves. From Journey to the Center of the Earth to Tom Sawyer, caves have come to represent a place of emergence, opportunity and new hope. Linville Caverns, located 6.7 miles (10.8 km) southwest of Linville Falls and 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north of Linville Falls Lodge, is North Carolina’s only “show cave”. Discovered in 1822 by Henry E. Colton on a fishing expedition, Linville Caverns opened its doors to the public in 1937.
In total, Linville Caverns covers over 1,300 feet of subterranean environment, containing millions of years of geological activity. It contains natural limestone featuring stalactite (points hanging from the ceiling) and stalagmite (rising from the floor) formations with some shapes that resemble polar bears and bowling pins. There’s an underground stream running in & out of Linville Caverns filled with rainbow and brook trout and a “Bottomless Pool” that descends to more than 250 feet below the cave.
Linville Caverns has more than 100,000 visitors each year explore the cave that rests 2,500’ (762 m) below the pinnacle of Linville’s Humpback Mountain. In the early 20th-Century two boys accidentally found the cave and while exploring they lost their only light source. In total darkness it took them 2 days to retrace their steps (including swimming underwater) to find their way back out to safety. Civil War deserters successfully used the hideout for months until smoke from their fire emerged from atop Humpback Mountain and was seen by Union soldiers.
The tour lasts about 30 minutes and is filled with great stories and interesting anecdotes. The rock formations, so unique to caves, sport a variety of shapes and colors. Some resemble bats, claws, mud or something out of a Hammer horror movie. Linville Caverns is also home to tricolored and little brown bats some of whom carry a disease deadly to other bats but harmless to humans.
There is a fantastic gift shop filled with several unique items along with the usual touristy fare. Linville Caverns is easy to find just off of the US-221 (large street sign) and across the North Fork Catawba River. It’s best to get there first thing in the morning before the crowds form. The temperature inside the caves always remains at 52° so dress appropriately.
