
Spenking in a theme park? I went underground in a natural cave just below Silver Dollar City
When I entered Silver Dollar City for the first time in Branson, Missouri, I knew I was for a real treat. My morning started with an excellent breakfast of homemade cookies and apple butter (plus all other traditional American prices) at the Molly Mill restaurant. The day has already been perfect. But I did not know that the adventure was only really starting.
Above the ground, roller coasters, fried delicacies on a stick, living craftsmen demonstrating, and the hordes of people who queue for the emblematic attraction of the “Fire in the Hole” of the park, were all in the running for my attention. I did not know that just below me was an entire natural cave at Silver Dollar City to explore.
History of Marvel Cave at Silver Dollar City

Silver Dollar City has a unique story, and everything revolves around the natural cave, nicknamed Marvel Cave. The beginnings of the cave as a tourist attraction began in 1894 with a Canadian entrepreneur named William Henry Lynch and his two daughters. For more than five decades, the cave was a tourist show cave. Then in 1950, Hugo Herschend rented the cave. In 1960, the Hershchend family built a replica of the Ozark mountain village from the 1880s around the entrance to the cave. This is the start of the park that we know today under the name of Silver Dollar City.
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Quick advance and a Marvel Cave tour is one of your entry fees at Silver Dollar City. The wet limestone cave has incredible rock formations, waterfalls and a lot of history to tell as expert guides lead groups in the cave.
My experience of Spenking in Silver Dollar City


To say that I was nervous at the idea of going nearly 500 below the surface of the mountains of Ozark is an understatement. I had never been in a cave before. What made me the most worried was “Tallmans’ headaches” a narrow pass of about four feet high, seven feet long and about two feet wide. But I was not going to leave my fear of the tiny spaces to take over me. Heck, earlier during the day, I traveled a roller coaster where individual cars run while you get upside down and travel the track. I could make a few small passages in a cave under the theme park.
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The recording office is inside the gift shop near the front of the park. After registering, you go through a simulated opening for “Tallmans headaches” to make sure you and your belongings will fill the smallest part of the cave. My mind was already peaceful after ensuring that my backpack passes through the small opening.
The tour groups are relatively important. Mine has reached a maximum of 45 people, ranging from preschool children to the elderly, and you do not need special equipment. Visits often last about 60 minutes, although mine is closer to 90 because the group had a lot of questions for our Spenking guide, which was happy to answer about anything.
Get in the cave


After putting all the security details away in the conservation room of the gift shop, we were on the way. The walk until the entrance to the cave was short, and our guide warned us that once we started to go down the cave, there was no deactivation. My last chance to abandon the tour was given, but I continued.
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We went down to almost 300 feet below the surface in the cathedral hall. This is the largest cave entrance hall in the United States. Once we arrived at the back of the room, family photos were taken by Silver Dollar City staff. Souvenir photos can be purchased after the tour. In the cathedral hall, we learned the history of the Marvel cave, we spotted some flying bats.
The tour continued in front of incredible rock training, which are still alive and growing. For this reason, customers cannot touch the sides of the cave. One of the most unique sites was a wall of formations hanging at the top of the cave and looked like a hanging bacon when a light shone.


Then I came to the underground waterfall, in what is aptly named the waterfall room. I was 505 feet under the entrance to the cave, but in full admiration for the colored and backlit waterfall in front of me. Cascade drops at 40 feet on the ground below. According to the cellar guide, the divers tried to find where the massive quantities of the cave end. A finish line in the maze of underground waterways has not yet been found.
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My tour was coming to an end after more than an hour in the Marvel cave. The return to civilization above was easy thanks to a cable train. Everyone in the group has stacked in one of the train cars to start on the surface of 1,070 feet.
Does Marvel Cave’s visit are worth it to Silver Dollar City?


In the end, I am happy to have done the cellar tour. It is a unique offer for Silver Dollar City. And more, it is the heart of the park with a deeply rooted story. There are also many caves rooms worthy of Instagram to show people at home. This is worth the engagement time, especially if it is your first time in the park and you want to learn a part of the story behind Silver Dollar City.
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One thing that comes out of the cave is even if Silver Dollar City sees up to two million guests per year, only 10 to 15% of these people are tours of the caves. So now, I feel like I am part of a cool cave diving club, and you can also be part of the club during your next visit to Silver Dollar City.