Bristol Caverns

I was happy with my first cave exploration. It was very large and beautiful, the flooring is very damp but there are plenty of hand rails. The tour guide was knowledgeable and nice. There are a lot of stairs so keep that in mind.

I was very excited to take our Chinese foreign exchange student here for an afternoon of learning, beauty, and fun. Well, we got one of the three– beauty.
Our tour guide was nice enough, but started «witnessing» to us as a Christian right off the bat. He could not answer any of my questions scientifically, but instead had Biblical answers for us. For instance, «How were these caverns formed?» Answer: «Well, the Bible tells us the great flood would have formed these caverns.» I asked, «Seriously, how did these caverns form?» He said, «I am serious. But some scientists would have you believe that an underground river flowed through here 400 – 500 million years ago, but that can’t be true, since our world is only 6000 years old.» And on and on we went. I couldn’t believe it! Here we are in PROOF that the world is billions of years old, and our guide was still buying that 6000 year line, and trying to feed it to us as truth. It’s fine for someone to believe that, but PLEASE LEARN SOME SCIENCE for a tour like this.
The tour lasted approximately 45 minutes, and cost $ 14.50 per person. The caverns are very beautiful, and I give the guide credit for knowing the different kinds of rock in the cavern, and where the bats and insects hide.
For the time and money, go to Appalachian Caverns– the tour we took there last year was spectacular.

The Lady and I stopped here on a whim coming back from her college reunion in nearby Abingdon, which, like the whole blue-​ridge highlands region during late October, is bursting with vibrant splashes of autumnal color accentuating the myriad habits of fiery, muscular maples, angry hickorys, and majestic oaks. It’s a good twenty minute drive from 81, but, on balance with the experience we had, it proved a worthwhile diversion even if only to soak in the ancient, fairytale patina that overlays one’s soul while driving through country as beautiful as this with a good soundtrack (fleet foxes) and intense appreciation for the cycling of nature; this says nothing of the caverns to come – impressive works of deep time persistently melting and coalescing in an elemental adagio that you will soak in and hold onto for a while, regardless of whether you have any interest in geology.
We roll up 20 minutes before opening (12:30) on a Sunday. We are alone in the parking lot, so we get out and stretch our legs on the elevated park area above the rustic, unimpressive looking storefront housing a small gift shop where you buy tickets to walk up into the caverns. There is an expansive, well-​maintained picnic spread replete with covered shelter and stone tables that is also, because of recent rains, widely sprinkled with various edible and tasty fungi, notably some mature Lactarius. 12:30 rolls around and a couple of other cars have arrived. We buy tickets from who I presume is the owner, an older white-​haired gentleman with a conversational pleasance that introduces us to our tour guide. Just the three of us begin the ~¼ mile walk up and down to the cave entrance. We enter the cave and I’m immediately impressed with the epic formations and and the sheer size of the space. The down and out is another ~¼, but takes 45+ minutes because of stops to check out the scenery and hit some geology highlights. I do wish there had been more focus on science and less on scripted, awkwardly delivered one-​liners from our young tour guide drawing pop-​culture references out of the rock features. Again though, this place is totally worth seeing, despite the annoyances of an operation somewhat long in the tooth.
The caverns tend to be about 55 degrees once you go down a couple of hundred feet, so bring a sweater. You will do a good piece of walking up and down some very steep, moist staircases, so wear appropriate shoes. The kids will prolly enjoy this one because of the adventure feel and alien scenery, cool stuff! Admission was $ 28 for two.

I grew up not too far from Bristol Caverns and only went once as a child for a field trip. My dad is somewhat of a connoisseur of caves and we would usually end up driving hours to check out various other caverns in the south.
Bristol Caverns is small, but has some really beautiful formations. I recommend it if you’re in the area because it’s a nice short hike and on a hot day it’s great to be in the cool cave.
If you’re in the Tri-​Cities and craving some cave time, this is the one I would visit.

We loved the caverns. It was a rainy day and you felt one with the cave as the water dripped all around you.
Don’t let people say the tour was hokey. It wasn’t. Our guide has probably given this tour once or twice and was still friendly and informational without seeming bored of us while we paused to snap pictures and take in the sights.

the tour is pretty cool, the caverns are definitely something that you need to see if you get the chance. the history behind them is very interesting. if you go, don’t forget to bring a light jacket because its always nice and cool in there. =)

The caverns here are pretty cool… the tour is really hokie and touristy. It’s pretty fun. It’s well-​lit for photos. There’s some really neat things in Bristol Cavern, but the coolest stuff isn’t on the tour. I was very disappointed to find out the worlds largest natural column (which is in Bristol Cavern) isn’t on the tour! They do sell pictures of it. Who cares? I went here and bought a picture? No, I didn’t see it. WTF? If you’re driving past Bristol I’d recommend the detour and stop, it is a pretty cool cave. I just wouldn’t make it a primary destination.