Entering the world of the underground is always a thrilling experience.  At the Blanchard Springs Caverns you will be going into a three-level system, but only two levels are open for guided tours.

There are three types of tours available.  The Dripstone National Recreation Trail tours are available year-round. The time you should allow for this tour is 1 hour. On this tour you will experience a constant 58 degrees F (so bring a sweater or light jacket) and know that the humidity is close to 100 percent.  This trail is accessible to strollers and wheelchairs with strong assistance. Tours depart often; the last tour is at 4:15 PM.

This tour covers 4/10 of a mile in an hour.  It is an easy walk with two seating areas along the trail for you to rest should you need to.  There are only 50 stair steps to be negotiated on the entire tour but for those that can not manage them there are alternate trails that can be used, bypassing some formations.

In this section of the cave bats are rare so don’t worry about running into them.  There are tiny cave creatures such as salamanders and crickets for you to see.

You will be able to see nearly every type of calcite formation found in limestone caves.  This includes delicate, hollow soda straws to massive flowstones and stalagmites.  You will be touring the two major rooms in the upper level of the cavern system.  The cathedral Room is long enough to hold three football fields and still have space left over.  There are many snow-white formations of pure calcite (or calcium carbonate) in the Coral Room.
You are walking through an area that was laid down in an ancient sea more than 350 million years ago.  These beautiful formations have taken years to be made, no one knows for sure how long it has taken but may be thousands, hundreds of thousands or millions of years for the dripping water to deposit the calcite and other minerals into these fabulous formations.  Now you know why you are told to not touch anything.  By touching any of the stonework you will kill off the ability for the cave to keep creating the beauty you have come to see.

A vast amount of dripstone is found in this portion of the Caverns for two reasons. First, this section is higher than the other, allowing air-chemistry changes which cause the dripstone to form, and second, this portion is older than lower areas, giving the features more time to develop.

The Discovery Trail is another of the tours that is available at Blanchard Springs Caverns. This tour will last 1 1/2 hours. This one is a bit more complex than the Dripstone Trail.  It is in the lower portion of the Caverns. There are nearly 700 stair steps on this tour so if you have walking or health problems this one isn’t for you.  Tours depart often with the last tour at 4 pm.  The Discovery Trail Tour is only open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.

On this tour you’ll take the routes of the early explorers and pass through campsites of their early expeditions. You’ll look up through the natural entrance where those early explorers dangled from ropes on homemade harness. You will see the underground stream which eventually gushes from the Blanchard Springs. This section of the Caverns is not filled with the formations of the Dripstone Trail, it is the first place where you will see the stream that runs through the caverns assisting in the creation of the caverns.  Maybe in time there will be the formations but for now, just enjoy the experience.

The final offering is the Wild Cave Tour where visitors go to the undeveloped sections of the middle level.  This is a 3 to 4 hour tour. In order to participate with this tour you will need to be in good physical shape, wear sturdy boots, and be ready to get dirty!  You will climb very steep slopes, crawl on hands and knees, pass under low ceilings, and travel through red clay.  If this isn’t something you are prepared for, pass on this tour.  Otherwise, join in and have a blast!  The tour ends at the Titans, a group of tall spectacular columns. Hard hats, kneepads, gloves, lights, and belts are provided, along with a souvenir t-shirt. The Wild Cave Tour is limited to a minimum of 3 but no more than 12 people per tour. Participants must be at least 10 years old. A responsible adult must accompany children 10 to 12 years old. The Wild Cave Tour is available by reservation only and is open every day from April through October. From November through March, it is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, as well as on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

Location: Blanchard Springs Caverns is located 15 miles northwest of Mountain View off Arkansas 14.
 
Rates are subject to change. Please call 1-888-757-2246 between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. CST for current rates.
Adults – $10.00 for Dripstone/ Discovery Tour
Children age 6-15 – $5.00 for Dripstone/ Discovery Tour
Golden Age Passport Holders – $5.00 for Dripstone/Discovery Tours
Wild Cave Tour – $75.00; $25.00 non-refundable deposit, balance on day of tour; no other discounts apply.
Golden Age Pass – $10.00
Season Pass – Adults $25.00; Children 12.50; Golden Age Passport holders $12.50
Special Rates: Half price discounts are available to senior citizens aged 62 and up with a Golden Age Passport, disabled visitors. Complimentary tours are available to ex-prisoners of war and Purple Heart recipients with a POW/PH card, available at the Visitor Information Center.
Pets are not allowed in the Visitor Center or Caverns – seeing-eye dogs and service dogs are an exception. There are no kennels. Pet are welcome in the recreation areas, outside the swimming areas, as long as they are leashed.

Phone:  Blanchard Springs Caverns (888) 757-2246
 

Blanchard Springs Caverns – Mountain View, Arkansas is a post from: Arkansas Tourism

At his memorial museum, visitors will find a number of different items, including antique furniture and house wares, as well as tools and one of the most impressive collections of firearms in the world. Some of the weapons belonged to Saunders himself, but there are also quite a few from notables of the Wild West, such as Jesse James, Annie Oakley, Wild Bill, and Pancho Villa.

Part of the collection even includes items that Saunders gathered from the Holy Land. Some of those items include Gethsemane flowers and water from the Jordan River.

You will also be able to see clothing worn by Sitting Bull at the Battle of Little Big Horn, where he outwitted Custer. Pancho Villa’s spurs are even on display.

Most people who come to the museum are there to see all of the wonderful firearms though. It is one of the best collections in the whole state of Arkansas, including more than 400 handguns. At the Saunders Memorial Museum, you will be able to see not only the popular guns of the era, but also many of the rare pieces. Quite a few were even used by heroes and villains of yesteryear.

Some of the popular examples of handguns belonged to people such as Jesse James, who were notorious for terrorizing the Old West. You will certainly want to spend time looking at all of the different handguns in the collection and reading about how they were used, as well as who used them.

Everyone who is in the area should make it a point to stop by the museum and see one of the most impressive handgun collections in the whole of the United States. You get to see a number of other historical pieces as well, and it is certainly worth the visit. Admission to the museum is quite affordable.

113-115 East Madison
Berryville, AR 72616
870-423-2563

Saunders Memorial Museum – Berryville, Arkansas is a post from: Arkansas Tourism

When going to the Ozarks, you will want to make sure to explore everything.  The Arkansas waterfalls and the Rocky Mountain Caves are beautiful.  The caverns are what you will want to see.  Traveling through them will be like traveling in another world.  You will be in the same place that saber tooth tigers, Indian tribes and Civil War soldiers have hidden in and explored the very caves that you will be walking through.   You can take guided tours to learn more about this mysterious world. 

The different caverns offer different experiences.  The Bull Shoals Cavern is over 350 million years.  This is one of the world’s oldest caverns.  In this amazing world you will find a beautiful cathedral room, a tiny lake, an underground rainbow trout stream and Chapel Falls.  If you are looking for artifacts and fossils, walk through the Hurricane River Cave.  The bones and the artifacts that were discovered in this cave indicate that Indians lived there nine and ten thousand years ago.  If you are physically fit and in great condition, take wild cave tours and see where they found skeletons of bears and saber toothed tigers.

After touring the caverns, there are so many activities to do it may be hard to narrow down.  Horseback riding, golfing, mountain climbing, birding and canoeing are just a few of the many things that you can put on your agenda.  Horseback riding is a great activity for just about anyone.  Ride in the Ozark mountain region and escape from it all.  Experienced wrangle and trail guides will lead you on your tour.

If you are looking for something to do in the Ozarks to cool you off, there are six Ozark lakes and rivers that you can go to.  Bull Shoals Lake is the largest of the twin lakes.  You can go fishing or scuba dive in the crystal clear waters.  Take your family on the lake and sail for the day.  If you want to ski or swim, it is the perfect place.  If you want to take a kayak down a beautiful river, Buffalo National River is where you will want to go.  Plan a one day float, or rent a kayak or canoe for several days.  Whatever it is that you do in the Ozarks, you are going to be relaxed, pleased and very happy with your vacation experience.
 

Ozark Mountain Ranges in Arkansas is a post from: Arkansas Tourism

Restaurants, microbreweries, golf and lodging are all abundantly available through out the state.  Resorts and spas allow sophisticated access to the natural spring waters and thermal waters of Hot Springs National Park.

Arkansas is also known as wine country with various vineyards and wine tours that can take you back through history and times long past of the old wild west.

Arkansas Vacation is a post from: Arkansas Tourism