1,000s OF EONS IN THE MAKING
Unforgettable Stories
Walk the same ground as a mastodon!
Longhorn Cavern is special among Texas show caves because of how it was formed and what happened here.
From a nightclub to a fallout shelter, your tour guide will share the exciting adventures and mysteries that took place underground.
Bring Geology to Life
Witness the remnants of an ancient underground river.
Explore stunning geological formations created over millions of years through the natural process of limestone dissolution by acidic rainwater.
The cavern’s smooth, sculpted walls and unique rooms like the “Hall of Marble” highlight the power of water in shaping underground landscapes.
The Science: Carbonic acid (water+carbon dioxide) dissolves and cuts through stone over time — the results? Awe-inspiring.
The First Visitors
In the 1930s, scientists made an amazing discovery: prehistoric Texans used Longhorn Cavern as a “trap cave.” Much like a buffalo jump, hunters would drive animals over the cavern’s large opening and then climb down to harvest the meat, hides, bones, and other valuable parts. Among the remains found were bones of mastodon, bison, grizzly bear, and deer. Additionally, certain areas of the cavern were used to harvest chert (flint) for tools and weapons. This native use of the cavern persisted through the Comanche era and into the early Texas settlement period.
Walk in Their Footsteps
Gunpowder & Guano
Our unforgettable stories span hundreds of years!
A dramatic rescue by Texas Rangers of a young girl held captive by the Comanche.
Bat guano (potassium nitrate) mined from the Cavern helped the Confederacy produce gunpowder.
Longhorn Cavern was an underground nightclub and restaurant complete with live music and dancing.
Amid Cold War tensions, the cavern was designated a licensed and stocked nuclear fallout shelter.
Write Your Chapter in Our Texas-Sized Story
A Cavern Cleared by Hand
As you walk through the chambers of Longhorn Cavern, remember Civilian Conservation Corps Company 854 — their hard work made your tour possible! Longhorn Cavern State Park opened in 1932 with very basic services. In 1934, Civilian Conservation Corps Company 854 arrived to begin the formal development of the park as it exists today. The CCC was a federal program created by FDR to employ young men during the Depression. From 1934 to 1940, the CCC:
- Manually excavated over 3,000 dump trucks’ worth of debris from the cavern
- Constructed the park’s first visitor buildings
- Built Park Road 4 to connect the park with the highway
The park stands as a testament to the remarkable achievements made possible through determination, manual labor, hand tools, and wheelbarrows.
FEEL THE DIFFERENCE
COOL & COMFORTABLE
Most of the cave stays at a steady 68 degrees year-round.
It’s a cool escape in the summer and cozy in the winter.
The constant temperature may be why we are a year-round habitat for tri-colored bats.
These bats do not migrate, instead, they enter a long hibernation fall through spring and are easily visible by guests most months of the year.
Come Hang Out
FAN FAVORITES
Crystal City & the Hall of Diamonds
Everyone loves these calcite crystal rooms, and we think you’ll see why.
Queen’s Watchdog
Our most famous formation, a piece of dolomite that eroded into the shape of a dog.
The Hall of Marble
Beautiful, unique, and carved entirely from dolomite (limestone + magnesium), this chamber has a more sculpted appearance than traditional limestone.
The Sinkhole