Talking Rocks Cavern
Encyclopedia
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
rn system located in Stone County
Stone County, Missouri
Stone County is a county located in Southwest Missouri in the United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county's population was 32,202. Its county seat is Galena...
, just west of Branson
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
in the US state of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. It is a privately operated tourist destination.
Guided cave tours are offered at regular intervals. The visitors are led down a series of platforms and steps eventually to the floor of the cave. There are 265 steps, 150 down and 115 out. Features include 'curtain' and the 'bacon' formations. The tour also includes a light and sound show.
The bottom of the caves routinely floods during heavy rains. Water seeps in from the surface level and the cave acts as a drainage system which empties into the river below. The electrical wiring for this portion of the cave conforms to underwater standards to accommodate the flooding. Flooding shortens but does not eliminate tours.
The caverns have very few lifeforms typical to caverns because the cave's single entrance was sealed following its discovery. The mouth of the cave is enclosed within a gift shop.