A trip to Meramec Caverns, Just What the Tour Guides Ordered

Thanks to my friends Mary Hendron and Nancy Milton from Insight Marketing and Communications, I discovered Meramec Caverns in Stanton, MO.

All these years, I’ve heard about the caverns. I’d driven by numerous times, but never stopped in.

I told the two former St. Louis Convention & Visitor Commission executives my wife and I were babysitting my two grandkids in July, Will and Charlie Lischer, ages 8 and 5 from Houston, and we wanted something unique and interesting to do for that age set.

They quickly suggested the caverns, and better yet, supplied the admission tickets. It is 60 miles from our front door to the entrance of Meramec Caverns State Park in Stanton, an easy trip down Interstate 44 to say the least.

The tour costs a family of four about $40 and lasts a bit more than an hour. There’s a fair amount of walking involved. Comfortable walking shoes and a light jacket are a must.

Tour guides are park rangers, and they repeat the stories that have been said over and over since the 1940s.

The biggest space in the cavern is the ballroom, a place where some 3,000 guests can be seated. The Lesters, a popular church musical group from St. Louis, entertain in that room once a year. Much of the early part of the tour is spent describing the antics of the James brothers, Jesse and Frank, who had a penchant for robbing trains.

A couple of movies were shot inside the cave. Those were the Adventures of Tom Sawyer as well as a segment from the Lassie series. Lassie’s likeness is proudly on display along the route.

The caverns were a place where Yankee soldiers scrapped together powder for their guns during the Civil War. Confederates, who controlled the territory, took a dim view and destroyed the Yankees' ammo time and again. Everyone on tour gets a quick geological explanation of the difference between stalactites and stalagmites.

The last part of the tour is a stop at the theatre which seats everyone in the group comfortably. A brief audio performance features "God Bless America" by the fabled Kate Smith.

There are other interesting things to do and see at Meramec Caverns. Visitors of all ages enjoy zip lining high above the Meramec River and the forest nearby. There is a gigantic gift shop, a fudge shop, a restaurant and ice cream stand and an outdoor display where anyone can pan for gold. There is also a riverboat cruise, costing a family of four about $40.

When you enter the park, the first thing you see are tents all around the park and on the banks of the Meramec River. There are ample companies to accommodate flat boat and canoe trips down the river.

Meramec Caverns is open year-round and the tour is handicap accessible, though miles of walking is required. The tours are fun, informative and reasonably priced.

The grandkids got miner-style hard hats with lights. They were happy campers to say the least. And best of all, its a cool 60˚ F in the caverns year round. That’s pretty nice when the surface temperature outside is about 100˚ F and the humidity is near the saturation point.

Check out the website for more details.