Fantastic Caverns in Springfield is America’s only ride-through cavern where visitors can experience its natural wonders by riding in a Jeep-drawn tram. This 55-minute tour follows a path left by an ancient underground riverbed and provides close views of jaw-dropping geological formations such as giant columns stretching floor-to-ceiling, delicate soda straws glistening with minerals, and tiny cave pearls – not forgetting its year-round temperature of 60 degrees!
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Caves typically require visitors to be physically fit as they typically require them to stoop down to fit through low passageways and climb stairs and inclines for exploration, making them challenging for many – families with young children, seniors and those with physical limitations among them.
Fantastic Caverns will captivate students of all ages with its majestic formations and vast geologic time spans that span millions of years, as well as educational programs that feature exciting adventure elements that bring learning alive.
Fantastic Caverns owner Russ Campbell told KOLR10 that an industrial site near Springfield Regional Airport dumped or leaked TCE into the soil, which polluted well water supplies and at least part of Fantastic Caverns cave. This led to contamination in nearby wells as well as part of Fantastic Caverns itself.
TCE is a cancer-causing chemical and highly toxic for both people and animals, so Fantastic Caverns has installed three vent holes west of their cave to allow TCE vapors to escape, in the hopes that contamination won’t reach their main cave, though Campbell remains concerned for both its future as well as that of those living nearby.
