Florida’s Panhandle has a lot to offer. A quick day trip from Tallahassee, Destin, Jacksonville/St. Augustine, or even Orlando; you can find caverns in Florida. You can visit these caverns as a part of Florida Caverns State Park. There is a fun waterhole in which you can go swimming, but the real attraction is the cavern exploration.
Things to do in Florida Caverns State Park
Florida Caverns Cave Tour
This is the main attraction of the Florida Caverns State Park! This expansive series of caverns has a lot to explore. Inside you’ll find cool air, the sound of dripping water, and an array of stalactites, stalagmites, flowstones, and draperies. It makes the caverns feel otherwordly.
The caverns offer a rare site and opportunity for all visitors. In the 1930s, the Civilian Conversation Corps workers enlarged the cave passageways by hand so visitors could stand upright. You can even see the chisel marks.
What to expect from a cave tour?
Before the tour starts you’ll go through safety training with the guide. You can expect stooping several times to pass through areas with lower ceilings, approximately 4.5 feet. Also, expect narrow passages, ascending or descending steps, and slippery walkways. The safety briefing will review all this information as well as the importance of not touching anything.
The guided tours will take you from the visitor’s center 350 feet to the cavern entrance. To enter the caverns there is a staircase that’ll take you to the dimly lit caverns with year-round 65F temperatures. This is why you will want to bring a headlamp or flashlight. You might not have cell service when down in the caverns.
The tour actually moves at a very leisurely pace through the whole cave. If the group wants to stop and see a room the tour guide doesn’t rush you. They also encourage questions and pictures. The guides are very knowledgeable about the cavern’s history, early uses, and geological facts.
Since the caverns are naturally occurring and part of the ecosystem, you might actually encounter animals while touring! We didn’t see any animals, but the guide did warn us about bats.
We did the VIP Flashlight tour. This is a tour that occurs as the sun sets and all the lights inside the caverns are turned off. You do have to bring flashlights/headlamps to be able to see. They will actually not let you go into the caverns without one.
Things to bring for the tour:
- Headlamp
- Comfortable sneakers with a good grip
- A light sweater
If you forget the headlamp you can rent some from the gift shop. Our Park Ranger Tour Guide was kind enough to lend us an extra flashlight because our headlamps were not very bright. We have leveled up the headlamp game since then.
It was such a unique activity. We got to experience the only caverns in Florida. There are so many different formations that change over time. What we saw may not be there years from now which is crazy to think about. The rocks also have a little glitter to them.
Swimming in Florida Caverns State Park
A really cool thing about Florida is that they have over 1,000 swimming holes! So not only do you have miles of beaches there are also swimming holes and lakes. Florida is pretty cool that way. Blue Hole Spring is the swimming hole at Florida Caverns State Park.
Blue Hole Spring
This beautiful swimming hole with bright blue or green water depending on the light and season. The main problem is that it’s always 64F. For me, that is just too cold for swimming. In peak summer, it might be perfect for cooling off.
Since the swimming hole comes from naturally occurring spring water, it is fresh and self-temperature controlled. But if the 64F water is too cold for you too, there are perfect picnic areas on the shores of the swimming hole.
Hiking in Florida Caverns State Park
There are many paths for hiking and walking in the state park. The coolest one is the Tunnel Cave part of Bluff Trail. This is a cool tunnel that kind of feels like an underground cave, but it is not. It is definitely worth checking out as a mini-cavern precursor.
Bluff Trail is an approximately 45-minute-long hike. To cut it shorter you’d be able to go to the Tunnel Cave and then turn back. Keep an eye out for Bluff Trail signs when you drive into the park, the parking lot is about 5 minute’s walk to Tunnel Cave.
If hiking isn’t your thing, maybe you’re into horseback riding. The state park has horse stables and trails for horseback riding.
More things to do in Florida Caverns State Park
The Chipola River runs through the park, which allows for canoeing and kayaking. If you do not own your own canoe or kayak the Gift Shop does rent them. It is colder since it’s a river, but not as cold as the swimming hole!
RV and Tent camping is available as well. They can even accommodate scout camping! Of course, there is a lot of wild life to see for bird watchers. As well as many local Floridian Flowers.
FAQs About Caverns in Florida
How to buy cave tour tickets?
For the caverns, you will want to arrive early as the tours fill up fast. There are very few cavern tour tickets sold online. It is definitely a tour worth doing.
The park has a $5 per vehicle entrance fee. There is also the ability to camp if you are into that. There’s a $20/night fee for camping along with a reservation fee and utility fee.
Can you go inside the Florida Caverns without a tour?
Technically yes, but only for private photo shoots in which you have rented out the whole cavern. For all other cavern entrances, you must go with a guide.
What types of tours are there in the caverns in Florida?
There are 2 types of public tours and you can also have a private group tour or rent the caverns for a wedding photo shoot. The regular daytime tours are booked on a first-come first-serve basis. The VIP Flashlight tour (we did this one) is limited to 20 people max. You can upgrade the tours to include souvenirs.
The daytime tours occur 7 days a week during the season and 5 days a week in the off-season. They cannot do ADA tours at this time. Group packages can be reserved for parties or other celebrations. There are educational tours available as well for field trips.
Finally, you can rent out the whole caverns for a wedding shoot or other private shoots. Find more information here.
When is Florida Caverns State Park open?
Something to keep in mind is that this portion of Florida is on central time! The park is open from 8 am CST until sunset. The cavern tours are offered 7 days a week between Memorial Day and Labor Day (over the summer). There are also off-season cavern tours 5 days a week Thursday -Monday. It is closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Final Thoughts about Caverns in Florida
Between all the walking trails, the swimming hole, and the caverns this park in Marianna is truly a place you can spend all day! Definitely put it on your list next time you find yourself in the Florida Panhandle.
Florida has so many things to offer! Another place with amazing nature is the Florida Keys! Check out our road trip.
