New Tour debuts at Natural Bridge Caverns

Two never-before-seen underground chambers are now open to the public at Natural Bridge Caverns. Characterized by rare “soda straw” stalactites, calcite crystals that gleam like snow and a varied landscape of delicate formations, the Illuminations Tour extends to depths of nearly 200 feet and uses cinematic lighting to reveal the cavern’s interior.
Some of its ever-growing formations resemble sea anemone, icicles, flesh and even food — one type, in fact, is known as “cave bacon.” But tempting as they are to touch, the cave’s walls remain off-limits.
“One of the first rules is you’re never supposed to touch the cave with your skin,” said Travis Wuest, vice president of Natural Bridge Caverns, Inc.
Oils, acids and dirt from hands can create a buildup, he said, and
eventually prevent mineral growth on the rocks.
The new tour’s talking points include its unusually long soda-straw
formations — one of which, at about six feet in length, is the
second-longest in North America. Accented with careful lighting, the
stalactite hangs in midair like a translucent string, backdropped by a
theater of formations called the Cathedral.
Natural wonders such as these grow slowly over millennia, when rainwater penetrates soil to mingle with carbon dioxide. The resulting acidic mix absorbs minerals and eventually seeps from a cavern’s ceiling, creating a slow drip that becomes stalactites and stalagmites at a rate of about one cubic inch every 1,000 years.