Visit Austin: Inner Space Cavern

 Mahalo to Inner Space Cavern for the hosted admission.  Guide gratuity was paid on our own.

When researching family-friendly attractions in Austin, one of the most frequently mentioned attractions was Inner Space Cavern.

We arrived at Inner Space Cavern about 30 minutes before opening time, and were the first in line (it was Spring Break so we wanted to avoid having to wait in a long line).  We made it on the first tour, which began with a safety video.

In the video, we were reminded of safety rules and to not touch anything (we would later learn on the tour that it takes 15 years for one's fingerprints to naturally dissolve from the cave elements).

Our tour guide, Logan (who dished out a lot of educational information while also being very entertaining with pun-filled jokes), then took us down into the cavern.  

Inner Space Cavern was discovered in 1963, after the Texas Highway Department drilled through (there are parts of the tour where you can see the drill holes!). 

After being surveyed, the cavern was opened up to the public a few years later, where guests could view some of the most amazing formations that nature created.

Once down in the cavern, we all took obligatory souvenir photos (I personally buy them whenever we visit attractions if they are offered), then Logan began his tour.

We saw so many amazing structures, from the most intricate and fragile, to cathedral and monolithic.

The formations take hundreds of years to form, and many are given nicknames, like "soda straws" and "bacon," because of their resemblance to those items.  

The formations were in a spectrum of colors, shapes, and sizes, and I loved the variety of qualities, making some look rough and jagged, others smooth and flowing, and others like they were floating in air.

I especially enjoyed how Logan engaged the kids by describing certain formations in relatable objects and characters, such as different ice cream flavors and characters from Finding Nemo (my youngest son thought the "Pet Rock" was very funny).

It was just incredible to see the different formations, and we also saw bats, water features, and even flint!

One of my favorite parts of the tour was when Logan turned off the lights (there are lights throughout the cavern in order for guests to see specific features), and it was completely pitch black in the cavern - like nothing I have ever experienced before.  

The kids enjoyed the tour, and they learned so much as well, such as the kinds of animals that fell in a sinkhole into the cavern (we even saw fossils), that the saber toothed tiger doesn't exist (it's really a saber toothed cat), and that one of the sinkholes is the size of a football field.

The entire tour was just over an hour, and it was a fairly easy walk.  There were parts where you had to walk down an incline (railings are available) or stoop down to avoid hitting your head, but the tour was nicely paced and enjoyable, with plenty of opportunities to take photos (no video is allowed).

Inside the cave was comfortable - it's a constant 72 degrees Fahrenheit with 98% humidity.  Shoes are highly recommended (some parts of the path were wet).

Before or after your tour, be sure to stop by Inner Space Mining!

After our tour, we bought a bag of paydirt, and my youngest panned for gemstones.

We had to wait a bit for someone to turn on the water, but once the water was on, he sifted through the sand and ended up with a variety of gemstones (a handy gem guide is given when you purchase your bag of paydirt).

Inner Space Cavern offers a variety of tours and even a Zip Ride!  For more information, visit https://innerspacecavern.com/.

Inner Space Cavern
4200 S I-35 Frontage Rd

Georgetown, TX 78626
(512) 931-2283