There’s something awesome about waking up in the morning, loading up the van and heading out on a road trip. I find it even better when it’s spontaneous! We do this often as it adds to the excitement. But every morning, without fail, one of our kids takes turns being our alarm clock. You might wake up to the words, “I have to go to the bathroom!” or in the midst of the morning silence, you sense something near you and as you awake, you’re horrified to find a little body just standing right next to you not saying anything. My kids know how to creep me out! You can’t go back to sleep after something like that. With that said, I love to be the first to wake them up which is hardly ever. So one morning I got to shout “GET UP! WE’RE GOING TO A CAVE!” Of course, no one moved so I went and drank some coffee. But they heard it and once they were up, I could see their little faces light up. “We’re going to a cave?” We had a great adventure ahead of us.
With so many hidden treasures in Oklahoma, there are plenty of places to visit. So we decided to head to the Alabaster Caverns State Park. This was our first time and it did not disappoint!
The caverns are about a two hour and forty-five minute drive from the Oklahoma City area. Oklahoma has everything from waterfalls and natural springs to desserts and mountains. So there is always something to see on the way to our destination. The park itself is set on 200 acres. Alabaster rock is a rare form of gypsum that is slightly softer than a fingernail which makes these caves so special.
The Alabaster Caverns State Park is the largest natural gypsum cave in the world. There are 12 tent sites that are available to first come, first serve. If camping outside isn’t your thing, there are about 11 RV sites as well. You will also find picnic areas, hiking trails, grills, water, group shelter with electricity and a volleyball court. They even have a gift shop.
Each 45-minute tour is at the top of each hour between 9 am and 4 pm. You end up walking 3/4 of a mile that includes 330 stairs. When we went, many of the stairs were a little muddy. So make sure you wear your old walking shoes. Once you’re in the caves, the temperature stays just below 60 degrees.
The guide kept us engaged with all of the interesting history and facts of the caves. He told us that we might even see a bat or two. How cool is that? There was a lighting system in the handrails that was timed to move with our tour. So make sure you stay with the group. The caves had water flowing throughout and not too far in, we saw a waterfall. Our kids were loving every minute of it. And we actually saw a couple of bats. They were tiny and hanging from the top, so no worries there. Speaking of the top, look up ever so often. When you do, you will see these areas on the ceiling called upside down bathtubs. So cool!
If you are a little more adventurous, or if you don’t have small kids, there are four self-guided wild caves you can explore. This is also known as spelunking. There are even some you can swim in and they vary from 550 feet to 1600 feet in length.
You always wonder if the places you go to will be safe for your kids and keep their interest. All of the employees made us feel safe and very informed of everything the caverns had to offer. And our kids couldn’t stop talking about all of the things they loved about the caverns. One of the great things is that you’re allowed to touch the alabaster and that helped so much with our kids getting to really explore everything. I highly recommend the Alabaster Caverns State Park to anyone!
Check out our trip to Charleston!
Are you planning a spontaneous road trip soon?
