Bridal Cave is one of the first caves we visited on our vacation in Missouri. It is situated in the Lakes of the Ozarks, not far from Ha Ha Tonka State Park. It is a fabulous place to visit. The cave entrance can be gotten to through the gift shop and the cost at the time we went was $13 and the tour lasted about an hour.
The cave is cool, a steady 60 degrees, and after being outside in the 100 + degree weather, it was a nice change. There are only a few bats and they did not seem to be disturbed as we walked through on our tour.
Centuries ago, the Osage Indians discovered the caves that lie beneath Thunder Mountain. Among the attractions in this cave tour is the Bridal Chapel, and Mystery Lake. The cave is rated as one of the most scenic caves in America.
The most common attraction and the reason for its name is the Bridal Chapel, an area adorned with stalactites that create what is called a pipe organ. These types of stalactites are called drapes. Some of the stalactites are hollow and there was a time where people used to tap on theThe m to make the sound a pipe organ would make.
As the main attraction to the caves, the Bridal Chapel has a legend that goes with its magnificent beauty. The legend of the Bridal Cave is about a young Osage Indian, Conwee, son of Chief Neongo of the Big Hills Tribe, and lived on the north shore of what is now known as Ha Ha Tonka State Park.
Conwee fell in love with the daughter of Elkhorn, the Chief of the Little Hills, on the north side of the Osage River. He desired to have Wasena as his wife. Neither she or her father favored his intentions.
However, Conwee was not going to let this discourage him and left his camp at Ha Ha Tonka in the dark of the night with some of his braves and crossed the Osage River. He kidnaped Wasena and her companion, Irona. They went back across the Osage River to Ha Ha Tonka. As dawn approached, they decided to stop at the cave and conceal their captives.
After a short time in the the cave, Wasena eluded her captor and ran to the cliffs, looming two hundred feet above the Niangua River. When Conwee almost had her, she ran to the edge and leapt over the edge into the river, choosing death over life with one she did not love. From that day foreward, the cliff has become known as “Lovers Leap.”
For Irona, Wasena’s companion, fate was different. She had long been in love with Prince Buffalo, another son of Chief Neongo, and brother to Conwee. After the mourning of the death of Wasena was over, Irona and Prince Buffalo returned to the cave and was married at the place that they were held captive. This stalactite studded room is now called the Bridal Chapel, and gave name to the Bridal Cave, where every year, weddings are held in this very spot.
You can reserve this area for your own wedding by contacting them at the Bridal Cave website. As of this summer over 2,000 couples held there weddings here. There is a boat dock at the opening of the cave where you can go down to and take a boat tour around the lake after the ceremony.
The Bridal Cave is open all year long and is closed only for Christmas Eve and Day, Thanksgiving and New Years Day.
The full tour will start you with a half mile walk through the Northern slopes of Thunder Mountain Park where you will encounter two outdoor classrooms. The second part of the tour is the Lantern Tour of Bear Cave. It has been left in its natural state to allow the participants to concentrate on caving techniques and create an appreciation for the delicate eco-system that is in this area. The third part of the tour is the Bridal Cave. I would highly recommend this for everyone to see, if you are going to be in this area.
