I live in Northeastern Alabama, where it’s difficult to find good day-trip vacation spots for me and my daughter. But, when my almost-three-year-old woke up this morning and specifically requested that we go to see a cave, I had no reason to tell her no.
I thought back to a field trip I had taken in first grade to DeSoto Caverns Park in Childersburg, Alabama. I remembered getting lost in a giant maze, and having to be retrieved by two chaperones. I also recalled panning for gemstones in an artificial river and exploring what, at the time, seemed to be the most magnificent cave in the world. I wanted my daughter to have that experience.
DeSoto Caverns was surprisingly hard to find from my home in Gadsden. I had mistakenly believed that I didn’t need directions; that I could simply head toward Childersburg and follow road signs from there. However, I got lost several times and the trip took an hour more than I expected. So, if you are headed to DeSoto Caverns, make sure that you get specific directions to the park, not just to Childersburg– especially if you have as poor of a sense of direction as I do.
The turnaround drive was worth the experience. We had a forty-five minute tour of DeSoto Caverns itself, which was enjoyable for both myself and my daughter. The tour was completely private because we were the only visitors there that day. The guides showed us several distinct rooms and explained the history and geology behind some of the most interesting formations.
Although the tour-guides were friendly and sweet, they were not quite as professional as I would have hoped. They also stated a few mildly misinformed facts about the history of the area– particularly when they concerned the native peoples who inhabited the region. I nevertheless found the tour interesting and was happy to see the the fascinating formations that stuck out in my childhood memories. “Bugs Bunny’s Cellar,” a cavern-room filled with carrot-like stalactites, was as magical as I had remembered. The giant “jellyfish” formation fascinated my daughter as much as I had expected.
The tour of DeSoto Caverns included a light show, which involved a series of fountains, audio-recordings, and colored halogen lights flashing in an otherwise-unlit cavern room. I found the show itself beautiful, but I wasn’t a fan of the theme– it told the story of creation as written in the Book of Genesis. I’m not opposed to Christianity in any way, but I am not religious and didn’t find the show to be very inclusive of agnostic, atheist or otherwise non-Christian families. I would have preferred to see a more culturally inclusive light show theme.
After the tour of DeSoto Caverns, my daughter and I visited the rest of the DeSoto Caverns park. We only did one activity separate from the cave itself– I was determined to conquer the giant maze that had defeated me eighteen years ago. The maze was fun for both me and my daughter, especially since the school-bullies weren’t there to pick on me this time. I found myself smirking at the memory as the two of us found the exit to the maze.
Overall, the trip was reasonably inexpensive. Because my daughter was under three years old, her admission to the cave was free. My own cavern-ticket cost only about $20 including tax. The activities, including the maze, were a bit steep at $6 per attraction. I still viewed the experience as a very worthwhile investment for an enjoyable, educational and sentimental experience with my daughter.
I’m not sure that I would repeat the experience until my daughter is old enough to understand or appreciate it more completely. I believe that the target age for visiting DeSoto Caverns Park is probably about 6-10 years; these children can enjoy the experiences while understanding their meaning and value. I would recommend a trip to DeSoto Caverns Park to families living in, or visiting, the region who have children.
My Daughter’s Own Review:
“We saw a cave at the Soda Caverns [sic] in Child’s Burger [sic], Alabama. And it was fun. The ladies were called tour-guides and they told us about the cave, and about a waterfall in the cave, and we saw a room with carrots and rocks. They turned off the lights and it was very dark. We went to a maze and Mama said, “Let’s go to the giant purple butterfly thingy,” and we did, and it was fun. I would like to go back some time and get lollipops.”
