Located in the far North East corner of the state of Tennessee Bristol Caverns is one of the oldest, most visited and spectacular attractions in the region. Bring your camera!
The Bristol Caverns are estimated to be more than two million years old and have played many roles in the region including meeting rooms, dance halls, food storage, educational center tourist attraction, and even as secret attack and escape routes for the Cherokee Indian Nation. Bristol Caverns has been a tourist attraction since 1944 and has a rich and unique history. The caverns were first commercialized by Samuel Sesler in 1863. Mr. Sesler discovered the caverns while digging a cellar. After exploring the caverns Sesler began to rent sections of the caverns to his neighbors to store farm produce in the caverns cool and humid climate.
The natural opening to the caverns is sealed as it leads to an immediate 180 foot drop to the cavern floor. After the caverns were discovered a gradual sloping entrance was developed making access to the caverns less hazardous. The caverns were formed by an underground river system and natural erosional forces. The caverns present several remarkable flow stone formations including “Bridal Veil” and “Lover’s Leap” in massive chambers named “Mayor Preston's Chamber,” and “Entrance Hall”. A sizable underground river system is found 180 feet below the caverns entrance. The caverns are filled with impressive stalactites and stalagmites that very in size. Some of the rock draperies are large like trees while others resemble small pencils. Over time some of the formations have grown together forming massive columns reaching from floor to the ceiling of the lofty rooms. Each of the formations are rich in mineral content and present a wide spectrum of rich colors of red, blue, gray, brown and sparkling white.
The caverns are a part of the Appalachian Mountain Region. The caverns are held primarily by Ordovician and Mississipian age rock formations. The rocks typically slant at fairly high angles from geologic thrusting, and are relatively soluble due to their purity. The carbonate strata developed through gradual accumulation in an ancient shallow and tropical sea that geologists call an epeiric or epicontinental sea because of its location in the North American continent. The area has many thick, carbonate-rich structures found within the topography of the geologic formations. As a result of these thick and relatively pure carbonate structures located here, Bristol Caverns has well-developed caves and flowstone formations.
It must be noted that although the surrounding rock formations of the caverns date to 200 to 400 million years ago the actual caverns were formed much later than the surrounding rock and are estimated to only be a few millions of years old, not 100’s of millions of years old like the rock surrounding the caverns.
Today Bristol Caverns offers a one-hour guided walking tour on which visitors learn about the formation of the caverns, the history of the caves and more detail about the caves impressive statistics. The cavern tour follows well lighted and paved walkways through the caverns chambers and along the underground waterway. Walking shoes are strongly recommended.
For braver explorers the Caverns offer “Wild Tours,” where groups venture off the cave’s paved walkways led by trained guides to explore parts of the caverns not normally part of the standard tour.
After exploring the caverns a gift shop can be found on the property where books and souvenirs of your adventure can be purchased.
DIRECTIONS:
From VA. I-81, take exit 3. Go to 6th traffic light and turn left onto Anderson Street. Anderson will become 421 South. Follow 421 South. When it becomes a four lane highway, turn left at traffic light onto state route 435 (Bristol Caverns Highway). Go 2.5 miles to caverns on left.
North bound traffic take exit 69 off of I-81. At end of ramp turn right onto 394E. Stay on 394E past Bristol Motor Speedway. Approximately 6 miles past speedway go straight through traffic light onto highway 435N also called Bristol Caverns Highway. We are located 2 1/2 miles on the left.
From 11E, take Bluff City / Blountville exit. Turn right onto 394 East. Go past Bristol Motor Speedway for 6 miles. Cross 421S and follow state route 435 (Bristol Caverns Highway). Go 2.5 miles to the caverns on the left.
HOURS and CONTACT INFORMATION:
Open Year Round - (Except: Easter Sunday; Thanksgiving; Christmas Eve and Christmas Day):
March 15-October 31: Mon to Sat 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Sun 12:30 P.M. to 5:00 P.M.
November 1 – March 14: Mon to Sat 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Sun 12:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
Tours start every 20 minutes and last for about 1 hour.
Tickets are about $9.00 per adult
Group rates are available for larger groups.
Call 423-878-2011 for more information
BristolCaverns@aol.com
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