The Caverns- Grundy County Tennessee

Welcome to a new category with Eric & Jo On the Go as we explore music and adventure. We took a quick trip to Tennessee in March of 2024 because one of our all time favorite bands (Dawes, seriously, go check them out then come back and finish here, we’ll wait) would be performing at a very unique venue. This unusual venue was a cave which upon further research, also offered extreme adventure tours. We immediately scoured the internet for cheap flights, found another show at the iconic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville for two days later and our minds slowly exploded as an epic plan came together. Our favorite band, cheap plane tickets, a chance to explore music city, a cave adventure, seriously, how much better could it get?

After getting off the plane and into our rental vehicle in Nashville, we made the relatively short drive of about 1 hour 40 minutes to the Caverns. The Caverns are near Pelham Tennessee which doesn’t have a ton going on but does have at least a hotel or two so lodging is available. Since the flight from Michigan to Nashville is so short we were able to fly in on the same day as the concert. There were some food trucks outside of the venue where we grabbed some fancy loaded baked potatoes and then headed into the cave to catch the show.

As you enter the venue portion of the cave there is a bar to the right and a bathroom area to the left constructed to look like stone so it fits in with the rest of the cave. You can definitely tell you are underground as the cave has a bit of a unique odor. It isn’t terrible or anything but does have a touch of eau de basement situation going on. The lights and speakers are drilled directly into the cave walls/ceiling and it is truly an amazing and unique space in which to experience a concert. I would highly recommend catching at least one show here if you are a music enthusiast like we are. According to the official website, the cavern stays at an even 59 degrees year round with 91% humidity so it’s cool in the summer and warmer in the winter than the outside temps. With the naturally occurring climate control, it makes a lot of sense why people and animals have used caves as shelter for thousands of years.

The area behind the stage is a natural cave-in of one of the tunnels and makes for a perfect backdrop for lighting while the musicians perform. In addition to being a venue there are campsites and other lodging options available at The Caverns. With the concert taking place on a Sunday evening, we just nabbed a cheap hotel nearby so we could come back the next day for an adventure tour. While we often opt for the cheapest camping option available, kickin’ it in hotels this trip meant we didn’t have to bring any camping gear along (bougie, I know). If you would like to read more about our usual car camping set up you can check out this post.

The staff at The Caverns were incredible. As soon as I knew we were going there for the concert I had to see how we could get on this “adventure tour” I found on their website. It is described as “extremely challenging” and encourages folks to ask any questions ahead of time. I reached out to see what exactly “extremely challenging” meant. In their responses they let us know that there are both mental and physical challenges on the tour including some very tight spaces. They were quick to respond and very honest and straight forward with answers to all of my questions and we were confident we could do the adventure tour. They do also offer normal walking tours as well where you can walk through the large open areas of the cave and get loads of details and history on this natural phenomenon if you are not feeling the “extremely” challenging and “slightly” claustrophobic version of the tour.

*Claustrophobia warning, the next photos and video may increase your heart rate if you do not like tight spaces.*

The adventure tour started out by following the guide down a ladder into a hole in the ground that was reminiscent of a sewer grate. After we checked out some salamanders and giant cave crickets that resemble spiders so much the guide says they lovingly call them “sprickets”, we had to mission impossible our way along a stone channel, back pressed up against one side of the rocks and feet on the other side to keep our bodies/booty up out of the water. Spoiler: eventually we still got wet and muddy.

Next up was tombstone pass which takes approximately 10 minutes to crawl through with barely 18” of vertical space. You are surrounded on all sides by solid rock and have to put your arms out straight first because there is not enough room to pull them up next to you once entering the pass. You then scoot and sort of army crawl/slither forward using your toes to inch along. If you are claustrophobic at all you may not want to do this tour. If you are on the edge though and think you might want to try it, I say go for it. Just remember that nobody has ever actually gotten stuck in here (can confirm no human remains in this passage) and your guide is experienced and will walk you through it, or crawl you through it in this case. As long as you can keep control of your mind, keep moving forward and don’t panic you will be just fine. Eric and I both might have a tiny bit of claustrophobia but we made it with only mild discomfort.

Not only do you get the memories, fun pics, and a rad t-shirt, after making it through tombstone pass the first time you get to go back through it AGAIN on the way out. That’s like two for the price of one! Seriously, we wear our shirts all the time and they’re included in the price of the tour which is an added bonus. As you can see this is a down and dirty adventure so the guide was kind enough to take photos for us saving us the of risk damaging our phones. There was no additional charge for this service either which you don’t encounter often. It seems that guided tours always try to get ya at the end with those photo add-ons, ugh! Not here though, photos and t-shirt, tour and mud in every nook and cranny is all included.

In addition to the extremely helpful and knowledgeable tour guide, The Caverns also provided all the necessary gear including knee pads, helmet with light, gloves and bottled water. Things that you will need to bring or keep in mind are some fresh shoes to change into after. Also a trip to a laundromat may be in order. It turns out that trying to wash shoes and clothes in the hotel bathroom makes for a very funky smelling room for the next few days as they dry. I probably would have opted for a good water shoe with a grippy tread personally, but I didn’t have any at the time nor did I know I would need them. Crocs or sandals are a no go as it has to be something closed-toed with reasonable tread that can’t fall off your foot while traversing very slippery, muddy surfaces in low light along the tour. A long sleeve tee may be a good idea as well, I did have a few scrapes on my arms from dragging myself over rather sharp rocks, not a deal breaker, just a tip to make the journey a little more comfy. I was definitely glad for the helmet, I can’t even count how many times I was saying “ope, glad I have a helmet on” as I bonked my gourd on a rock every ten minutes or so. This is a pretty common phrase for the old Jo-nado though, I do have a tendency to bonk, slip, trip or fall off my bike so brain protection is always a good thing.

The Caverns’ staff were so incredibly accommodating. They didn’t normally offer the adventure tour on Mondays but made an exception and brought the guide in on his day off for us as it was the only day we would be in town. We were so grateful to have had the opportunity to experience this hidden part of our natural world. We got to experience total darkness in one area where our guide had us sit down and then turn off our headlamps and his guide light. It was such an incredible feeling to be so far underground and lose all sight. Our other senses immediately tried to compensate, we could hear little drips all around us, maybe the rustle of a bats wings. We could smell the rock and mud, even the water with is varied minerals. As I waved my hand in front of my face I marveled that I could feel the wind from my flapping hand but I couldn’t see anything, it was just absolute nothingness. This is a sensation that we have only experienced in a cave. Think about it, have you ever been in absolute dark? I am not talking about just closing your eyes to go to sleep dark. I am talking about absolute blackness. No stars, no light pollution, no moonlight, not even a nightlight, just complete and utter blackness.

I don’t want to give away all the details of the tour because that would totally defeat the purpose of experiencing it for yourself, which I highly suggest you do. But here is another shot in tombstone pass on the way back. We have been in a lot of caves, which seems like a weird thing to say but they are literally everywhere. I suppose it isn’t so strange when you think about it though. Just like mountains, lakes and rivers that we see above ground, caverns can be found underground in all kinds of places. We have explored them in Puerto Rico, Spain, Mexico, Tennessee, Kentucky, Utah and I am sure we will encounter many more as our travels continue.

I love how distinctly different caves are from so many other natural features. They have a plethora of varied mineral deposits which result in a multitude of different colors and smells. Some have giant lakes and others just small trickles of water. This one had a literal rushing river with rapids and a waterfall completely underground. Some offer tours where you can walk upright, others where you crawl on your belly like a worm or zip line into a giant lake and swim through the entrance to the cave. There are forgotten caves in the hills of Puerto Rico that look like something straight out of an Indiana Jones movie with nobody around but the bats that sing sweet squeaking songs as they flutter past your head. We have been in others that have stalactites that when struck sound like a gong, and more still that sparkle like diamonds and are buried beneath a castle. This tour was definitely the most mentally and physically intense that we have encountered so far but it was 100% worth it.

After crawling around in the cave/mud for four hours we emerged wet, dirty and with giant smiles on our faces. We worked up quite the appetite as you can imagine so we changed into some clean clothes in the bathrooms at the store, collected our hard earned tombstone pass t-shirts and made the drive back to Nashville for some famous hot chicken. But that’s a story for another day, so for now, check the line up at The Caverns and see if there is an adventure and a concert waiting for you in Tennessee!