Cave of the Mounds

The Midwest Has a Cave and its Only 3 Hours From Chicago!

Thanks to my friend Richard for suggesting this midwest hidden gem. I have been to this cave twice. Both were completely diffrent experiences, although I was expecting the same experience both times. The first time we went was during the pandemic. We had to wear our masks the entire time even during photos which was no problem for me helped me feel a little bit more protected as I thot and bop outside during a global pandemic. We paid $22 per person to walk through this commercial limestone cave. We walked around alone, at our own pace and had lots of time to take the perfect photos. We problally spent an hour inside the cave. It was such a cool experience to decend into a warm cave filled with gross looking limestone structures. Everything looked wet and mysterious. I loved it! I had never seen anything like this before; Actually, I have never been in a cave of any sorts. I felt really safe because the environment felt very controlled. It was impossible to get lost! I think this is the perfect way to explore a cave on your own. Just don't touch anything because the oils from your fingers can damage the cave walls. Some people brought head lamps and black lights to expore the cave more in depth. I really liked the river in the back of the cave. You can shine your light into the abyss and it continues for meters on end. The water makes a cool reflection of the cave walls making a dope illusion for your camera. Also the acoustics in this cave are beautiful. It can make an alto voice sound like a soprano, a mezzo at least. I remember dancing and doing so tiktok challenge, we were so free in there. 

Now for the second visit: Clearly we loved it so much that we had to come back for a second time. But this time was far from the visit we had the first time around. First of all, UGH. Now that I got that off my chest let me explain what happened. Let me start by saying the cave wasnt any less stunning that last time we visited, the problem lies with the guest experience.  We had to go in a group, I thought this was a self exploration! I do not really like full group tours especially in tight places like a cave. For the same price we had to wait around and be escorted by a pushy ass teen guide. I could tell this was her first leadership position because she took it to her head. She even yelled at an old man not to pass her because "we dont know the cave like I do". Me and kam laughed so hard cuz how you gonna get lost in a one way paved cave? But anyway, A kid was crying in our group and the parents let it do anything. I like to have kids do stuff and have experiences but not at the expense of other peoples experiences. We were bunched up the entire time with like 30-35 people. We couldnt take pictures without the guide turning off the lights and other people being in your photos. It was just to tight to get any pictures alone. No fault to anyone in our group for that. honestly I couldnt wait for it to be over so I can go explore some of the grounds outside. I ended up messaging the tiktok page and telling them about my experience. They apologized and assured me this was an one off experience. They also said they plan on bringing self guided tours back. To me the best way to explore this cave is on your own with the lights on. Happy trails yall!