Cave enthusiasts visiting Eureka Springs need look no further than these three spectacular, nearby caves: Onyx Cave, War Eagle Cavern, and Cosmic Cavern. Each offers a mix of natural beauty, fascinating geology, and family-friendly adventure.
There’s no end to the fun and adventure you can have during a Eureka Springs vacation and this is particularly true for cavern fans. Arkansas is riddled with caves and 5 Ojo makes the perfect basecamp for exploring three of the states best.
In fact, all 3 are within 30 minutes or less of our Eureka Springs bed and breakfast. Explore underground marvels by day, then relax in our inn’s Victorian charm by night. Perfect!
Onyx Cave
Onyx Cave is the oldest, professionally shown cave in Arkansas. It has been a popular, Eureka Springs attraction since 1893!
The cave gets its name from all the flowstone inside. Flowstone, sheet-like, layered formations resembling frozen waterfalls or draperies, is also known as “cave onyx” – but is actually limestone. Onyx Cave was featured in “It’s Alive,” a classic, b-movie thriller from 1969.
Visitors to Onyx Cave can enjoy a self-guided, 30-minute audio tour of the cave to explore its many chambers and formations.There is also on-site gem panning, axe throwing, gift shop, and snow cones.
Onyx Cave is open year ’round at 338 Onyx Cave Lane in Eureka Springs, just 15 minutes from 5 Ojo. Visit the Onyx Cave website for more information.
War Eagle Cavern
War Eagle Cavern, located on Beaver Lake, is the largest cave in Northwest Arkansas. It features a one-of-a-kind, dramatic lakeside entrance and three levels of caverns. An underground, fresh water spring flows out of the cave’s mouth to Beaver Lake.
War Eagle Cavern opened to the public as a show-cave in 1978. Like Cosmic Cavern above, however, the cave has been used by humans and other creatures since prehistoric times. In fact, bats still live here, with a colony that numbers into the tens of thousands!
One-hour guided tours lead visitors through huge rooms filled with stalactites, stalagmites, domes, ribbons, rimstone dams, and other natural formations. Wild Cavern Tours are also available – but you will get muddy and need to be in good enough shape to crawl through tight spaces and over extremely uneven terrain. Exciting! Other attractions include gem panning, a maze, gift shop, fish feeding, a boat dock, and nature walks.
War Eagle Cavern is located at 21494 Cavern Drive in Rogers, AR, about a half an hour’s drive from 5 Ojo. Visit the cave’s website for more information.
Cosmic Cavern
Cosmic Cavern is Arkansas’s largest privately owned show cave. It was rediscovered in 1845 and has been open to public tours since 1980. I say “rediscovered” because Cosmic Cavern has actually been used off and on by humans since prehistoric times. This is likely due to the fact that its high humidity and constant 62 degrees make it the warmest cave in the Ozarks.
Guided tours of Cosmic Cavern last up to an hour and a quarter and take you through an amazing world of stalactites, stalagmites, draperies, cave bacon, soda straws, and two underground lakes populated with blind cave trout. You’ll also see bats and, if you’re lucky, the cave’s rare, blind cave salamanders.
Cosmic Cave is located about a half-hour from our Eureka Springs inn at 6386 AR-21, in Berryville, AR. Learn more at the Cosmic Cavern website.
What things do you want to do during your Eureka Springs vacation? Let us know! 5 Ojo is happy to help with bookings, tour tips, and breakfast requests to fuel your fun.