Smallin Civil War Cave

We are excited to begin Winter Solstice Tours - less than 2 weeks from today! If you haven't had a chance to see this natural phenomenon right here in the Ozarks, be sure to set aside time on a sunny December morning to join a Solstice Tour! Check out the event information for more details! #smallincave #smallincivilwarcave #ozarks #missouricaves #WinterSolstice #Missouri #naturalphenomenon #nativeamerican #caves #ozarkmo #springfieldmo

Did you catch Smallin Civil War Cave on KY3's The Place this week? Bring your family to Smallin Civil War Cave this Thanksgiving week and weekend for a fun family outing and tour! We will be closed Thanksgiving Day, but open the rest of the week and weekend! Monday - Saturday 9:30 am - 5:00 pm & Sunday 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm. #smallincivilwarcave #ozarkmo #ozarks #Missouri #missourihistory #missouricaves #springfieldmo #caves

We will be offering Winter Solstice Tours beginning December 12th! During the shortest days of the year, a remarkable phenomenon occurs at the entrance of Smallin Cave. More information coming soon! #smallincivilwarcave #smallincave #winter #wintersolstice #ozarks #ozarkmo #springfieldmo #Missouri #caves #missouricaves

We had a great opening weekend of Civil War Lantern Tours - thank you to all who attended! If you have not yet made reservations, we still have some availability for October and November Lantern Tour dates. Give us a call for details, and visit the event link in the comments below!

Fall in the Ozarks is beautiful - we are enjoying our view here as we see the end of summer moss on the rocks along with the vibrant tinges of early fall leaves! #smallincave #smallincivilwarcave #ozarks #ozarkmo #Missouri #missourioutdoors #missouricave

Cave salamander appearance on the trails to the cave. These guys are easy to spot with their shiny, bright orange coloring! #smallincivilwarcave #smallincave #cavesalamander #missouricaves #ozarks #Missouri #ozarkmo

Smallin Cave was featured for our upcoming Civil War Lantern Tours in the Springfield MO CVB blog today - check it out here!

With the opening of the new Riverside Bridge around the corner, we thought we would share a bit of nostalgia...This photograph shows a baptism in the Finley River some time in the early 1900's. It is believed to be a baptism from Ozark First Baptist Church during the time J.L. Henry was pastor. We ran across this photo years ago, but believe it originated from local historian Wayne Glenn from the Ruth Garrison Faucett family collection. These old photos are so important to preserve and share as we remember those who lived here before us! #smallincave #smallincivilwarcave #ozarks #ozarkmo #baptism #riverbaptism #oldphotos #missouri #missourihistory #history

We are looking forward to perfect fall weather for next weekend's kickoff Civil War Lantern Tour! There are still some tickets available for the September 26th date. Don't wait too long to call and reserve - seating is limited!

Now taking reservations for Civil War Lantern Tours! After much discussion about how to navigate the uncharted waters of 2020, we have made a few changes and are looking forward to a great Lantern Tour season with our guests! Give us a call to make reservations!

HOME SCHOOL FAMILIES! If you are are part of a co-op or home school group that includes at least 20 paying kids and adults, we have put together an amazing educational opportunity for you and your kids! We are offering a "home school field trip" to Smallin Civil War Cave that can cover a number of core objectives including Civil War/pioneer/Native American history, Missouri exploration, geology, and the unique world of cave ecoystems and biology! Call for more details! Due to the overwhelming number of questions we have received concerning policies, price, and other accommodations, please call with questions at 417-551-4545.

We are a little late sharing this beautiful photo, but better late than never...this was taken in the parking lot of Smallin Cave!

The first cool evenings of the fall, the crackle of a campfire, the smell of wood smoke and delicious "on the trail" food, the stars overhead, and the riveting story of the Ozarks in 1861...getting excited??...more info to follow soon about our upcoming Civil War Lantern tours! Photo credit: Missouri Division of Tourism

This little salamander is all tail! #smallincave #longtailedsalamander #cavesalamander #ozarks #missouricaves #missouri #ozarkmo #cavelife

We had a surprise visit today from a Regal Moth Caterpillar - also known as a Hickory Horned Devil! These caterpillars are HUGE and look intimidating, but are harmless. When we found him, he fell from our historic walnut trail marker tree, where he was eating walnut leaves and surprised a group of guests! This guy will soon burrow into the ground to overwinter, and will become a large, beautiful Regal Moth! In the meantime, you might find him hanging around the walnut trees at the cave! #caterpillar #regalmoth #smallincave #smallincivilwarcave #hickoryhorneddevil #missouri #ozarks #missouriinsects #ozarks #wildlife #insects #unusualbugs

This little salamander is all tail! #smallincave #longtailedsalamander #cavesalamander #ozarks #missouricaves #missouri #ozarkmo #cavelife

Looking for ideas for a day trip? Come visit historic Ozark, Missouri!

This old photo (taken near the mouth of Smallin Cave long ago) is easily one of our favorites! You have to wonder how long it took this tree to grow, and the longer you stare at the photo, the more impressive the size of this tree is! The man sitting on the horse has been identified as Jim Anderson. The horse is standing on the stump of the enormous tree! This photo was part of a calendar put together by Scotty Snider of Ozark. The caption of this photo says that the tree was similar to a Catalpa - whatever the kind of tree, it was HUGE!

Spelunking pandemic style

We are open all 4th of July weekend! Bring the whole family for a cave tour of Smallin Civil War Cave and family fun!

While on a cave tour in Smallin Civil War Cave, Eric spotted the apex predator at the top of the food chain in his environment. Smallin Cave's "lion of the cave", the Bristly Cave Crayfish, are scavengers, eating both live prey that they have hunted down as well as scavenging. This particular meal is a salamander.

Smallin Civil War Cave is #12 on I Love Springfield MO’s 30 Outdoor Adventures in 30 Days!

We have an exciting new program to share! Visit Missouri and Arkansas’ beautiful caves and earn an Ozarks Cave Explorer Badge! Reference the original post for details on how to get started, and enjoy exploring Missouri the CAVE state and Arkansas the NATURAL state! #missouricaves #cavestate #missouri #arkansascaves #naturalstate #cave #visitacave

A cool way to social distance! We are now booking Wild Tours for small family groups! If you haven’t yet taken a Wild Tour at Smallin Cave, what are you waiting for? Two hours of underground adventure off the beaten path lit only by the light of your helmet! Did I mention built-in air conditioning?! Contact us for details at 417-551-4545!

A little cave humor to brighten your day! Cartoon credit: Dave Williams

59 years ago today, Civil War Cave, known today as Smallin Civil War Cave, held its grand opening celebration! Here’s a bit of nostalgia - enjoy these photos of the 1960’s Smallin Civil War Cave operation and souvenirs!

Now hiring! If you are looking for a fun, part-time summer job with flexible hours, a tour guide position just came available! Call or email for more details at 417-551-4545 or [email protected]!

We are open all of Memorial Day weekend for tours and family fun! Sunday 1:00-5:00pm & Monday 9:30am-5:00pm!

Lieutenant John is here at Smallin Civil War Cave Saturday from 10:00 am - 4:00pm! After purchasing a tour ticket, you can join Lt. John for a pre-show before your tour begins. With the county guidelines, we have reduced our tour sizes to accommodate social distancing. There may be a short wait for your tour to begin; however, time flies when you're hanging out with Lieutenant John! Lt. John is a wealth of information regarding the local Civil War history, and has mentioned doing musket loading and firing demonstrations and more! Call with any questions at 417-551-4545!

With Memorial Day weekend coming up, we are excited to share that Lieutenant John will be at Smallin Civil War Cave Saturday from 10:00 am - 4:00pm! After purchasing a tour ticket, you can join Lt. John for a pre-show before your tour begins. With the county guidelines, we have reduced our tour sizes to accommodate social distancing. There may be a short wait for your tour to begin; however, time flies when you're hanging out with Lieutenant John! Lt. John is a wealth of information regarding the local Civil War history, and has mentioned doing musket loading and firing demonstrations and more! Call with any questions at 417-551-4545!

Here is a little of our view today at Smallin Civil War Cave - WATER, WATER, and more WATER! A guest who visited us last July requested video of the high water at Smallin Civil War Cave. For those who have visited during a time of drought at Smallin Cave, you will be amazed at how different the cave looks and sounds after heavy rainfall. The intermittent stream bed always maintains pools of water, but after heavy rainfall, the stream becomes a roaring river! The seasonal changes of high and low water leave behind calcium carbonate which forms our beautiful, natural rimstone dams at Smallin Civil War Cave. We love to witness this amazing natural cycle! Without both the dry times and the flood times, Smallin Cave would not have its huge, mammoth-sized rimstone dams and flowstone that are so uniquely characteristic of Smallin Cave!

UPDATE: Thank you all for helping us adjust to the social distancing guidelines over the last couple of weeks! The water is ROARING through the cave right now after the recent rain, making social distancing more challenging. (It’s quite a water show!) Please come prepared with a face covering to help us follow the guidelines where social distancing can be difficult!

We spy Smallin Civil War Cave! The Missouri Division of Tourism featured Missouri caves on the 2020 travel guide - request a copy to check out Missouri’s beautiful and amazing caves!

Our Pickerel Frogs haven't gotten the memo about social distancing... On a side note, we want to thank our amazing guests for being patient with us as we give tours of Smallin Cave within the new guidelines! We love you all, and want to thank you for your continued support!

For the month of May, we are making available a "Virtual Tour" of Smallin Civil War Cave for teachers, parents, and students. May is typically "field trip season" at Smallin Cave, and since the students couldn't visit this year, we thought we would bring a little of the cave's history and beauty to them! Share with your friends and educators! Teachers, if your school was scheduled for a field trip to Smallin Civil War Cave this spring, contact us for information about a special offer for your students this summer! 417-551-4545

We are happy to announce that we will be reopening as of Monday, May 4th! We will be following all federal, state, and local guidelines, and are recommending that all guests (of every age including children) bring a face covering to wear during the cave tour. We can’t wait to see you all!

Caves are the best thing to love about our area, right!? Maybe we are biased, but we are proud to be the Cave State! #smallincave #fantasticcaverns #talkingrockscavern #missouricaves #cavestate #springfieldmo

Wanetta finished the new photo board - here is the finished product! With a little more time before we open again for tours...what should we try to get Wanetta paint next!? #smallincave #smallincivilwarcave #photoboard #missouri #ozarkmo #springfieldmo #cave #missouricaves

It’s field trip season, but it doesn’t feel like it! We would normally have hundreds of kids laughing, learning and having fun at the cave in the Spring sunshine...we are really missing the kids! This photo shows a field trip to Smallin Cave by Drury University long ago. The cave has been a setting for field trips for a LONG time! While we do not know the specific date of this photo, it is some time around the early 1900’s. Let us know if you have any details about this photo! #smallincave #smallincivilwarcave #ozarkmo #fieldtrip #springtime #endofschoolyear #missouri #springfieldmo #missouricaves

Another glimpse of Spring at Smallin Cave! The giant redbud tree in the valley of the cave is in full bloom today, the may apples are leafed out, and the valley walls are covered with greenery and flowers - Spring is here! #smallincave #smallincivilwarcave #spring #missouri #missouricave #redbud #mayapples #ozarkmo #springfieldmo #ozarks #caves

10 years ago today, we opened Smallin Civil War Cave for tours. As we were filling out disaster relief paperwork today, when I signed my name, I noticed the date. We never could have foreseen a disaster that would temporarily shut us down 10 years ago, but we wouldn't change a thing. Thank you for your support throughout the years; we love you all and look forward to the next ten years with our beloved friends and guests! - Love Kevin and Wanetta

We wish you all could be here to see the beautiful Missouri wildflowers in bloom in the valleys of Smallin Cave and Fielden Cave! There is something comforting about the faithfulness of the turning of the seasons. Things will return to normal soon; the flowers are reassurance of that! In the meantime, enjoy these pictures of spring time in the Ozarks! *Just a reminder: we are temporarily closed for tours, but we wanted to share these photos with you! #Smallincave #Smallincivilwarcave #Missouri #Ozarks #Wildflowers #Missouriwildflowers #springtime #Ozarkmo #Springfieldmo #missouriseasons

This is why we call this flowstone drapery formation the "Showerhead"! When the water levels in Smallin Cave rise, the water from the horizontal bedding plane funnels through this formation like a showerhead. Disclaimer: this would be a COLD shower! *Just a reminder: we are temporarily closed for tours, but we wanted to share this video with you!

Wanetta is grateful for a little extra time to finish the photo boards that we are adding this year! Now she is officially ahead of schedule! We miss our amazing customers and can’t wait to see your smiling faces testing out these signs when we open again!

The Smallin Cave and Fielden Cave streams are ROARING right now! We will try to post a video later to share the incredible volume of the water! *Just a reminder: we are temporarily closed for tours, but we wanted to share these photos with you!

Peaceful...standing in the entrance of Smallin Cave in the spring time, it is easy to understand why the Osage considered this to be a sacred place #smallincave #smallincivilwarcave #ozarkmo #springtime #springfieldmo #ozarks #missouri #missouricave #caves

Here are some beautiful photos taken at the cave today - a blush of green and spring time flowers are starting to fill the valley! The stream is LOUD, but lovely!

We are open for tours, and are taking extra precautions and sanitization measures to keep our customers and employees safe and healthy! Come enjoy the waterfalls and natural beauty of Smallin Cave!

Smallin Civil War Cave is located just 20 minutes south of Springfield and full of recorded history dating all the way back to the Native Americans. Explore the... cave in all its glory and dive into the rich history of how it came to be an attraction fit for all ages. Take a guided tour or in the fall, take one of their specialized lantern tours. Find their hours of operations and ticket prices at smallincave.com See more

We are accepting applications for one more week! If you are interested in joining our crew at Smallin Civil War Cave, check out the information below & submit an application by email before the end of February! --------- Job Description------- We are now hiring for a part-time, seasonal cave guide position at Smallin Civil War Cave! The date of training and employment would begin in early March.... An enjoyment of public speaking and a love for people are required - no extensive knowledge of history or caves is required. We provide articulate training. We just need passionate individuals to come join our team! The job would include: -Giving guided tours of Smallin Civil War Cave to groups of varying size and age -Assisting with activities for groups such as gemstone panning and other pre-organized activities -Light maintenance and general cleaning Dates and hours of work will vary by the season. Some weekend and holiday hours will be required - those are our busiest times! Please submit resumes by email to [email protected]. You are also welcome to call with questions at 417-551-4545.

We are now hiring for a part-time, seasonal cave guide position at Smallin Civil War Cave! The date of training and employment would begin in early March. An enjoyment of public speaking and a love for people are required - no extensive knowledge of history or caves is required. We provide articulate training. We just need passionate individuals to come join our team! Please submit resumes by email at [email protected]. No Facebook messages about job inquiries, please! You are also welcome to call with questions at 417-551-4545.

A few photos of the snow at Smallin Cave today! Today is the first time we have captured photos of the steam coming off of the water during the snow - caused by the temperature difference between the water and the air. How beautiful is this!? #smallincave #smallincivilwarcave #winterlandscape #ozarks #missouri #ozarkmo #springfieldmo #cave #missouricave #winter

Smallin Civil War Cave was recognized as a significant Sacred Site along with 7 other sites in Missouri Life Magazine! Check out the link below! #Smallincave #Smallincivilwarcave #Missouri #Missouricaves #Missourihistory #Ozarks #Ozarkmo #Springfieldmo #caves #Nativeamericanhistory #sacredsites

We are open New Years Day, and will be giving tours between 9:30 am - 5:00 pm!

We put together a time lapse of the reflection of the stream on the ceiling of Smallin Cave during the Winter Solstice effect this week - the conditions have been perfect! The photos documented the effect from 9:00am-12:00pm.For more information about the significance of the Winter Solstice at Smallin Cave, check out the KSMU article posted earlier today, and come see us! #Smallincave #Smallincivilwarcave #Wintersolstice #Ozarks #Ozarkmo #Springfieldmo #Missouri #Osage #caves #missouricaves #sunglyph

KSMU wrote a great article on the significance of Smallin Cave to the Osage during the Winter Solstice! Here is a link - check it out!

Look at this photo taken on this morning’s Winter Solstice tour! The effect is surreal! Winter Solstice tours of Smallin Cave will continue for the next week (with the exception of Sundays and Christmas Day), so don’t miss your chance to see it! Solstice tours leave at 10:00 am for another week between Monday December 23rd and Saturday December 28th! #smallincave #smallincivilwarcave #wintersolstice #ozarkmo #missouri #ozarks #springfieldmo #missouricaves #caves

On sunny mornings during the Solstice period, the "solstice effect" in Smallin Cave is on full display. The forecast for Saturday morning says partly sunny, so we are hoping for the full effect! Sunshine permitting, bring your cameras! The tour leaves at 10:00 am!

We all dressed in 1860’s theme for our Christmas party this evening! Merry Christmas from the Smallin Cave crew!

Look at we have been working on! This adorable Pioneer family photo board with cutout faces (coming in the Spring) will allow guests to take their photos as Ozarks Pioneers and become part of the history at Smallin Cave!