Linville Caverns

Discovered in the 1800's by men intrigued by the mystery of fish swimming out of the mountain, the Linville Caverns are underground labyrinths created from slowly moving ground water.

Preview your trip on the web: Linville Caverns

Learn more

• The Virtual Cave A website full of photographs of caves. There are solution caves, sea caves, lava tube caves, and erosional caves. There is also a link to the U.S. Show Caves Directory and the National Speleological Society so that you can plan a visit to some caves on your own.

Related pages

• Blue Ridge Parkway and Museum of North Carolina Minerals: Students from a five county region actively attend this Museum for experiential learning and are introduced to the wealth of cultural and natural resources of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
• More Than Skin Deep: A Teacher's Guide to Caves: Designed to provide teachers with the resources to educate students about caves, their formation, related life science, and about cave safety.
• Intrigue of the Past: Teach your students about North Carolina's fascinating past. This edition contains lesson plans about the fundamental concepts, processes, and issues of archaeology, as well as essays for the teacher with detailed information about four periods in North Carolina's ancient history.

Related topics

• Learn more about McDowell County, North Carolina, caverns, caves, geology, science, stalactites, and stalagmites.

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Located at the base of Humpback Mountain in the beautiful Linville Valley lies a natural wonder, Linville Caverns. Colorful stalagmite and stalactite formations can be seen there. The most colorful room is the Gilkey Room where the minerals provide the beautiful colors.

The caverns are open daily from March through November. Groups of 25 or more should make arrangements in advance of their visit. Call (828)756-4171 or (800)419-0540 to schedule a tour.

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