Noel, Missouri - Bluff Dwellers Cavern

Two things really stood out for me on my visit. First, there is a spot in the caverns where a 20-ton rock is precariously balanced on another rock formation, enabling one to tip and move this huge stone with just two fingers.

Second, the tour guide -- Brent - was one of the most amazing I had ever had for any attraction I've ever been to. For such a simple roadside attraction, he was a wealth of information -- not only about the local area and the caves, but about caving, spelunking and other interesting places in the area. He was very polite, knowledgible and answered all of my questions. Don't miss having Brent as your guide! [Levi Combs, 09/19/2009]

Limestone, the stone in which many Ozark caves are formed, covers much of the 60,000 square miles of the Ozark Plateau. It was in a limestone outcrop that Bluff Dwellers Cavern was found and explored in 1925 by the owner of the property, Arthur Browning and two surveyors employed by the highway department, Bob Ford and Bryan Gilmore.

What the Browning family had underneath their farm was astonishing, a network of subterranean corridors channeling the layers of rock like a subway system. With each turn along the many pathways, new wonders came to light. During excavation, artifacts were uncovered that dated back to a Paleo culture that inhabited the Ozarks as far back as 7,000 years ago. [Sandy Howard, 08/28/2009]