By Cheri Sicard
Welcome to our RVing with Harvest Hosts column. This week we are highlighting three caves and caverns attractions that the entire family will enjoy. There is even one cavern tour that’s wheelchair accessible!
So many people have the misconception that Harvest Hosts is only about wineries. This column will bust through those notions. In fact, there is no end to the unique Harvest Hosts experiences open to adventurous RVers, so come along with us each week and explore, or sign up to the feed at the bottom of this post to have our weekly Harvest Hosts picks delivered right to your inbox!
*Please note: To view the links to the host locations below you must be a Harvest Hosts member. Sign up here using code RVTRAVEL for 15% off your membership.
Three awesome caves and caverns with Harvest Hosts
No matter the season or weather outside, you will want to bring a jacket when exploring caves and caverns as their temperatures stay chilly year-round.
Fantastic Caverns, Springfield, MO
Approximately five miles off Historic Route 66 and about an hour north of Branson, Missouri, this North American cavern offers a completely ride-through cave experience. That’s right, even those with mobility issues or confined to wheelchairs can enjoy these caverns as propane-powered Jeep-drawn trams navigate the path left behind by an ancient underground river during a 55-minute tour. You’ll enjoy up-close views of beautiful cave formations like giant columns stretching from floor to ceiling, delicate soda straws glistening with minerals, and tiny cave pearls hidden in crystal-clear water.
How to support this host:
Purchase tours or shop at the extensive gift shop.
Harvest Hosts RV parking at Fantastic Caverns:
Fantastic Caverns has parking for two RVs with a maximum length of 44 feet, or so they say. Judging from the comments from other campers, longer rigs might have some challenges with the available parking.
- Harvest Hosts members learn more about staying at Fantastic Caverns here
- Visit the Fantastic Caverns website
Shenandoah Caverns, Quicksburg, VA
Visit Virginia’s only cavern with elevator service! The caverns tour consists of a one-mile, one-hour walk through 17 spectacular rooms and passageways, accompanied by a knowledgeable guide who will show you all the wonders of this underground world, as well as answer any questions you may have.
How to support this host:
Purchase tours, shop at the huge gift shop, dine at the Cavern Cafe, mine for gemstones (seasonal).
Harvest Hosts RV parking at Shenandoah Caverns:
Shenandoah Caverns offers three RV spaces for overnight parking with a maximum length of 45 feet.
Ohio Caverns, West Liberty, OH
More than two miles of surveyed passageways ranging in depth from 30 feet to 103 feet await visitors to Ohio Caverns. They offer a general tour and a historic tour that goes to different locations in the caverns. If you have to choose just one, go for the general, as the scenery is a bit more spectacular. Ohio Caverns are billed as “America’s most colorful.” These caverns do not have giant rooms and halls like some others I have visited, but they are stunningly beautiful, nonetheless, and indeed colorful because of the various mineral deposits in the rocks.
How to support this host:
Purchase tours, shop at the large gift shop, mine for gemstones.
Harvest Hosts RV parking at Ohio Caverns:
RV Parking is in a scenic lower lot with the neighbor’s cattle as nearby neighbors. They have space for two RVs with a maximum of 45 feet in length.
- Members, check out Ohio Caverns Harvest Host guidelines
- Visit the Ohio Caverns website
- Read about more things to do in the Ohio Caverns area, including a visit to the Airstream factory, in this post.
About Harvest Hosts
Harvest Hosts represents an amazing value for RVers. For one low annual fee, you can overnight stay at thousands of attractions, restaurants, farms, wineries, breweries, churches, and more, across the county (as well as some in Canada and Mexico). Overnight camping is free, although members agree to spend money with the host, so it is a win/win for everyone. Some have water or electric available for an additional fee.
Get 15% off your membership by clicking here and using the code RVTRAVEL.
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##RVT1127
Thank you, Cheri! Caves and caverns are fascinating places and bring welcomed relief from heat and cold. 🙂 We are Boondockers Welcome hosts and get a “free” membership thereby. However, it does not include the Harvest Host (HH) side of the business and the paucity of southeastern US locations precludes us ever joining HH. Westerners and full-timers seem far more capable of truly benefitting from HH membership than we managed in the two years we were members.
I never noticed a paucity of Harvest Host locations anywhere (within reason), and they add new ones every month.
I had a Boondockers Welcome membership for a year and never used it (although I use HH constantly). I was a little apprehensive about staying at private residences and never found myself without other alternatives so I did not renew. (But if I knew it was you, I would not hesitate. 🙂 )
But I know many RVers who love it and use it all the time.
Local politics led us to stop being BW hosts, but you are still welcome to stay if you’re nearby , or choose to check out Chattanooga. Safe travels!
Thank you, Cheri, for sharing these locations! Dog #3 would like to live in a cave so he’d never get too hot. I agree with you; they are chilly. Have a great day and safe travels!