Yesterday, facing another afternoon near 100 degrees F, we opted to take our grandsons to Mark Twain Cave in the Mississippi River Valley, just south of Hannibal, Missouri. Renowned for its part in Mark Twain's novels and for its role as a refuge for Jesse James, the cave was discovered in the mid 19th Century and began to attract tourists soon thereafter. Festooned with autographs from the 1800s, this limestone cave (which has about 3 miles of passageways) remains a popular escape from the summer heat and tours start every 15 minutes or so.
Having visited caves across the country, Mark Twain Cave is far from the most spectacular but was plenty interesting for our grandsons. The narrow passageways are artificially lit and, like most commercialized caves, many of its formations are named. Unlike most limestone caverns, "water features" such as stalactites, stalagmites and flowstones are very limited and only a few small pools were encountered. Due to the steady influx of humans, few bats inhabit the cave.
Despite its popularity and artificial features, Mark Twain Cave was interesting from a historical point of view and our guide was both informative and personable. Of course, an hour or so out of the oppressive summer heat was especially welcome (the cave temperature is 52 degrees F, year round).
