Marengo Cave in Marengo Indiana

Marengo Cave in Marengo Indiana ended up being the second (of four) caves that we visited recently on the Indiana Cave Trail.  All of these caves are pretty much in the southern part of the state and they are very accessible from Kentucky.

We started out driving around 7 in the morning to make it to Marengo by the time they opened at 9.

We got there right as they opened, and a few other small groups were hanging out, getting ready to buy tickets. 


At Marengo Cave, they do have two different tours that you can take.  The main one is the Dripstone Trail Tour.  This one is a mile, and is about an hour long.  The other tour is the Crystal Palace Tour.  This one takes 40 minutes and is shorter.

They have a combo ticket for both.  We had a $2 coupon too (most of the caves have coupons for the other caves on the trail).  So, the combo ticket actually isn't much more than the Dripstone ticket.  If you like spending time in caves, you might as well do both.


I could think of reasons to just do one of the tours though.  I think either tour would be fine for an older person, or for someone not wanting to do too strenuous of a cave tour.

After we bought our tickets, we looked around the well maintained and stocked gift shop.  Like other caves, they had several cool relics on display in cases.  I love seeing the old souvenirs that were sold in the early days of the show cave's existence.  I also like seeing relics discovered in or around the cave.  I was most impressed with some print blocks used in printing postcards.

We had a great, energetic young guide (and I did not catch her name) for our Dripstone tour, which started around 9:30.  We left from the gift shop, then made our way through a brief trail in a wooded area.  After a few minutes, we made our way to the cave entrance, which we passed on our way to the ticket/gift shop area earlier.

We were shown many formations, and we were told about the basics that you get on any cave tour (the differences between stalactites and stalagmites, total darkness, etc)

We were told about the discovery of Marengo Cave.  Two young siblings basically found it on a neighbors property in 1883.  After telling the neighbor about it (they were going to keep it a secret, but that didn't last long) the neighbor opened it up almost immediately for tours.

At the beginning of our tour, our guide pointed out a white crystal like formation on the ceiling.  It is rare, and they have placed a see through covering over it.

I would say the cave itself  is a bit more cramped than other caves.  It is closed in at places.  It is not a terribly claustrophobic type situation, but you feel like the formations are closer to you than at other caves.

One very memorable area is the Penny Ceiling room.  Mud is on the ceiling, and you are encouraged to throw pennies up, as they may stick.  You could see where many were indeed sticking.  Our guide told us that they do clean them off, and donate them to charity.

Another interesting story about Marengo involves a robbery!  A former employee literally came in and robbed a tour ironically under the penny ceiling.  This happened in the early 80s and the criminal was caught.

They do take a souvenir photo at one point, in front of a formation that looks like an elephant, or a mummy, depending on how you look at it.

As our first trip through the cave ended, another guide came down to start the other tour.  We, along with several others from our tour, were able to simply jump onto this tour without leaving the cave.  It seemed that they kind of time this out with their tours.

Physically, there was no overlap between the two tours.  You were getting to see an entirely different section on each of the tours.  They still covered the cave tour basics (total darkness, stalactites and stalagmites....  you get it).  They also took another souvenir photo in this section too.



After spending nearly 2 hours underground, our tours were over, and we made our way back to the gift shop.

I did pick up my usual patch, postcards, hiking stick medallion, etc.  AND, the cave photos were a very reasonable $10 each, or both for $17.  We bought both of ours, and again, I am glad to see so many caves doing these photos actually INSIDE of the cave!  Also, $10 is very reasonable for a nice souvenir photo.

Next, we walked through a nature trail by the building, and we found the original sink hole entrance where the two children first peeked into the cave.  It is a short walk, and a nice marker notes the area.

After our tours we enjoyed a picnic lunch at one of the picnic tables on the property, next to a very big wind chime.  It was relaxing.

As we visit various caves on our trips, I am really realizing that each one is truly unique.  They all have their own distinct features...  and personalities.