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Winter is definitely the time to visit The Cave Without a Name, in Boerne, Texas. The constant 66 degree temperat The Cave Without a Name is located less than 12 miles Northeast of Boerne, Texas. Nevertheless, as you drive down the windy road, the miles seem to tick by rather slowly. Fortunately, the scrub brush and cedar tress of the Hill Country landscape provide a backdrop that can calm any anxious soul. My fiancé was skeptical of the trip to begin with, and as we pulled up to the sign, only to realize we still had one more mile down a dirt road to reach the entrance, his annoyance escalated even farther. A small building, that looked deserted, and a lone car greeted us at the end of the dirt road, and I was nervous that my information was wrong. Maybe the cave was closed today, and the drive down the dirt road in our newly washed car was all in vain. However, we did not have to wait long for a head to pop out of the seemingly abandoned building. “We offer tours into the cave if you want,” a man said. Relieved, I jumped out of the car, leaving Walter to park and made arrangements to take the next tour. Inside the building, a log fire roared providing relief from the icy air outside. I slapped down the $22 ($11 per adult) and waited patiently for Walter to strap Caden into the Snuggly and meet me inside. Our tour started with a quick explanation of the history of the caves. According to our guide, Gary, the cave was actually discovered in the mid-1920s, when the people Luckily for us, in 1939, a staircase was built, leading down into the cave, which makes it accessible to pretty much anyone. When you get to the bottom of the staircase, you must duck under a tunnel for about five feet before you enter the main room. The walk down the staircase will not prepare you for the size and grandeur of the cavern. As you come out of the tunnel, the ceiling of the cave opens up to about 70 to 80 feet in height, and the width seems immeasurable. It honestly feels as if you are standing in the center of a ballroom, surrounded, not by dancers, but my stalactites, stalagmites, columns and other cave formations, most of which glitter as if they were wearing diamonds. The 100 percent humidity and warmth of the cave are instantly recognizable, however, it is in no way unpleasant. The cave is so large, that it can be rented out for weddings and concerts. In order to prove the aco Completely alone in the cave, we wandered through the rooms, examining all of the different formations, listening to the incessant sound of cave kisses hitting the floor as they continuously created more formations. Gary would point specific ones out with his flashlight, calling them by silly names that they have created over the years. “The World’s Biggest Onion,” “The Poodle Having a Bad Hair Day,” “The Leaning Tower of Boerne.” He also points out animal bones that litter the floor, some are from the unfortunate animals that fell through the hole during the last century, other are from extinct animals that roamed the earth during the Ice Age. Our wandering eventually led us down to the Guadalupe River, which created a barrier we could not pass. Nevertheless, Gary explained that scuba divers had followed the river for at least two more miles, through the cave. With no where else to go, we turned back and headed up to the above ground world. Surprisingly, as we stepped out in to the glaring sun and cold air, my fiancé was in much better spirits. In fact, he had enjoyed the hike through the cave so much that he could barely contain his excitement. So, with one final goodbye to our new friend Gary, we climbed into our car and cruised back down the mile long dirt road.
If You Go From Austin: Head South on I-35, exit Hwy 46 in New Braunfels. Travel West on 46. When entering Boerne, take 87 North through town to 474. Turn right on 474 and follow for about 6 miles. Turn right on Kreutzburg Road and follow signs. From San Antonio: Take I-10 West to Boerne. Exit 87 North and follow through town to 474. Take right on 474 and follow for about 6 miles. Turn right in Kreutzburg Road and follow signs. Summer Hours: (Memorial Day through Labor Day) 9:00 am until 6:00pm Off-Season Hours: 10:00 am until 5:00 pm Prices: Adults: $11
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who owned the land noticed steam rising from beneath a boulder. Curious, they moved the boulder aside, only to find a huge hole in the ground. However, without the benefit of flashlights, they were unable to see how deep the hole was until an unfortunate goat fell down it. Realizing the cave was deeper than they thought, these enterprising people decided it would be the perfect place to make moonshine during prohibition, with out getting caught. As you enter the cave, you can still see the black soot on the ceiling from the bootleggers’ fires.
ustical qualities of the room, Gary stopped for a moment and played us a tune on his flute. It was beautiful, and the sounds reverberated throughout the caves with surprising clarity and volume.