Bridal Cave & Thunder Mountain Park

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

It's the End of Season Rock Closeout Sale!

Bridal Cave & Thunder Mountain Park's general manager, Steve Thompson, will soon be traveling to Orlando to check out the brand new rocks, gemstones, and minerals for us to sell next year. It's great for Steve because he is like a kid in a candy store sorting through all of those gorgeous varieties of rocks. It's great you too, because we need to make room for the new inventory, so many of our current selections are on sale!

The wonderful Lake of the Ozarks gift shop located at Bridal Cave has an incredible selection of the most unique and fascinating gemstones. Each year, Steve makes the trip to Orlando to meet with our importers. There, he hand selects only the best rocks from around the world to bring back to our gift shop for next season.

Our Closeout Sale Specials
Before we refill the gift shop with all of Steve's brand new finds, we are having a BIG closeout sale on many of our unique specimens. Supplies are limited, and once they're gone.. they are gone! We expect these to go quickly, so don't miss your chance to get the best prices of the year on these gorgeous rocks. Here are a few of the deals that you will find when you visit.

50% off Rare Black Amethyst - These were just recently discovered and are in very limited quantities. Once these are gone we will not be able to reorder more.
75% off Moroccan Jumbo Dyed Geodes with stands
25% off Grade A Brazilian Amethyst Cathedrals - This bunch contains some of the nicest we have ever seen... especially at this price!
50% off assorted Agate Bookends

Expect to see even more items in the gift shop at our scenic Lake of the Ozarks attraction going on sale soon. The timing is perfect for you early Christmas shoppers (only 80+ days away!), anyone wanting to change up their home decor with the new season, or someone that appreciates a gorgeous natural item at an amazing price. Stop by Bridal Cave & Thunder Mountain Park soon. You can experience the natural beauty of this gorgeous fall season at the lake, then let us show you the incredible items waiting for you in our gift shop.

One of America's most scenic

cave tours.

Visit us at www.BridalCave.com

Like us on Facebook.

526 Bridal Cave Road

Camdenton, MO 65020

(573) 346-2676

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Predict The New President With Our Annual "Underground Opinion Poll"

The presidential election is on almost everyone's minds right now. It's an important decision for the American people, and our Lake of the Ozarks scenic attraction is getting in on the action by holding our own opinion poll.

In 1960, former Bridal Cave & Thunder Mountain Park manager Eddie Miller began what has now become a tradition for us. The "Underground Opinion Poll" is our unofficial way to predict the outcome of the Presidential election.

On each and every tour of Bridal cave, guests are asked to vote for the candidate of their choice by using their ticket stub as a ballot. One big difference with our poll is that there is no age limit. If the kids want to take part in this example of democracy, they are more than welcome to join in the fun.

1960 Underground Opinion Poll

We will tally the votes on three different occasions: September 30, October 15, and a final count will take place on November 1 before the real November 8 presidential election. While our numbers aren't the ones that will decide who will be the next president of the United States, there's a very good chance that our prediction will come true.

Bridal Cave attracts people from all around the world, and due to the wide diversity of guests from all over the U.S.A., "The Underground Opinion Poll" has become a very accurate barometer of the Presidential election outcome. There have only been 2 elections where our poll did not predict the winner since we started this poll in 1960. In 1972, it even predicted the exact percentage of the popular vote!

Fall is a beautiful time to visit Thunder Mountain Park, and Bridal Cave is always gorgeous and a comfortable 60 degrees, no matter what time of year it is. Stop in for a scenic cave tour and take part in our 2016 "Underground Opinion Poll." It's all in good fun, and it's a great way to introduce your kids to the voting process.

One of America's most scenic

cave tours.

Visit us at www.BridalCave.com

Like us on Facebook.

526 Bridal Cave Road

Camdenton, MO 65020

(573) 346-2676

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

It's Time for the 10th Annual Lake of the Ozarks Bikefest

We've got another annual event to talk about this week, and it's a big one! Not only in terms of attendance, but also because of the large area that it covers. The 10th Annual Lake of the Ozarks Bikefest is descending upon the lake area this week, September 15-18, 2016. There are tons of scenic Lake of the Ozarks attractions to get to by land, and the trip there is every bit as beautiful as the destination.

photo from www.LakeBikefest.com

Ride to Bridal Cave
Bridal Cave happens to be one of those spectacular destinations. It's a fantastic place to take a break during one of your bike rides on the Camdenton side of Bikefest. A trip through the cave will cool you off if it happens to be a hot day, and it will keep you dry if a few rain showers try to invade part of the weekend. Our covered lakeside pavilion is a perfect place to stop for a picnic, and Thunder Mountain Park has trails for you to stretch your legs on before getting back on the road.

Bikefest Entertainment
Bikefest kicks off on the historic Bagnell Dam Strip on Thursday with their monthly Bike Night, but no matter where you are in the area, there is most likely something going on near you. This year's event is boasting over 200 bars & restaurants participating with specials, concerts, and more. You will also experience vendor villages, burn out pits, riding skills competition courses, sport bike stunt riders, and all kinds of thrilling things happening in various locations. You will find all of the details, along with addresses and hours for many events, at www.LakeBikefest.com.

Motorcycle Auction
If you have been thinking about buying a new motorcycle, Surdyke Yamaha will be hosting a Big Bikefest Auction on Saturday in Osage Beach from noon-3 pm. Many pre-owned bikes from well-known brands will be up for auction. This family event is free to attend, and you can go as early as 9 am to get a peek at the bikes being offered. They will even be auctioning off some end-of-season boats and PWCs too.

Win a Harley-Davidson!
Rather than buying a new motorcycle, how about winning one instead? Bikefest will feature a passport ride with 24 stops around the lake area. For a $20 donation, you will be given a passport to have stamped at each stop during the course of Bikefest. Once this is complete, head to the Official Passport Booth at Lake of the Ozarks Harley-Davidson to turn it in for your chance to win a 2015 Harley-Davidson Street Bob Breakout Motorcycle. The contest rules and a list of stops can be found on the Lake Bikefest website.

photo from www.LakeBikefest.com

Have lots of fun this weekend, and stay safe while cruising around the lake area. You will most likely be over our way at some point during Bikefest, so please make a point to stop at our Lake of the Ozarks scenic attraction and say hi. A visit to Bridal Cave & Thunder Mountain Park is always a high point to any trip to the lake.

One of America's most scenic

cave tours.

Visit us at www.BridalCave.com

Like us on Facebook.

526 Bridal Cave Road

Camdenton, MO 65020

(573) 346-2676

Thursday, September 8, 2016

The Lake of the Ozarks Air Show - Sept. 10, 2016

The Lake area is filled with fun events all through September, and this weekend is a big one. The Lake of the Ozarks Air Show will be thrilling crowds this Saturday, September 10, 2016 at the Camdenton Memorial Lake Regional Airport. Your friends at Bridal Cave & Thunder Mountain Park have pulled together a few of the incredible details for you right here.

photo from www.Funlake.com

Fun for the Whole Family

from www.lakeoftheozaksairshow.com

This free annual event at the Lake of the Ozarks will feature aerial displays, static displays, vendor booths, car vs. plane races, and more! Parking is also free at Camdenton High School, and there is a complimentary shuttle to take you to the show. If you prefer to park at the airport, it is $10 per vehicle. There will be some stands for seating, but everyone is encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets to sit back and relax on for the day.

A very popular event among the kids is the Ping Pong Ball drop, where an airplane drops hundreds of ping pong balls from the air, and children then race to gather as many as they can. Some of those balls are specially marked for big prizes. There is also a Kids' Zone available for $2 per child. There will be a breakfast from 7:30-9:30 am, an opening ceremony at 10 am, and non-stop fun until 3:30 pm.

Delicious Food
No outside coolers, food, or beverages are allowed at the air show, but there will be lots of delicious food and refreshing treats available. A few of these tasty choices will include:

Knights of Columbus: fish bites, hot dogs, french fries, and fried apple pies
Mid-County Fire Protection District: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chips
Celebrate Recovery (provided by Angela's Catering): chicken strips, BBQ chicken
Optimist Club: pulled pork & chips, candy bars, meat sticks
Iron Celtics Motorcycle Assoc.: steak sandwich, pork chop sandwich, brats, chips, caramel apple slices
Kiwanis Club: popcorn & nachos
Child Advocacy Council: ice cream bars
Ozark Coca Cola: Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Pawerade (Blue), tea, & water

Air Show Acts
Non-stop, exciting entertainment is scheduled to take place all day long: a fire-breathing truck, race cars racing aerobatic planes, a twin-engine World War II Bomber, skydivers, flyovers, and more! You can see a fully detailed list of all of the performers at www.LakeOfTheOzarksAirShow.com, as well as a schedule for the entire day.

photos from www.lakeoftheozarksairshow.com

Fall Fun at the Lake of the Ozarks
The lake area is both a beautiful and entertaining place to visit in the fall. The air show is just one of many wonderful things happening, and our Lake of the Ozarks family fun attraction is open all year long. Spend Saturday at the airport, then plan to spend Sunday at Bridal Cave & Thunder Mountain Park enjoying this fantastic time of year. Have a great weekend!

One of America's most scenic

cave tours.

Visit us at www.BridalCave.com

Like us on Facebook.

526 Bridal Cave Road

Camdenton, MO 65020

(573) 346-2676

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Kids Tour FREE This Labor Day Weekend!

The beginning of the school year can get expensive quickly with back to school clothes shopping, school supplies, sports equipment, etc... Bridal Cave wants to give your family a break this Labor Day Weekend by letting kids enjoy the most scenic cave tour in mid-Missouri for FREE!

The Lake of the Ozarks is an amazing place to spend a holiday weekend. There are lots of fun, family-friendly attractions to enjoy. Bridal Cave & Thunder Mountain Park are not only beautiful and tons of fun, but educational too. Your children will be having such a great time, they won't even realize they are learning!

Kids Tour FREE!
This Labor Day Weekend, September 3, 4, & 5, all children ages 12 and under will be granted free admission to our underground cave tour. We are even extending our hours for the holiday to make sure everyone has a chance to experience this exciting and affordable activity.

Guided tours will leave every few minutes beginning at 9:00 am until the final tour begins at 6:00 pm. The cave tour lasts about an hour, allowing plenty of time over the weekend to also have a picnic in our lake view pavilion, hike a trail in Thunder Mountain Park, climb the observation tower, or travel to enjoy one of the many other parks that the Lake of the Ozarks has to offer.

photo from Funlake.com

Labor Day Fireworks
If you will be out on the lake, you can park at our docks to enjoy all that Bridal Cave & Thunder Mountain Park have to offer. There are also lots of opportunities to view awesome fireworks displays, both by land and water, over the holiday. You can see a full list of fireworks displays in the area at www.Funlake.com.

See You Soon

This Labor Day Weekend, pack up the family and head to the lake area to enjoy this gorgeous scenery and beautiful weather before winter comes along and you end up spending a lot more time indoors. (Don't forget, of course, that Bridal Cave is always a comfortable 60°, even in the winter!)

Bridal Cave, Thunder Mountain Park, Lake of the Ozarks

We believe that every family deserves to have some quality time together before buckling down for a long school year. This holiday, we are thrilled to be able to offer you a fun and affordable activity that everyone can enjoy together. We hope to see you all soon at our Lake of the Ozarks family attraction for an incredible Labor Day Weekend.

One of America's most scenic

cave tours.

Visit us at www.BridalCave.com

Like us on Facebook.

526 Bridal Cave Road

Camdenton, MO 65020

(573) 346-2676

Friday, August 26, 2016

Decades of Weddings at Bridal Cave

"Bridal" Cave isn't just a random name that someone liked the sound of. It is actually a very unique wedding venue at the Lake of the Ozarks. Our cave has a long history of weddings taking place inside of it. It all began with the marriage of two Native Americans from Osage tribes, many, many years ago, and the tradition continues today.

The Weddings Begin By Popular Demand
When Bridal Cave first opened to the public on October 16, 1948, the developers only had plans to give tours of the cave due to the abundance of cave formations and vibrant natural colors. Even though they knew about the Native American legend of the wedding in the cave, there were no plans to perform wedding ceremonies.

Shortly after the cave opened for tours, requests to carry on the legend began to come in. Our modern-day history of weddings began on June 1, 1949 when Mr. & Mrs. Basil Cole of Sedalia, Missouri exchanged vows in the stalactite adorned Lake of the Ozarks underground wedding chapel.

As of today, there have been more than 3,300 weddings at Bridal Cave over the past 68 years. We probably have the most unique collection of pictures, names, and locations of an wedding chapel in the country, if not the world. Guests visiting the park love to look through all of our wedding albums and see the changes in hairstyles and clothing over the past six decades.

Couples Come From All Over the World
It is also amazing to see how far many of our brides and grooms have traveled to be married at Bridal Cave. Couples from 34 of the 50 United States have said "I do" here, and we have even hosted couples from 7 different foreign countries! Below are the places that our couples have traveled from, plus a few more fun facts about the weddings that have taken place at the cave.

USA: Arkansas, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa,
Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Maine,
Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.

FOREIGN COUNTRIES: England, Germany, St. Thomas, Nassau, British Columbia, China, Taiwan

Most Popular First Names of Brides & Grooms: John and Linda

Most Popular Last Name: Smith

Most Popular Month: February

Most Popular Day: Saturday

Bridal Cave's most recent wedding, August 6, 2016

If you have been looking for a unique wedding venue at the Lake of the Ozarks, we may have exactly what you've been searching for. The underground wedding chapel is breathtaking, and so is the view from our lakeside pavilion, offering you a choice between inside and out. Both feature the natural beauty of the lake area. Up to 50 guests can fit comfortably inside the cave, and the pavilion accommodates up to 80 seated guests.

After the wedding, you are invited to come back year after year to relive the magical day by taking part in our free wedding vow renewals every February for Valentine's Day. Bridal Cave is a wonderful place to begin your happily ever after.

One of America's most scenic

cave tours.

Visit us at www.BridalCave.com

Like us on Facebook.

526 Bridal Cave Road

Camdenton, MO 65020

(573) 346-2676

Friday, August 19, 2016

It's a Great Time to Visit the Lake of the Ozarks

School is already in session in many areas, and everywhere else it is getting ready to start. If you prefer to avoid crowds, then now is the perfect time to visit the Lake of the Ozarks! The weather is great, all of the summer attractions are still open, but the bulk of the visitors to town are too busy during the week to make the trip here.

Fewer Crowds

Late summer all the way through fall at Bridal Cave & Thunder Mountain Park is an incredible time to experience the beauty of the lake area. There are plenty of nature trails to explore in the park, and you may even end up getting a private tour of Bridal Cave if you come at the right time! Guided tours leave every few minutes, and if you are the only people here, you'll get to see it all with your own personal tour guide.

The Weather is Great

Temperatures remain warm so that you can still take advantage of all of the outdoor activities, and soon the leaves will be changing into a rainbow of colors on the trees. The view from Thunder Mountain Park's 80-foot observation tower offers a very unique perspective on the gorgeous season.

The Water is Calm

With fewer people in town, that means the lake has less boats on it and the water is wide open. Getting out on the lake this time of year is a much calmer and more relaxing experience than it is mid-summer. When you are ready to hit dry land for a while, park at our docks and take a break with us.

It's Romantic

Another bonus is that with all of the kids busy with school, this is an excellent time for a romantic getaway at the Lake of the Ozarks. Just imagine it - calm boat rides, romantic walks in the park, and lazy afternoon picnics. If you time it right, you can even take in a magnificent sunset over the lake.

Early Christmas Shopping

If you happen to be one of those early Christmas shoppers, there is great shopping in the lake area. We've got an amazing assortment of rocks, minerals, and gemstones from around the world in our Bridal Cave gift shop, plus many other beautiful gift items. There are lots of unique and fascinating things for you to browse through that will be perfect for someone on your list.

Visit Us Soon!

Don't forget that even when the temperature drops and it's cold outside, Bridal Cave is still an excellent place to spend an afternoon. The always 60° temperature inside the cave feels cool in the summer and warm in the winter. If you have been trying to think of something exciting to do, make a trip to our scenic Lake of the Ozarks attraction your next adventure.

One of America's most scenic

cave tours.

Visit us at www.BridalCave.com

Like us on Facebook.

526 Bridal Cave Road

Camdenton, MO 65020

(573) 346-2676