Bridal Cave & Thunder Mountain Park

Making plans to visit the Lake of the Ozarks is often dependent on the weather forecast.  Sometimes that can be difficult because, as the old saying goes, "If you don't like the weather in Missouri... wait a few minutes!"  We can have cold winds and ice one day, then warm sunny skies the next.   This is never a problem if you want to explore Bridal Cave because it is always a perfect 60 degrees inside the cave.  If you want to hike around Thunder Mountain Park, an accurate forecast will come in handy.   In the past, getting a weather update for the Lake of the Ozarks has been a challenge.  Generally, sources for the forecasts in the Lake area are located at least an hour away.  National weather networks can be reporting from much farther than that.   Your favorite Lake of the Ozarks attraction has solved this problem for you!  Bridal Cave is very proud to have a Rainwise weather reporting station located right here in the park. ...

Our state's official nickname is "The Show Me State," but Missouri is also referred to often as "The Cave State" because it contains more caves than any other state.   Bridal Cave is only one of many caves found throughout Missouri. Our Lake of the Ozarks attraction is 1 of 18 Show Caves that are open to the public for tours.  In addition to those, there are also 6,950 Wild Caves in Missouri. Map courtesy of the Missouri Caves Association website A Show Cave is a cave that is open to the public for tours.  Often they possess features like constructed trails and lighting to make tours easily accessible. Wild Caves are not so easy for the general public to make their way through, and sometimes impossible.  Exploring these caves can be extremely dangerous and should only be done by a trained professional. Show Caves are actually considered to be one of Missouri's first tourist attractions.  Public lantern tours began in the early 1800's. ...

A tour of Bridal Cave is a field trip that is sure to excite any classroom full of students.  Missouri is know as the Cave State, and mid-Missouri children are very close to one of the most scenic cave tours in America .  No matter what the age, every child should have a chance to experience Bridal Cave and learn more about the magnificent natural wonders contained within.  Our tours can be adapted to fit any age group, and every program explores the history, geology, and biology of this very unique ecosystem.    Thousands of school age children visit our Lake of the Ozarks attraction every year.  The winter months are a great time to schedule a field trip.  Kids start to feel cooped up when they get fewer chances to be outdoors during the cold months.  Bridal Cave gives them the chance to get out of the classroom, enjoy nature, and get a little exercise in our constant 60 degree temperatures inside the cave.    We are a very p...

Caves in Missouri , as well as around the world, are filled with stalactites and stalagmites.  Everyone has heard of these, but most people have trouble remembering which is which.  Today's Bridal Cave blog will hopefully help you to remember once and for all which one hangs from the ceiling and which one hangs from the floor.  We'll even teach you some interesting facts about how both are formed.   There are a couple of different ways that people use to help them keep these two types of formations straight.  Stalactites are fixed "tight" to the ceiling, and stalagmites "might" trip you when you walk.  Another trick is to use the spelling. StalaCtite has a "C" like the Ceiling from which it hangs, and stalaGmites have a "G" like the Ground they grow on.  You may think these ideas sound corny, but we bet at least one of them will stick with you and you will always remember! Speleothem Now to get a little more technical.  The wor...

Cave Salamander There is life inside of Bridal Cave , but much of it is rarely seen.  When you walk through one of mid-Missouri's most scenic cave tours , you are only viewing a small portion of the vast cave that lies beyond.   Biospeliology is the study of organisms that live in caves.  These scientist have provided us with lots of information about the living organisms that live both in and around caves in Missouri.   Biospeleologists seperate the things that live in caves into three categories:   Troglobites - Organisms that would not be able to survive for very long outside of the cave.  (white and blind cavefish, millipedes, crustaceans (crayfish, isopods, and amphipods) and planaria) Troglophiles - Those that live in caves, but are not restricted to them.  (pigmented amphipods, isopods living in cave streams and cave pools, fish that move up streams into caves and many insects) Trogloxenes - Anything that spends a large portion o...

We care deeply about nature here at Bridal Cave and Thunder Mountain Park . Any opportunity that we have to take care of wildlife and the natural resources that make the Lake area so beautiful, we are all for it.  This holiday season you can join us in our efforts by recycling your Christmas tree after you take it down for the season.   The best family attraction at the Lake of the Ozarks has the perfect thing for you to do with your tree after all of the decorations are packed away.  Bring it to us and we will turn it into a fish habitat.  Not only does this offer a happy home for the fish, but it's a great way to attract fish to specific spots in the lake to improve fishing.  It's a wonderful way to make sure the tree is put to good use after the holidays, and it's also a great lesson for children about recycling and caring for wildlife.  Most Missouri landfills do not accept Christmas trees, leaving people with a big, bulky tree to ge...

All kids love rocks, and the best of us are truly kids at heart.  Recently, Bridal Cave 's general manager, Steve Thompson, had the youthful joy of spending some time in warehouses full of rocks and minerals from around the world.  One of the best features of our Lake of the Ozarks gift shop is the wide variety of incredibly beautiful and interesting rocks, minerals, and gemstones that we have for sale.   Steve traveled to Orlando, Florida to meet in person with the direct rock, gem, fossil, and mineral importers that Bridal Cave purchases our high-quality items from.  Traveling to meet these direct importers lets us hand select every item that we offer you.   Orders have been placed, and by February 2016, our rock and mineral shop will be fully stocked with popular items such as:   Himalayan Salt Amethyst from Brazil Highly Banded Onyx from Pakistan Geodes from Morocco.   We will also be featuring many items from newly found depos...