Bridal Cave & Thunder Mountain Park

New Year's Eve is a time to look back at the things that have happened over the past year, as well as a chance to dream about the wonderful things possible in the coming year. Here at Bridal Cave & Thunder Mountain Park , we can keep track of a lot of things that happen at our scenic Lake of the Ozarks family attraction by reading back through the blogs that we've shared with you.  These blogs are a great way to keep up with current events at the park and learn interesting information about nature and the area we live in. In case you missed any of them, here are some highlights from our 2017 blogs.  NEW at the Park in 2017 We strive to improve our year-round Lake of the Ozarks attraction in many different ways each year, adding to the joy and excitement for our visitors. This past year some really cool new things were added. In February we announced that, due to high demand, season passes for Bridal Cave tours would be available for just $5 more than a 1-trip tick...

A popular question from visitors to our scenic family attraction at the Lake of the Ozarks is " What was the first thing built in Thunder Mountain Park? " They are usually surprised to find out that the first structure built was actually the boat dock. As a matter of fact, it was one of the very first boat docks on the Lake of the Ozarks. (According to Union Electric, dock #527, to be exact!) Why a Boat Dock First? When the excavation of Bridal Cave 's entrance started in the spring of 1948, there were no roads in the area yet. Two separate crews worked simultaneously to get the park opened. The first crew started their work at the old highway 5, where the built a road and parking lots, and also installed power lines.  The second crew was hired to excavate the cave entrance, but the only way for them to reach the cave was by boat. Without that initial boat dock, they wouldn't have been able to get to work each morning.  Opening the Cave Since the fir...

With the wide variety of numerous visitors that we see every year at our Lake of the Ozarks family attraction , we are constantly answering all sorts of questions not only about  Bridal Cave , but also about the lake area itself.  Quite often we have folks stopping by the park looking for answers. Sometimes people simply want to know where a good place to eat is or what other local attractions that they should make it a point to visit.  We take pride in trying our best to answer all of the questions asked of us. As a matter of fact, we train all of our staff to be familiar with the entire lake area and what it has to offer.   Other questions may need a bit of research, like asking us to identify some unusual rock or mineral, or even where someone can take an injured animal that has been found. One unusual question was asked of us by email. This particularly interesting question struck a chord with everyone here, and we couldn't resist sharing this awesome...

"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. O ur 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 weddi...

Here at Bridal Cave & Thunder Mountain Park there is always something new to see and learn, even for us! We had our wedding bell refurbished recently and found out that is was one of the very first bells ever made by the C.S. Bell Company in 1875. Next week we'll tell you all about the story of our Lake of the Ozarks wedding chapel's bell , but today we would love to share some interesting information about the company that created it.  The C.S. Bell Company was founded by Charles Singleton Bell. He learned the foundry business from his uncle, Alexander Bradley. After working in a few different foundries, Bell began his own company in Hillsboro, Ohio in 1858. This new company had only 2 employees. It started out producing tons of pig iron, and later began manufacturing many different items: Mogul stoves, caboose stoves, coffee hullers and pulpers, plows and garden rollers, and more. They did not start producing bells until 1875.  In that first yea...

Bridal Cave has a very interesting past.  It's story goes back long before the Lake of the Ozarks was created.  As early as 8,000 BC, Native Americans were using caves in the area for shelter, and more than likely Bridal Cave was one of those used.  We will begin this tale with the first organized exploration over 150 years ago of what is now known as one the best attractions at the Lake of the Ozarks . Bridal Cave Visitors Center, 1968 1856   The first organized exploration of portions of Bridal Cave is recorded.  B.D. Dodson is credited with this feat.  The next major exploration is done by S.W. Burke four years later.   1894 Over 5400 acres of land is purchased by Colonel R.G. Scott.  That area is now known as Ha Ha Tonka State Park, and it includes Bridal Cave.  Colonel Scott is very impressed and wants to know how it got the name Bridal Cave, so he begins researching the subject.  He is credited for bein...