Bridal Cave & Thunder Mountain Park

Bridal Cave 's wedding bell recently went through a time consuming restoration process. It is now back at home at our Lake of the Ozarks scenic attraction and better than ever. From it's creation to today, this bell has had an interesting life. With the amazing Thunder Mountain Park renovations that are taking place for spring 2016, the decision was made to relocate our wedding bell to the top of the pavilion that overlooks the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks from its spot on the hillside above the cave. Since it was already being moved, this seemed like the perfect time to have the bell restored to its original condition. During the restoration process, it was brought to our attention that our Bridal Cave wedding bell is one of the very first bells ever made by the C.S. Bell Company in 1875. It's history from that point until 1949 has not been documented, but it was most likely used as a farm bell to call the workers out of the fields, a dinner bell, or possibly ...

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...

Why travel a long distance for Spring Break when the #1 recreational lake in the nation is right here next to Bridal Cave ? The lake area is beautiful year-round, but witnessing it in the spring allows you to watch a bright new season "spring" to life.  Right around St. Patrick's Day every year, the Lake of the Ozarks begins waking up for another exciting season on the water. You begin seeing boats again all over the lake and many of the local waterfront bars and restaurants open their doors. It's an exciting time to experience everything that this gorgeous area has to offer.   St. Patrick's Day Weekend St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on both land and water around here. The 32nd Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade on the Bagnell Dam Strip is happening Saturday, March 12 at 1:00 pm. Local residents and lake area visitors all begin lining the streets along the parade route well before noon, ready to enjoy the decorated floats, bands, candy, and beads....

The best natural attraction at the Lake of the Ozarks will be even more beautiful than usual this spring. Numerous new landscaping improvements are coming to Thunder Mountain Park , and we are especially thrilled to announce that very soon we will be unveiling two brand new additions - a Botanical Garden and a waterfall.  Under the direction of Doctor's Lawn and Landscaping from Sunrise Beach, these breathtaking new features are becoming a reality. Their grounds crew completed the ground preparation work last fall, and this spring they will bring in black dirt, install the irrigation system, and spread mulch. As soon as that is finished, they will be ready to begin the planting stage. Botanical Gardens The Botanical Gardens will be filled with gorgeous mature flowering plants that will surround the new waterfall feature. We plan to include Azalea, Hydrangea, Butterfly Bushes, Salvia, Coreopsis, and many more. Throughout the season, from spring into early fall, blooming p...

The maintenance department at Thunder Mountain Park has been hard at work completing a year-long project to enhance your view of one of America's most scenic cave tours . Bridal Cave is now the first major show cave in the Midwest to be lit entirely by LED lighting. Finding the right lights. The first step in this major renovation was to test a variety of LED bulbs to find the ones that showed the cave in the best possible light. They had to be tested for physical size, lumens, and most importantly, color temperature . LED's are known for their harsh white light, so the correct temperature of the bulb became a high priority.  Dozens of bulbs went through our testing process, and the winner was the 2700 degree LED bulb. These highlight the cave's already vibrant colors in the most flattering way. One of the guides that have been with us for a long time stated, "I have never seen the cave so beautiful! It is like exploring a whole new cave."    Installatio...

The ice, snow, and subfreezing temperatures of Valentine's Day 2016 were melted away by the love of 240 couples renewing their wedding vows at Bridal Cave .   This extremely popular  annual event at the Lake of the Ozarks  was successful again this year.   In addition to the vow renewals, two couples said "I do" for the first time in our unique wedding chapel after the renewal event.    With the help of the Camden County Road Crew and Bridal Cave's awesome staff, all of the Thunder Mountain Roads were cleared and ready for visitors by the promised time of 9:00 am.  The wintry weather kept a lot of people at home early in the day, but they definitely made their way to us before we stopped at 4:00 pm.       Our incredible staff, packing goody bags and clearing the parking lot! "My husband and I came and renewed our vows yesterday with you. Ed and I Want to thank you so much for inviting us and making our 25th the a most spe...

The annual Renewal of Vows at Bridal Cave is happening this Valentine's Day weekend.  On Sunday, February 14, 2016 we will have a an officiant in the cave ready to assist every couple that joins us with saying, "I do" all over again.   This absolutely free annual event inside the unique stalactite adorned underground wedding chapel of our Lake of the Ozarks attraction is popular, and many couples have enjoyed it so much that they come back to join us every year.    "The renewal of vows in February is awesome and a new yearly tradition for us." ~ Elizabeth Pasztor Puskas, 12/17/13 "We have also made the vow renewal a yearly thing.... the people are SO nice there....we have a great time!! Thanks for doing that every year. ~ Kathy Butherus, 2/9/14 "This Cave was amazingly beautiful We renewed our vows in Feb when they did their annual Valentine Weddings, We plan to do it again in Feb 14, 2016. The rock formations were beautiful and the tou...