olentangy indian caverns

The gem mining is by far my favorite, but there is so much to do and see. The gift shop is even fun to look around in. The caves are cool. There's mini golf, although I have not done it yet. They have done great improvements to the grounds recently too.

Olentangy Indian Caverns is a classic roadside attraction venue that most people in the Columbus area have heard of or seen billboard signs for but few (probably on the basis of those same signs) have ever actually visited.Its Native American history is fairly significant, assuming it's the cave mouth of the same system connected to the Wyandots and Leatherlips, who ran afoul of Tecumseh's brother and ended up being killed at the other end of the cave system which lets out somewhere near the park and headstone for him in Dublin. Contemporaries obviously didn't keep great records but unless there's some other still-undiscovered cavern network in the area, that has to be it. The cave system is not really amateur-friendly, inasmuch as it's mostly un-improved other than lighting and a staircase to get down into it, and some of the passages are slick-floored and/or tight fits that would probably test a more claustrophobic person. However the area that can be accessed is also pretty small, so there's no real danger of getting lost. One impossibly-narrow downward crevice hints at the huge and still mostly unexplored environs underneath the main level, the part of the cave that supposedly runs to the river and in which there may still be Wyandot human remains. It's quite pretty, and surprising simply on the basis of being in Lewis Center rather than out in the middle of nowhere. It's certainly no Merrimack or Carlsbad caverns, but it's a much closer encounter with the geology as well, and has a very private rather than government-funded-park feel.The cheesy part is what's aboveground, though the specific attractions change a bit from year to year. Upon exiting the caverns you find yourself in a classic roadside museum with aging exhibits that suggest you've stumbled into a warehouse for 1980's Social Studies projects, but what they lack in audiovisual they more than make up for in wordy primary detail. Outside the museum structure, the nature hikes are nice, the longhouse replica is epic and forlorn, a gigantic structure that feels left over from a movie set, but it goes downhill from there with a mini golf course (because the Native Americans were huge fans of mini golf) and a 'petting zoo' if farm animals are considered a zoo, the animals housed in a playhouse-quality tinytown that is evidently intended to showcase Lewis Center's rich Wild West heritage.The gift shop redeems the whole thing, though. Whomever it is doing their purchasing is a mad genius at acquiring obscure books, exceptional gift shop jewelry, interesting knick knacks and a huge variety of apparel and souveniers that do a far better job of selling the place than the billboards. There's something of high hipster art in wearing an Olentangy Indian Caverns hoodie to a Thanksgiving dinner.The name of the place is not particularly sensitive these days, but the collection of activities that make up the site itself shows an attention to and respect for Native Americans even while making concessions to the short atteniotn spans of third graders and their parents. It has an intangible charm you can't find within a hundred miles or more.Note that there are separate fees for activities but you can just park and picnic, browse the gift shop and museum or roam around on the paths for free. The caverns, putt putt, gem mining and petting zoo have nominal fees that explain why the property seems to perpetually be for sale, but can't possibly sustain the place. There's a sense that a professional marketing team could work wonders here but there's just no money to bring in a team of professionals to make the right tweaks.Open seasonally, though i hear the best experience of all is going in the off season in Spelunking gear when the lights are off inside the caverns. Obviously you'll need to make special arrangements for that.

This was not what I was hoping for when I visited but I still found it very interesting. I was hoping for more traditional caverns with exciting geological formations. However, the history of the Native American usage of the caverns and the surrounding area made it worth the trip. I enjoyed the self-guided tour as we could spend as little or as much time as we liked at each stop.

Never been to caverns before, so this was fun for my first one, though not as large as I thought it would be.

While camping at the Alum State Park, we had planned to go to the caverns to escape the heat and humidity. However, the next morning, we got an unexpected rain storm, so we went to the caverns to escape the rain! It was a nice activity and close by the campsite, only 15 min. drive. We were a group of 4 adults, and the caverns aren't big, but admission wasn't costly either. After exploring the caverns, we then sat under the picnic shelter and played cards, a nice respite from the rain.

These caverns are perfect for little kids (mine are 6 and 8). We did the self guided tour and took our time going through it....it took about 45 minutes. The caverns aren't huge, and you access them through the museum (it looks like you are going into the creepiest basement ever), but we had a great time. My kids loved seeing the fossils in the stone and walking through the tight spaces. They also loved mining for gems which you can do when you are done in the caverns. The caverns are definitely not for anyone claustrophobic or heavy though because the spaces are tight, especially on a weekend with a lot of people in there.

We live about 15 minutes from Olentangy Indian Caverns but hadn't been in many years. If you haven't been there in a while, go back. The facilities have improved a lot. My kids, 6 and 3 enjoyed the tour and I was pleased to find out that 6 and under were free. After the cavern tour we took a walk on the nature trail and ate our picnic lunch. They have a snack bar inside but you are also welcome to bring your own picnic. My daughter loves rocks so she was in heaven here. The gift shop has tons of goodies for the budding geologist and there was something at every price point. Lots of things under 5 dollars. We also did the gem mining and the kids really enjoyed it. In all, we spent about 3 hours here and spent about 20 bucks total. Definitely time and money well spent.

I visited here with two 9-year-old boys one weekend. The boys absolutely loved it, and I thought it was interesting as well. On a busy weekend, you may have to wait for a tour, but they have a playground, a store, and "gem" mining. We took advantage of all three. The gem mining can be over in a heartbeat, so it's best to let the kids only pour a little of the sand into the sifter at one time -- makes it last a little longer. But the boys enjoyed this activity as much as the caverns (if not more!) and spent time sorting and classifying their rocks afterwards. I felt the tour was a little on the pricey side for what you get ($9.50 for adults and $5.95 for kids -- does NOT include the gem mining), but it would be a nice educational outing for kids.

I loved visiting caverns as a child, so I definitely wanted to take my kids to one. This was their first experience. It was a little smaller of a tour than I expected, especially given the cost, but it was still nice and fun. There were several things to do other than just the caverns. My kids LOVED gem mining and exploring the grounds!

My friend and I decided to visit Olentangy Indian caverns as our first stop for a day trip around central Ohio. First we went on their trails, which had a variety of plant life and it was an interesting walk. Then we visited the gift shop and decided to take a cave tour. In the mean time, we both bought a bag and went gem mining, a favorite activity of mine when going to new places. The cave tour was informative and the tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable. The only thing that disappointed us was that we were 1 day past the date for self-guided tours. Finally, we bought 2 geodes from the gift shop and cracked them later that day, which was a fun souvenir. All in all we spent about 2-3 hours there and it was a really fun place to stop at on our day trip! I will be visiting during the self-guided tour season for sure.

There are two little rooms underground, not exactly my idea of a cavern. Ohio Caverns are much, much better. Don't waste your time or money here.

I saw the signs for Olentangy Caverns for years before venturing a weekend visit with my family. I don't know if it's always been this way, but what we found was a depressing, ramshackle group of buildings that looked like no one had maintained for years.As for the caverns themselves, it's a trip down a wet, slippery staircase into a few damp caves. I wouldn't take kids younger than 5 in there. If you don't mind the drive, take your kids down to Old Man's Cave instead. There's much more to see there, and it's free.

I took my homeschool group here today - beautiful grounds. Gem mining was a hit with all! Nice gift shop that was reasonably priced. Small museum but the artifacts were pretty cool.This was our first cavern experience of any kind...I think it's a good intro!! I can't wait to move on and see bigger ones now!! For what it is - it's neat. Small.. don't go in thinking it's Mammoth! lol We did a guided a tour, which was very informative, but felt a little rushed (when our group was the only ones there ). We ended up going back down on our own later - hitting some of the buttons - to hear more info and to take time looking at all the different fossils within the cavern walls. The kids seemed to really enjoy it and were in awe. Ages in our group ranged from baby to middle school and all had fun!The tour guides we had were both very nice. We did get a group rate -but know that kids 6 and under are NOT free when getting the group rate. We did not realize that until getting there... made it a little harder for some of our families with several young kids (who went on the trip so their older ones could enjoy) . I felt that we brought them HUGE business on what would have been a very, very slow day otherwise... and didn't think the toddlers should cost money.... but it is what it is.Overall, very good experience and I wouldn't mind going back again someday!

We enjoyed the Indian Caverns that went as far as 105 ft. down. Tour guide was very informative and enoyed sharing the caverns with us. The Lover's Delight was a tight squeeze and all the history of how the caverns are made was quite interesting.

The expectations of many who've reviewed Olentangy Indian Caverns seems quite high. I've been to Mammoth Caves and this is certainly not that. However, if you're into trekking and enjoy State Parks, this is a great place for a day trip - especially with a family of four or even a low-key couple wanting to take a picnic.The caves themselves can be toured in less than an hour. There are also other activities, such as the Gem Mining (a sluice set up for younger children to get a feel for sluice panning, but not authentic), There is also a decent Gift Shop and outdoor activity areas, such as the Jungle Gym, Volleyball Courts, and several open and shaded areas.The drawback would be *IF* you're expecting something like Mammoth Caves or something of that caliber. OIC do not have tour guides for the caverns, but they do have some audio/visual guides set up within the caves.I recommend you take a small flashlight (Mini Mag?) and a light sweatshirt because the caves are a temperate, yet damp 55 degrees or so. Other than that, the choice of adventure is up to you. - Cave admission is only 9.50 as of Aug 2013. I don't know that you can necessarily beat that price for that experience, unless you hit up the park or a playground - and those pale in comparison.