15 Texas caves worth a road trip from San Antonio

Natural Bridge Caverns
26495 Natural Bridge Caverns Rd., (210) 651-6101, naturalbridgecaverns.com
Right in San Antonio’s backyard is the largest known commercial caverns in the state of Texas. In 1960, students from St. Mary’s University were granted permission to explore the area and were convinced that underground passages would be found underneath a 60 foot limestone slab bridge. Sure enough, one of the students felt a draft from a rubble-filled crawlway — meaning there were additional passages. Today, you can explore the caverns through different tours.
Photo courtesy of Natural Bridge Caverns

Caverns of Sonora
1711 Pvt Rd. 4468, Sonora, (325) 387-3105, cavernsofsonora.com
A national natural landmark, the Caverns of Sonora is a world-class cave for its stunning array of calcite crystal formation, helictites in particular. Located about three hours northwest of the Alamo City, this attraction is where the Hill Country meets the Chihuahuan Desert. The result is one of Earth’s most revered underground treasures.
Photo via Instagram / oortcloud_9

Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area
101 N. Sweeten St., Rocksprings, (830) 683-2287, tpwd.texas.gov
Fans of the Mexican free-tailed bat should definitely plan a visit to the Devil’s Sinkhole, a natural bat habitat. The national natural landmark houses one of the state’s largest colonies of bats of this kind. And here’s another reason why this spot is so badass: the enormous cavern is vertical, meaning that the bats literally fly out of the ground. Official bat tours are held from May-October each year.
Photo via Instagram / tammiebernal

Inner Space Cavern
4200 N Interstate 35 Frontage Road, Georgetown, (512) 931-2283, innerspacecavern.com
While I-35 was being built way back in 1963, Texas Highway Department workers ended up discovering a karst cave in Georgetown. Speleological experts ended up drilling through 40 feet of limestone and exploring more than 7,000 feet, ranging from tight tunnels to cathedral-type rooms. So why not take a drive up the highway and explore this cave?
Photo via Instagram / innerspacecavern

Bracken Cave
26101 FM 3009, tpwd.texas.gov
In the summer, you can find the largest colony of bats in the world right here in San Antonio. More than 15 million Mexican free-tailed bats chill at Bracken Cave from March to October, making it one of the planet's largest concentration of mammals. Here’s why there’s so many: the cave is a maternity site for the species, so females gather here to give birth and rear their young.
Photo via Instagram / ella__ferguson

Cave Without a Name
325 Kreutzberg Road, Boerne, (830) 537-4212, cavewithoutaname.com
Just up the road you’ll discover a mysterious cave right in our backyard: Cave Without a Name. This limestone solutional cave is a national natural landmark, of course for its spectacular formations of stalactites, stalagmites, cave drapery, flowstones, rimstone dams and more. Oh, and the cave is 66-degrees year-round so you can visit whenever you please.
Photo via Instagram / pcmcb

Kickapoo Cavern State Park
20939 Ranch to Market Road 674, Brackettville, (830) 563-2342, tpwd.texas.gov
Since 1991, Kickapoo Caverns has welcomed visitors to explore 20 known caves – the two main attractions being Kickapoo Cavern and Stuart Bat Cave. The former is about 1,400 feet long and is the result of 4 million years of geologic change. The bat cave is somewhat shorter and is the seasonal home of thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats.The park itself also offers hiking and biking opportunities, and is home to a variety of wildlife.
Photo via Instagram / joshua.j.moore76

Wonder World Cave and Adventure Park
1000 Prospect St., San Marcos, (512) 392-3760, wonderworldpark.com
A theme park centered on its namesake cave, Wonder World is located just a short drive away in San Marcos. The main attraction is the Wonder Cave, an ancient earthquake cave (located on the Balcones Fault Line) that is so amazing that it’s a historic landmark as designated by the state of Texas. Leave the man-made fun to the kids and let yourself be wowed by Wonder Cave's natural beauty.
Photo via Instagram / wonderworldcave

Cascade Caverns
226 Cascade Caverns Rd., Boerne, cascadecaverns.com
In Boerne you’ll be able to explore this “historically, geologically and biologically important limestone solutional cave.” It’s a show cave that has been open to the public for tours since 1932. Plus, this natural beauty stays a cool 64-degrees year round.
Photo via Instagram / detgfrsh

Longhorn Cavern State Park
6211 Park Road 4 S, Burnet, visitlonghorncavern.com
Two hours north of San Antonio you’ll find yourself at Longhorn Cavern. The guided Cavern Walking Tour allows you to learn about nearly a dozen spot highlighted, such as the Hall of Diamonds and the Moon Room. Take the Wild Cave Tour for a true adventure — come ready to crawl and climb through the lower level of this wonderment, which will seriously wow you!
Photo via Instagram / dunhop

Fern Cave at Caprock Canyons State Park
850 Caprock Canyon Park Road, Quitaque, (806) 455-1492, tpwd.texas.gov
Away from North Prong Canyon at Caprock Canyons State Park is the tempting Fern Cave. This grotto has lightly-seeping water and lush vegetation that will take your breath away.
Photo via Instagram / onemomcamping

Westcave Preserve
24814 Hamilton Pool Road, (830) 825-3442, westcave.org
There’s lots of nature waiting to be discovered at Westcave, including a beautiful grotto. Though open to the public, you’ll need to be part of the guided canyon tour to spend some time in this majestic cave. The tour goes from an arid savanna through a limestone crevice to a sheltered canyon — where there’s a 40-foot waterfall that falls into an emerald pool.
Photo via Instagram / chomyluv

Robber Baron Cave
115 Camellia Way, tcmacaves.org/preserves/robberbaron
Tucked inside Alamo Heights is a hidden piece of San Antonio history: the Robber Baron Cave. A trendy tourist attraction in the 1920s, the cave became subject to vandalization and other damage as its popularity — and the city's population — grew. Acquired by the Texas Cave Management Association in 1995, Robber Baron Cave was turned into a preserve to protect its unique geology and ecology, and the cave was closed to regular visitation. Every once in a while TCMA offers a guided tour, but there hasn't been one since 2019. However, you can visit the sinkhole where the cave is located and see the entrance.
Photo via Instagram / iammagda1

Crystal Cave at Garner State Park
234 RR 1050, Concan, tpwd.texas.gov
Most San Antonians don’t need any introduction to Garner, but have you ever swung by Crystal Cave? (The entrance is pictured here.) Grab a map and take the Crystal Cave Trail, which is .6 miles and considered challenging. It’ll be worth it though, since you’ll be able to spend some time away from the crowds to enjoy this natural wonder.
Photo via Instagram / texas_trail_boys

Colorado Bend State Park
1201 Colorado Park Road, Bend, (325) 628-3240, tpwd.texas.gov
Get away from it all and head to Colorado Bend. Make your way around the park and you’ll discover all of the karst features, such as sinkholes, springs and yes, lots of caves. It’s recommended that you explore with a guide since these are considered “wild” caves – especially the Gorman Cave.
Photo via Instagram / texantuff123