The Little-Known Natural Wonder In Alabama That Becomes Even More Enchanting In The Wintertime
By Lisa Battles|Published December 18, 2023
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Lisa Battles
Author
Lisa has traveled the U.S. for over a decade, seeking out and sharing the stories of its most interesting places, people, and experiences. A journalism graduate of Auburn University, she has been a content strategist, editor, and writer for more than 25 years. Lisa has worked in community news, PR, and marketing with a focus on tourism, hospitality, and economic development. Besides following her curiosity around every corner, she's a devoted dog mom of two and advocate for animal welfare.
The oldest continually occupied city in the US is home to one of Alabama’s newest attractions – Majestic Caverns. If you’ve been around awhile, you’ll immediately recognize these caverns by their old name, DeSoto Caverns. Rebranded and renamed in 2022, Majestic Caverns in Childersburg refocuses on the beautiful environment and experiences people have had there for centuries. The park’s special holiday productions make it our best natural wonder in wintertime. Another seasonal bonus: It’s 60 degrees year-round!
Before you even set foot in the caverns, the park at Majestic Caverns has a dizzying list of options for families to explore. You can watch park entertainers and demonstrators crafting giant bubbles, performing magic tricks, or forging iron.
While the park is open Fridays through Mondays year-round, wintertime brings next-level holiday experiences (and extended hours) during the December Adventus events. On these Saturday evenings, the caverns transform into what the park calls a "Winter Underland."
Christmas lights add even more dazzle to the cavern lighting and lasers while guests enjoy holiday music shows, visit with Saint Nicholas, play games, and watch performers juggle fire.
All of this is in addition to attractions and activities guests can enjoy all year, like the Destiny Express Train, an explorer ship, cannon wars, the Lost Trail Maze, a Cave Crawl Box, and more.
While Majestic Caverns is an incredible destination today, it builds upon a remarkable past. The site is millions of years old and holds many firsts throughout history. Long before Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto came across the caverns in 1540, archeological evidence points to people living there between 8,000 BC and 1,000 BC. In 1965, archeologists discovered a burial site of five individuals dating to the Woodland Indians period from 1,000 BC to 1,000 AD. According to The Library of Congress American Folklife Center, the Creek Indian Nation considered the caverns its tribal birthplace.
Jump forward to 1796, when it became the first officially recorded cave. That was the year George Washington's General Superintendent for Indian Affairs, Benjamin Hawkins, wrote about its beauty in a report back to the capital. In 1814, some Creek Indians sought refuge here after the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. It served as a saltpeter mine during the Civil War and a speakeasy during Prohibition.
Since the mid-1920s, the Mathis family has owned the property. In 2015, the fifth generation of the family took over the operation of the caverns as a public attraction, an era that began in 1975. Thousands of people continue to experience the wonder of gazing up and around the Healing-All Cathedral room. The one-hour guided tours take you through the largest collections of onyx-marble stalagmites and stalactites anywhere in the US, to a natural waterfall, and more.
With so much to see and do, we believe you’ll find at least one thing you’ll love at our best natural wonder in wintertime. Considering it can easily be a full day of so much fun, check out nearby hotel options for a good night’s rest afterward.
You can find info on regular and special event hours on the Majestic Caverns website and the park’s latest news on the Majestic Caverns Facebook page.
We’d love to hear about your time at Majestic Caverns if you’ve had a chance to visit yourself. Let us know your favorite activities and memories made there.
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