Beating the fear of going to the unknown is hard, unless you have a good tour guide like Bridal Cave in Lake of the Ozarks does.

The gorgeous Bridal Cave is full of history and amazing things – but you can’t see it all without going inside.

My gal pal and I traveled to Lake of the Ozarks with our children, who range in ages from 2 to 10.  Cave exploring was not the most popular idea amongst the group, especially the girls.

I have toured Bridal Cave before with my kids, but they were still as terrified of the idea as the first time. Why? Well, caves are known to have bats and be underground – and sometimes our imagination just runs wild.

The tour guides at Bridal Cave must take an extra course in making their tours family friendly.   Within five minutes of our tour starting, our terrified bunch was completely engaged and involved in exploring Bridal Cave that they did not want to leave.

Our tour guide got up close and personal with our kids, bringing the information down to their level.  He showed us how the cave walls reflect the light. In fact, we played lights out in cave, except that he let my 6-year-old hold the flashlight (for extra protection) since he knew he was scared of the dark.

Caves are mostly dark and wet, our tour guide kept us safe, by reminding all of us (repeatedly) to hold onto handrails, walk slowly, and he kept the tour at the perfect pace for our short legs to keep up with.

When our tour was over all four kids were ready to go again, they had made friends with our tour guide, they had discovered the magic of the unknown, and they loved unusual information they had learned.

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Thing to Know Before Touring Bridal Cave in Lake of the Ozarks

• Bridal Cave has chosen to minimize the impact on the natural undisturbed beauty of the cave; therefore, the cave is not handicap accessible, nor are strollers allowed.
• Wear walking shoes – floors of the cave are damp and not level.
• Tours last about 30 minutes, so use the restroom before you start the tour, as there is no turning back.
• The cave is cool, or cooler than you expect, so jackets may be needed.
• They offer a group photo inside the cave, so be prepared to smile. (You can buy the photo at the end of the tour.)
• Check their hours, as they do not offer tours late of the evening.