Cave of the Mounds 136 mi
A cave in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin with 45-minute to 1-hour guided tours, 70 feet down at a steady 50°F.
Blue Mounds, WI, 50°F inside, from $26.99
Caves near Chicago, IL
13 show caves with public tours within 250 miles of Chicago. The closest is Cave of the Mounds, about 136 miles away.
Distances are straight-line miles from downtown Chicago; driving takes longer. Tour details checked 2026-10-22 against each cave's own site.
Crystal Lake Cave 158 mi
A cave near Dubuque with 45-minute walking tours through nearly three-quarters of a mile of limestone passages, plus black-light and wild cave tours.
Dubuque, IA, 50°F inside, from $22
Maribel New Hope Cave 166 mi
A free-to-enter cave park in Maribel, Wisconsin; New Hope Cave opens for tours on the third Sunday of each month, May to October.
Maribel, WI, from $5
Eagle Cave 176 mi
A Wisconsin cave with guided tours Thursday to Sunday in summer and an in-cave overnight exploration program in the cooler months.
Blue River, WI, from $16.00
Kickapoo Indian Caverns 186 mi
The cave in the Kickapoo Caverns Nature Preserve near Wauzeka, Wisconsin, open only on occasional guided events such as the Conservancy's bat ecology tours.
Wisconsin
Spook Cave 203 mi
A boat tour through a cave near McGregor, Iowa, 35–40 minutes long at 47°F, open May to October.
McGregor, IA, 47°F inside
Bluespring Caverns 220 mi
A one-hour tour by electric boat along an underground river 5 miles southwest of Bedford, covering 1.25 miles on the water.
Bedford, IN, 53°F inside, from $26
Spring Mill State Park Caves 226 mi
Caves in an Indiana state park: a $3 summer boat tour into Twin Caves, and the dry side of Donaldson Cave that you can explore on your own from Trail 4.
Mitchell, IN, from $3
Ohio Caverns 234 mi
A cave 4 miles east of West Liberty with 50-minute tours that change with the season, at a constant 54°F.
West Liberty, OH, 54°F inside, from $25
Mark Twain Cave 246 mi
A National Natural Landmark cave in Hannibal with an electrically lit, gentle one-hour walk, and the unlit Cameron Cave toured by flashlight next door.
Hannibal, MO, from $29.99
Cameron Cave 246 mi
An unlit cave next to Mark Twain Cave in Hannibal, toured by flashlight on a 90-minute guided tour.
Hannibal, MO, from $32.99
Perry's Cave 248 mi
A cave 52 feet below South Bass Island in Lake Erie, with short tours at around 50°F, open daily from May.
Put-in-Bay, OH, 50°F inside, from $13
Heineman Winery Crystal Cave 248 mi
A crystal cave beneath a Put-in-Bay winery, toured together with the wine cellar and a glass of wine or grape juice.
Put-in-Bay, OH, from $14