22 show caves with public tours within 150 miles of Knoxville. The closest is Historic Cherokee Caverns, about 0 miles away, and 5 are within 60 miles.
Distances are straight-line miles from downtown Knoxville; driving takes longer. Tour details checked 2026-10-22 against each cave's own site.
A Knoxville cave that opens to the public only for special events such as movies, trick-or-treat and Christmas in the cave.
Knoxville, TN, from $15.00
A cave in Townsend, Tennessee whose 1.25-mile round-trip tour takes in the Big Room and Silver Falls.
Townsend, TN, from $28
A seasonal cave near Sevierville with 55-minute guided tours past grottos, natural chimneys and an underground stream, at 58°F.
Sevierville, TN, 58°F inside, from $25
A guided tour of Craighead Caverns that ends with a boat ride on what the operators call America's largest underground lake.
Sweetwater, TN, from $29.95
A cave in Cumberland Gap National Historical Park with about 18 miles explored, of which half a mile on three levels is shown on seasonal ranger-led tours.
Virginia
A cave in Blountville, Tennessee with Explorer and Wild tours, plus a campground and gem mine.
Blountville, TN
A cave in McMinnville open year-round with walking tours, crawling adventure tours and overnight stays, at 56°F.
McMinnville, TN, 56°F inside
An underground waterfall inside Lookout Mountain, reached by a 260-foot elevator ride and a guided walk on a paved cave trail.
Chattanooga, TN, 60°F inside, from $29.95
A Chattanooga cave with a 45–55 minute guided walk through the first quarter mile, plus wild cave expeditions.
Chattanooga, TN, 58°F inside
A Bristol cave open year-round whose Classic Show Tour goes 180 feet down several flights of stairs in 45–60 minutes.
Bristol, TN, from $19.95
A show cave in the North Carolina mountains with small-group guided tours leaving every 10 minutes, open year-round.
Marion, NC, from $15
A large cave best known for its underground concert venue, also open for guided walking tours on weekends.
Pelham, TN, 59°F inside, from $22.95
A national monument built around a cave shelter. You can't go inside the cave itself, but you can see the shelter, and the park is a stop on the Alabama Birding Trail.
Bridgeport, AL
A small cave in Cave City, Kentucky with quick 30-minute tours at around 60°F.
Cave City, KY, 60°F inside, from $12.50
A cave on Prewitts Knob Road in Cave City with one-hour, half-mile guided tours at 58°F.
Cave City, KY, 58°F inside, from $18.99
A cave in Horse Cave, Kentucky, off I-65 exit 58, with the free American Cave Museum on site and what it calls the world's longest swinging underground bridge.
Horse Cave, KY, from $26
Mammoth Onyx Cave at the Kentucky Down Under animal park, an easy guided tour with 144 stairs, included with park admission.
Horse Cave, KY, 58°F inside
A small cave tour on Mammoth Cave Road in Cave City, run alongside horseback trail rides and mini golf.
Cave City, KY, from $9
A cave inside Mammoth Cave National Park, off exit 48, with one-hour guided tours of a half-mile loop at 58°F, open year-round.
Park City, KY, 58°F inside, from $24
A separate cave inside Mammoth Cave National Park with stalactites, gypsum crystals and helictites, seen only on the summer weekend Great Onyx Lantern Tour.
Kentucky, from $31
Now the Crumps Cave Research and Education Preserve, a 2.1-acre Western Kentucky University site near Smiths Grove used for karst and groundwater research. It isn't run as a show cave.
Smiths Grove, KY
A national park with more than a dozen ranger-led cave tours, from a $12 Discovery Tour to a $79 Wild Cave crawl, at around 54°F underground.
Mammoth Cave, KY, 54°F inside, from $15
