Mercer Caverns

"16 Stories of Stalactite Fun"

Mercer Caverns is a limestone cavern located on the outskirts of the town of Murphys, California in the gold country of California.   It was founded in 1885 when Walter Mercer came to California to pan for gold, and instead discovered the Cavern.    

The tour is guided by passionate people who enjoy teaching about the history of the cavern and the science behind how it came into being.   In most of the rooms, the staff has also come up with fairy tales and point out things like the "cavern grocery store" highlighting stalactites that look like broccoli, bacon etc.  that keep kids interested throughout the tour.   The cavern became famous due to the presence of a very rare formation called Aragonite flos ferri, which was showcased at the Worlds Fair in Paris.  

The grounds of the Cavern are not available for exploring, however, there are picnic tables and a gift shop to visit waiting for a tour or relaxing after the tour.

It is not for those with physical aliments that make climbing stairs difficult as during the course of the 1 hour tour, visitors descend and then ascent the equivalent of 16 stories on mostly wooden steps.  However, there is no question of the safety measures that are in place.   Children ages 3 and up need to pay for the tour and it would be my recommendation that unless a child can walk comfortably on his/her own, it probably would be best to have that child stay above ground.  

We have gone several times over the years with children of all ages and everyone seems to enjoy it.