Natural Bridge Caverns

These little helpers let us fine-tune your experience and bring you the best of our hidden wonders. Feel free to accept and get exploring or customize how your data is used. It’s all up to you! The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. Natural Bridge Caverns is one of the world’s premier show caverns. Discovered in 1960 by local cavers, this family-owned and operated natural wonder is the largest cavern in Texas. There are five cave tours of two distinct and stunning caverns, as well as above-ground adventures of a different kind, including a ropes course, zip rails, a 5,000 square foot outdoor maze, and an interactive “gem panning” activity. Natural Bridge Caverns is also home to the deepest venue in Texas, the Ballroom, with regular concerts and events. More of the cavern is still being discovered; the Wuest family, along with their in-house caving team, is still actively exploring new areas in the massive system. Natural Bridge Caverns is a designated State Historical Site and National Natural Landmark of Historic Places. Natural Bridge Caverns is much more than a story about a cave. It’s the story of a family that took their connection to the land and evolved it into passionate stewardship for the natural beauty and wonder both above and beneath their feet. The beginnings It began with a young rancher, Charles Wuest, who fell in love with the girl next door – literally. Emelie Forshage, daughter of rancher Louis Forshage, lived on the ranch next door. That was what Natural Bridge Caverns was, back then: a working ranch. Over the next sixty years, the Wuest family would work through drought and hardship to hold on to the land and family they loved so dearly. Then a discovery of an immense cavern shifted the family’s future. The discovery In 1960, four students (Orion Knox, Al Brandt, Preston Knodell, and Joe Cantu) from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio convinced Clara Wuest, a determined rancher and widowed mother of two, to let them explore what they believed was a small cave on the property. Then on March 27, 1960 they discovered an incredible cavern; two miles of chamber after chamber, each filled with magnificent formations including gigantic, towering columns, emerald pools, and delicate crystalline soda straws. Investing in wonder The Wuest family made a big decision – they put everything they owned on the line to build would become Natural Bridge Caverns. After careful planning, the painstaking work began in 1963 and on July 3, 1964 – a year later – they opened the Cavern to guests. A month later Texas Governor John Connally dedicated the Caverns as “A Jewel in the Crown of Texas Attractions.” The family took on roles within the business and attendance grew – and so did the cavern. Giving back has always been part of the family tradition, but it was formalized in 1997. Established by Natural Bridge Caverns founder Clara Wuest Heidemann, the Heidemann – Wuest Foundation (HWF) supports not-for-profit charities that focus on youth and agriculture, education, heritage, faith, wildlife, conservation, exploration, law enforcement, and veterans. Each year the HWF contributes more than $100,000 to charitable organizations in the San Antonio and New Braunfels area. The expanding cavern Over the decades more and more chambers were discovered in the Cavern. Today continued exploration by a new generation of the Wuest family is still underway. New chambers have been discovered as recently as June of 2022; each filled with formations that continue to inspire the growth and sense of wonder of Natural Bridge Caverns. Throughout it all Brad and Travis, now CEO and vic