Marengo Cave: One of the most beautiful caves on earth (Marengo, Indiana)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ต.ค. 2024
- Described by many as, "the most beautiful cave in the world", Marengo Cave has drawn visitors from all over the globe. It is absolutely a wonderland of cave formations, unlike anything you've ever seen! First explored by two children, in 1883, it has delighted visitors for nearly 140 years. It is absolutely worth the hype, and a must see when visiting Southern Indiana!
This video covers both the "Crystal Palace" and "Dripstone Trail" tours.
FAIR USE GRAPHICS
Marengo Cave tour map
Marengo Cave is absolutely beautiful ! There is a lot of cave that visitors do not get to see. I'd definitely suggest taking the "wild" tour if you can.
I would have to lose a lot of weight, but that blowing bat crawl section sounds amazing!
Watching further into the video reminded me how nice it is to sit on their porch eating an ice cream while it's raining.
Any cave passage under a foot high is out for me lol.
@@brianwatson3705 I was talking with the Wyandotte Cave property manager, and he mentioned the largest known cave column in North America, if you want to crawl about a mile: “Pillar of the Constitution.”
@@brianwatson3705 ah! rain on the porch. agree
I happened to notice your name. Did you grow up in South haven ?
My son and daughter in law got married in Marengo Cave. I was skeptical at first, but it was a beautiful ceremony- gorgeous venue!!
It really is a wonderful place, like an underground wonderland!
I worked at Marengo Cave back in the big 80's when I was 15-18. It is very beautiful cave. I now work part time at Indiana Caverns. Brother, if you would like a tour to review it for your channel just let me know. You do good work on your videos. Blessings
Funny you should mention it: I just filmed Indiana Caverns last month, hope to edit it next! Have only briefly looked at the footage, and haven’t yet written the screenplay. I hope to tell a story about the immense cave system, early exploration, ice age finds, and the people that had a dream of sharing it with the world. I wish I had pictures of those early explorations and developments, but I don’t! 🙂
@@AdventureswithRoger man I wish I'd seen this sooner. I could have put you in touch with the IKC. Dave Everton , Rand Hezlit , Tim Pride and several others that have been pushing the Binkleys cave system for years.
@@brianwatson3705 Hey Brian! I’m cooking a project in my head: a film about ALL of Indiana’s show caves. How they were discovered, developed, what they have to offer tourists, how each are unique. I’m holding out on Wyandotte, hoping to get in, May 2023.
@@AdventureswithRoger that will be great to see. I'd love to see Wyandotte reopen. I know that there has been talks with the DNR people about it. There have been many caves in the past that were privately owned tour caves that didn't work out. IF you haven't heard of them , Central Indiana Grotto has members that know about them more than I do.
@@brianwatson3705 I’ve only heard about two showcaves that didn’t work out: the one behind Becks Mill, at Salem, and River Cave at Cave River Valley. Seems like I recall hearing that both had lights mounted on the ceilings.
Marengo Cave is wonderful! Definitely one of our favorites. We love the history. Our first love is Squire Boone Caverns.
Both awesome caves, for different reasons! Since Squire Boone Caverns expanded the original tour, there’s a lot more to see and the lighting is spectacular. And, water is EVERYWHERE! Eventually I’ll do a comparison video, showing what all the caves have to offer.
Thank you for the tour. I have never seen anything so beautiful in all my life.
It is the jewel of Southern Indiana, though Squire Boone is also very beautiful.
lucky kids! you can bet they were truly amazed. I am
I would’ve been in so much trouble if I’d found a cave near where I lived!
I've been to a lot of the places you film and have to say you do a great job. Southern Indiana has some of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I live around Owensboro KY but I find myself driving around Southern Indiana every chance I get. Buzzard Roost area is amazing to me. Have you done one on the flood of Leavenworth? Thanks for the videos.
My pleasure!
I did a video about Leavenworth, briefly spoke about the flood, showed what’s left of the town, and went into the old pump house.
Leavenworth & Alton, Indiana (A Travelers Guide)
th-cam.com/video/6jXkhSKeuMw/w-d-xo.html
Thank you posting this video. Marengo cave is spectacular. All of Crawford County is scenic as can be
Marengo Cave and Crawford County hiking trails are amazing! Hope to film Rich Cave Hollow, Messmore Cliffs, and Arrowhead Arch area this fall.
Great video, I loved hearing the back story history. Can you imagine the dreams those children had while they believed they saw diamonds 💎 on the walls of the cave.
Not only can I imagine, I lived it! 🙂When I was a kid, my Mother told me a story handed down to her, about a Southern Indiana cave with silver, gold and even jewels. Did I ever have dreams of hitting it rich! I ended up making the film. "Dark Silver" about it.
Wow! What a beautiful spot. It's like God reach down and touched it with just his finger. The only cave I've really been to is Ruby falls in Tennessee. Great video sir I really enjoyed that. Thanks for taking us on the adventure.
Been to Ruby Falls! I love the Chattanooga area.
Marengo Cave is great because it’s not a ton of stairs, and there is SO much to see.
I just love this kind of stuff. So much has been destroyed, sometimes we don't even realize what was there.
This is truly a crown jewel of Southern Indiana, just a wonderful cave. 🙂
Thanks, Roger.
My pleasure!
Love Marengo Cave as well as Wyandotte and Blue Springs..
All have something special! I filmed Indiana Caverns last weekend, may be able to do Wyandotte next spring. It all depends on a little rare bat, the reason they closed Wyandotte this year!
Excellent video Roger, haven't been here since i was a kid on a field trip. Thanks for the content , keep up the good work! !
My pleasure, James! I’ve waited to do some of my favorite childhood memories, after I got the right equipment and a better understanding of lighting. Dad took us to every show cave in Indiana, except for Indiana Caverns, that opened decades after he passed away, and I wanted to do them justice.
These places are very special, for those of us that shared them as a family memory, and especially for those that can no longer go. I hope the videos bring back good memories and encourage new generations to see something remarakable.
Been there , we actually had a private walk , it was very beautiful !
I love Marengo Cave! Weekends can be crowded, and May through early August are prime tourist season. But the rest of the year is wonderful, small groups, sometimes just you and the tour guide!
I live 20 minutes from Marengo cave it is an awesome cave experience
One of my favorites!
Thank you greatly for your research of history. Always look forward to your videos.
Thank-you kindly! I go down a lot of rabbit holes at times, but try to produce things I’d want to watch. 🙂
GORGEOUS! 💚
It is truly the gem of southern Indiana!
I've been twice and can't wait to camp out in there
Simply a great cave!
Great Documentary, very pleasant and concise! The whole way I was having flashbacks of the summer "cave vacations" of my youth! Cheers and Salutations....
Thank- you! One summer in the 1970’s, Dad took us to every showcave in Indiana. I was hooked ever since! They all have a unique, timeless beauty, and bring back such great memories. 🙂
@@AdventureswithRoger Oh! I agree! Mom and Dad hauled us around from the late 70s to the early 80s every summer, though my favourite year we hit Squire Boone and Wyandotte, along with Marengo and another, maybe Blue River before turning our sights west....stopping at every tourist site from Indiana to Wyoming. When my Brother and Sister and I had finally hit our threshold of caves, corn palaces, monumental sculptures, quaint towns, curious geography, Deadwood and Bedrock City, panning for gold and minerals, Reptile Gardens and Bear Country U.S.A., architectural wonders and achievements, public parks and beaches for hiking swimming and fishing, Badlands, museums, historic homes and hotels, seasonal festivals, native American and candy shops, flea markets....over a week later, we simply turned back and casually made our way home, not even caring that we were not going to Six Flags! That good old Pontiac LeMans was road proven and road worthy, though on the way up to Rushmore she burnt through some water and could have overheated with a down others, all stalled along the gravel shoulder due to the excessive heat!
@@jarmyvicious Those are some awesome memories, you'll always treasure! Every family needs a huge roadtrip!
Very beautiful. I went to a cave when i was maybe 7. It sure wasn't that one! Have to ask my dad which one. Thanks
Despite my parents living in Marengo for about 4 years in the early 90s, I only remember going to Marengo Caves once, and I mostly just recall the gift shop. You keep doing great videos about places I have seen and traveled through all of my life but barely remember. Not to mention interesting history and crazy cryptid stories I have never heard. I am starting to question the whole point of my existence! I mean, how can I go to all these cool and amazing places and barely remember any of it? I am sitting here right now, a 30 min drive from world renowned fall foliage and probably won't make it to Brown County again this year. Smh. Seriously though, thank you for doing these films. Indiana is so often glossed over and it really is a pretty interesting and beautiful place if you know where to look. Which I obviously don't.
My parents were big on weekend road trips across Indiana, and I’ve never got it out of my system! Dad took us to all the showcaves and historic places, and after he passed away, Mom and I hit all the mansions, museums and state parks. I’ve inadvertently become a walking encyclopedia of Indiana tourist attractions and folklore! 🙂
There is so much to share, and it’s my sincere pleasure to help people reminisce about family road trips, or provide ideas for new ones. And sometimes, a person just needs a quiet place above the Ohio River, to help their soul.
i haven’t been since my now-adult children were very young. this is a great video, Roger. i may have to head down there again sometime. thanks for sharing!
My pleasure, Rusty! Out of all the Indiana show caves, it’s still the easiest to get in and out, with the fewest stairs / steep ramps. Squire Boone Caverns was also very beautiful, but that spiral staircase, at the end, took the wind out of me!
Tour guide there from 83 late 85. Many of us worked there during high school, great memories. Samuels signature from Sept 9th, 1883 is still visible,
Where is that?
@@BransonYT Marengo,Indiana
@@BransonYT yes if you enter signature hall as you’re coming down the dripstone tour, it is on the left kind of the upper left. Maybe a quarter of the way in
Thank you so much for your channel!
My pleasure, Helen! For some I bring back memories, for others I launch new family trips, and for people looking for a little peace, I hope I help them find it. But for everyone, I’d like to think I give a sense of adventure and wonder. 🙂
Hey I have some awesome spots if you are interested, we have access to many caves few people even know are around on private property. Love the videos man
I have a friend from Cave Capers, that’s always scoping out new or lightly explored caves. Once you start cave hopping, you can’t stop! 😀 There’s a few in Perry and Martin counties that interest me, as they might have evidence of Native American occupancy.
I'd love to see the spots
Beautiful caves be in both with my daughter
Wow. I lived right down the road in Mitchell for 5 yrs never went. Looks like little Carlsbad
It’s a true gem! Even though Mammoth Cave in Kentucky is much larger, I’d pick Marengo over it, for beauty.
@@AdventureswithRoger Mammoth is pretty boring after Carlsbad. Size is really it's only claim to fame
@@jeffbarton4398 Totally agree! I’ve had friends ask me about Mammoth, and I talk them into Marengo / sight-seeing in southern Indiana. Plus, not everyone is physically up to doing Mammoth or Carlsbad.
@@AdventureswithRoger True it's a hike. I did a lamplight tour of mammoth that was great though. Tight squeezes and chances to fall. Big waiting list though
@@jeffbarton4398 Wyandotte down here went from a lighted showcave, to issuing everyone lighted helmets. Then, shut down completely, due to white nose syndrome, that was killing Indiana brown bats. It shut down again this year, as another rare bat was found in the cave. Hopefully it will reopen in May 2023!
Why do things stick to the ceiling?
"Though not a buried treasure, the Penny Ceiling at Marengo Cave is a treasure overhead
Dann DennyThe Herald Times
MARENGO - Every few days for the past month, Gary Coomer and Mark Schultz have climbed a pair of 16-foot ladders to reach directly above their heads and carefully pry pennies from a thin layer of mud clinging to the ceiling of Marengo Cave.For sheer pleasure, it\'s a job that ranks right up there with gutter cleaning and toilet plunging.But Coomer, Marengo Cave\'s adventure program manager, and Schultz, the cave\'s steward, are happy to do it.Why? Because every copper coin they drop into their 5-gallon plastic buckets will be donated to The Nature Conservancy of Indiana\'s Blue River Project.The Nature Conservancy is a non-profit organization that will use the money to help preserve the animal and plant life in and around the 90-mile long Blue River."The Blue River is considered the most threatened karst stream in the world," said Carol Groves, vice president of the Marengo Cave and Blue River Outdoor Center. A karst area is a region of porous limestone characterized by underground caves and streams. "And Marengo Cave\'s two subterranean rivers form one of the Blue River\'s major tributaries, Whiskey Run Creek."In addition to providing about $1,500 worth of pennies (plus a few nickels, dimes and quarters) for the Conservancy, the ceiling scouring project is helping to preserve a 100-year Marengo Cave tradition - that of allowing visitors to toss pennies upward into a mucky surface called Penny Ceiling.The pennies stick in the half-inch-thick layer of soft clay, which stays eternally moist due to the cave's 100 percent humidity.The result is a metallic melange - a smattering of shiny copper pennies, a sprinkling of silver-colored coins, but mostly pennies with a bluish/gray hue caused by oxidation."
www.heraldtimesonline.com/story/news/1999/03/04/hough-not-a-buried-treasure-the-penny-ceiling-at-marengo-cave-is-a-treasure-overhead/118866416/
Never been to it but I want to
It’s a really really good one
@@AdventureswithRoger I will take my kids and check it out 🤙
Do you ever do anything on Corydon or Harrison County , IND?
Hi Chris!
I did some short segments on Morgans Raid at Mauckport, New Amsterdam, and the Constitution Elm. I just finished filming for a complete segment about Harrison County sites to see, and Indiana Caverns, last month. It will be a pretty good sized item! I took my time, as Harrison County means a lot to me. It’s one of the first places I remember seeing as a kid, on our many family outings from central Indiana. 🙂
Little girl at 10:37 is breaking the rules!
DO NOT LEAVE THE PATHWAY!
The stalagmites will cease growing if you touch them!
This natural wonder is 8 miles from my home. ✌️
I’ve been to many caves, but Marengo and Squire Boone are the most beautiful!
@@AdventureswithRoger
I need to go to Squire Boone. ✌️
@@aisforapple2494 A few years back, they expanded the tour and improved lighting: it’s amazing! But the spiral staircase up is still bad 😉
Hello!
My name is Caitlyn, and I work at INNOVATIVE-a multimedia marketing agency based in Indianapolis. We’re partnering with Governor Eric Holcomb on a series of short, immersive videos to showcase the quality of life here in Indiana.
I am reaching out to request permission to use a few seconds from THIS video of yours in one of the Governor's videos about Marengo Cave.
The final videos may be used on a variety of digital platforms (social media/websites/etc.), as well as in-person meetings and presentations. They will NOT be used for any commercial purposes or anything political in nature.
Can you please let me know if we have permission? Thank you!
We can discuss fees at returpen@gmail.com
Always 52 degrees year round
B
Where'd it all go?? .
Boy I sure hope that man hooked those kids up for finding it and he made the money.
I’ve never heard that they even got free admission after that!
It's certainly the most scenic cave in Indiana - but FAR from most scenic in the world.
What’s your pick for most scenic in the world? I’ve heard good things about Carlsbad.