Marengo Cave
400 IN-64, Marengo, IN
Marengo, IN
A National Natural Landmark cave found by two curious children in 1883, its passages hung with delicate soda straws and draperies deep beneath the southern Indiana hills.
Marengo Cave is one of the finest show caves in the Midwest, a National Natural Landmark whose passages are hung with an unusual richness of delicate formations. It was discovered in 1883 by two children who heard about a sinkhole and, with a candle and their curiosity, slipped underground to explore, emerging with news of the beautiful chambers below. Within days it was opened to visitors, and it has welcomed them ever since.
The cave lies in the karst country of southern Indiana, a landscape riddled with caves, sinkholes, and springs where water has dissolved the limestone bedrock over vast stretches of time. Guided walking tours lead through decorated rooms of soda straws, flowstone, and draperies, making it an accessible and memorable introduction to the underground world for travelers of all ages.
What Guests Love
- Walking through richly decorated passages of soda straws, columns, and draperies
- The story of its discovery by two children who slipped inside in 1883
- Guided walking tours that suit families and first-time cave-goers
- The cool, constant underground air, a relief on a hot summer day
Worth Knowing
- The cave stays cool year-round, so bring a light layer even in summer
- Tours are on foot and include stairs and some uneven, sometimes damp footing
- It is a National Natural Landmark; stay on paths and do not touch the formations
- Above ground there are extra activities, so plan a little time beyond the cave tour
Details
Marengo, IN
Learn about Marengo Cave
Discovered by two children
In 1883 word spread of a sinkhole near the town of Marengo, and two local children, Blanche and Orris Hiestand, decided to see for themselves what lay below. With a light and no small amount of nerve, they climbed down and found themselves in a series of beautifully decorated chambers that no one had recorded before. Their discovery was quickly recognized as something special.
The cave opened to visitors almost immediately, and it has operated as a show cave for well over a century since. That long history of careful public tours is part of what earned it recognition as a National Natural Landmark, a designation for the country's finest natural features.
A richly decorated underground
What makes Marengo stand out among caves is the density and delicacy of its formations. Passages are lined with thin soda straws hanging from the ceiling, flowing curtains of flowstone, draperies, and columns where stalactites and stalagmites have joined, all built up drop by drop over immense periods of time.
These formations grow as water seeping through the limestone above deposits tiny amounts of mineral, layer on layer, across thousands of years. The lantern-lit tours reveal room after room of this slow handiwork, and guides explain how the whole underground landscape came to be, from the dissolving of the rock to the growth of each fragile straw.
Cave country of southern Indiana
Marengo sits in a broad belt of karst that runs across southern Indiana, where limestone bedrock has been slowly dissolved by groundwater into an underground world of caves, sinkholes, and springs. Several show caves and wild caves dot this region, along with the caverns and hidden streams that give the landscape its distinctive rolling, pockmarked surface.
This hill country is old homeland of the Miami and Shawnee peoples among the Native nations of the region, who knew its springs and rock shelters long before the caves were opened to tourism. Today the surrounding forests and parks make the area a quiet destination for anyone drawn to the outdoors above ground as well as below.
Planning a visit
The cave holds a steady cool temperature all year, which makes it a welcome escape on a hot summer day but means a light jacket is smart in any season. Tours are guided and walked, with stairs and some uneven, occasionally damp footing, so sturdy shoes help.
Above ground the site offers additional family activities, so it is easy to spend more than just the length of a tour here. Combined with the caves, forests, and river country nearby, Marengo makes a natural anchor for a day exploring the hidden landscape of southern Indiana.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Marengo
Hoosier National Forest
Surrounding the area
A large forest across southern Indiana, with hiking, lakes, and quiet backcountry near the cave country.
Marengo
In town
A small rural town at the entrance to the cave, in the heart of Indiana's karst region.
Patoka Lake
About 25 miles west
One of Indiana's largest reservoirs, a hub for boating, fishing, and wildlife watching.
Wyandotte Caves
About 15 miles south
Another of southern Indiana's noted cave systems, in the same limestone country.