Frequently Asked Questions

Question: It seems like there are a lot of Onyx Caves in the area. Why is that?

Answer: We are ONYX CAVE AND ROCK SHOP and are located inside the Cave City limits directly across the street from Dinosaur World, high on the hill (93 Huckleberry Knob Road)! There are no less than THREE OTHER CAVES in the area with the word “ONYX” in their name. Locally, “onyx” is a slang word meaning “cave formation” so this is not an accident or even an attempt to copy other caves. Those other caves include Great Onyx Cave (inside of Mammoth Cave National Park), Mammoth Onyx Cave (inside of Kentucky Down Under), and Crystal Onyx Cave located just outside of Cave City.

Question: Do I need a reservation for your cave tour?

Answer: No. We take walk-ins only and our tours run roughly every 30 minutes.

Question: Should I wear a jacket/sweatshirt/hoodie into the cave?

Answer: Our cave is 60ºF (15.5ºC) year round and the pace of the tour is slow to moderate. If you feel this might be a bit chilly for you, please feel free to dress in an extra outer layer.

Question: Is photography allowed inside of the cave?

Answer: Yes! Photography is strongly encouraged (we want you to remember your visit to Onyx Cave!). Flash photography is also allowed so long as you are polite to our other guests and guides and do not flash in other people’s eyes. Short videos may be taken of the CAVE but please so not take videos of other guests or our guides. Please do NOT bring tripods, monopods, or selfie sticks.

Question: What is your policy on food and drink inside the cave?

Answer: Only water in a sealed container is allowed inside of the cave.

Question: What is your policy for dogs and service animals in the rock shop and cave.

Answer: Well behaved dogs are allowed in the rock shop with no special conditions. Registered service animals are welcome in the cave but they may not like some of the gratings on our stairs. Other well behaved dogs are allowed in the cave ONLY if they can be contained inside of a bag or pack for the entire cave tour (roughly 35 minutes).

Question: Can I bring a flashlight on the cave tour?

Answer: Yes but only if you do not shine it in other’s eyes, or use it to distract others during the tour. Your guide may ask you to not use it during some portions of the tour.

Question: Is your cave handicap accessible?

Answer: Although we do have one of the easier cave tours in the area with approximately 60 stairs down (and another 60 back up), we are NOT handicap accessible. You may want to call Mammoth Cave National Park at 270-758-2180 to enquire about availability of their Accessible Tour.

Question: How many of your rocks that are sold in the shop come from the cave?

Answer: None of the rocks we sell come from the cave. It is actually illegal to sell rocks taken from ANY cave in the state of Kentucky.

Question: Do you have public bathrooms?

Answer: Yes! They are located in the hillside adjacent to our cave. Please ask for directions when you are visiting out Rock Shop.