Lost World Caverns

"Lost World Caverns", located just outside of Lewisburg, West Virginia, is an underground natural series of caverns, and is a United States registered National Natural Landmark. Originally named "Grapevine Cave", the only entrance was a long vertical drop into which farmers used to dump dead livestock and other trash. Virginia Polytechnical Institute "discovered" the cave in 1942. It was surveyed in the 1960s and found to contain over a mile of interconnected passages that reach a depth of 235 feet below the surface.Lost World Caverns [http://www.lostworldcaverns.com/lostworldbroch.pdf brochure] [http://www.lostworldcaverns.com/] ] In 1967, the remains of a prehistoric cave bear (Arctodus pristinus) were unearthed in the cave.

In the early 1970s, a walking entrance was dug out, the trash was removed, walkways were installed and the cave was opened for tourism. In 1981, the gift shop and walking entrance were renovated. Since then subsequent owners have done extensive work on the lighting (making sure the it doesn't not allow the out-of-control growth of algae that old incandescent lamps cause) and many other cleaning and conservation projects as well as adding a dinosaur museum section to the gift shop.

The "walking" tour section of the cave consists of a large chamber (1000 feet long, 300 feet wide, and 120 feet high) with many formations like the Bridal Veil, Goliath, Snowy Chandelier, Ice Cream Wall, Castle and, perhaps the most storied, the War Club, where Bob Addis made it into the Guinness Book of World Records by sitting atop the 28 foot formation for nearly 16 days. [The tour pamphlet says the following about the "War Club" stalagmite: "This stalagmite is approximately 500,000 years old and stands 28 feet tall with a base diameter of 2.5 feet and a top diameter of 4 feet. In 1971, Bob Addis, of Parkersburg, West Virginia, secured a platform with ropes to the top of the War Club and began a 15 day, 23 hour and 22 minute stay on top, setting a Guinness World Record for 'Stalagmite Sitting'!"] In addition to the "walking" tour, one can opt for a rougher guided "wild" tour through the remote sections of the cave visiting sights like the Angel's Roost, Birth Canal, Keyhole, Glitter Pits, the Hall of the Mountain King and other passages and formations.

In 1992, the "Weekly World News" reported that Lost World Caverns was the home of "Bat Boy" [roadsideamerica.com [http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/10788] ] , and claimed that he was captured by the FBI in the caverns, where he reportedly survived by eating his weight in live insects every day. [wonderfulwv.com [http://www.wonderfulwv.com/archives/june01/fea1.cfm] ]

The site is open daily, except for holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.http://www.lostworldcaverns.com/contact.html] Currently, the standard self-guided tour rates are as follows: Adults: $10, Children 6-12: $5, Under 6 free. If planning to visit, one should wear shoes with sufficient tread and dress for a temperature of 52 degrees F.

Picture gallery

References

External links

* [http://www.lostworldcaverns.com/ Lost World Caverns Website]