Forbidden Caverns with Michael

Daylily blooming beside the stream at the mill. 


Forbidden Caverns With Michael 
Dana Koogler and grandson Michael Lindsey
Wednesday June 10, 2015

Forbidden Caverns Website

Photos are here: Forbidden Caverns Trip Pix

  Since school has been out for Summer certain days of the week I have my grandson with me.

I had been thinking of fun things for us to do that were different.   I realized that in all the time I've lived in this area I had not once been to Forbidden Caverns.  It is not that far from home. It is not

a huge tourist attraction as some places. It looked like a fun little adventure for us to share.

We set out one morning to find out for ourselves.   

      We found the place without an problems.   It was not expensive to get in. I think it was $22 for both of us.  The tour took one hour. It is a neat caverns and very well done.    It has more interesting formations than Tuckaleechee Caverns, but the waterfall in Forbidden Caverns was not running!

The underground stream was still flowing though.  It sits at the base of English Mountain.  English mountain has a large underground aquifer .    It can pump out 200,000, 000 to 300, 000, 000 gallons of spring water per day!  It is used by the Bush Beans cannery and the English Mountain spring water bottling company.   

      The place was busy enough but not crowded.    Michael liked it and so did I.  

Near the start of the cavern tour.

Columns and stalactites, stalagmites.

My grandson Michael, age 6. He is wearing Pawpaw's headlamp. He is prepared to lead the tour!

Historic reconstruction of an old moonshine still.  Moonshine was made in the cave, but 

the only parts left that were old and authentic were on a trash heap.

View of the underground stream.

Drapery formation. You can see Michael's feet behind it.

Largest white onyx wall in the world per the cave guide.  

Light show among the formations. 

Of course he's happy. Nanny is buying him stuff in the gift store!  Gotta support the local economy.

We stopped to see a small, attractive cascade just before the caverns.

A tiny bit down the road is an old grist mill.  We stopped to visit that too.

It is the Blowing Cave Mill site. 

Here is the mill race and the creek.

Michael crossing the creek on a board bridge to go see the other parts of the old mill.

Snake doctor on the watercress in the creek.

   We had a good day.  We ate at McDonald's.  We stopped at the co-op in Sevierville.

We stopped at Tractor Supply and bought mud boots for Michael.  We went home and finished a Science experiment. We petted Diesel the black devil cat.  We played cars and trucks and had races with the new toys from Tractor Supply company!

   Looking forward to the next adventure!