Dunbar Cave State Park in Clarksville TN

Clarksville is a city in the Northern region of Tennessee. This city holds great history and has spectacular nature spots. One of the people’s favorites in Clarksville is the Dunbar Cave State Park. Dunbar Cave is a very unique prehistoric site. Not only is it widely known just in Tennessee, but in the entire Eastern Woodlands. It is located in an area of karst topography, such as sinkholes, springs, and limestone bedrock. Dunbar Cave has been utilized for thousands of years and is the site of important Mississippian Native American cave art, which dates back all the way to the 14th century. The park is comprised of 144 acres that sit in the rolling hills of Clarksville Tennessee. Though the cave is an actual place, the Mississippians believed it to be an actual portal into the Underworld or the part of the universe that was below the level of the ground where we live today. The Mississippians left many drawings on the walls of the cave, some in charcoal, some carved into the limestone itself. The meanings of these drawings still remain unknown today, but the symbols are still very meaningful. As of today, these drawings are protected at Dunbar Cave State Park. The cave tour seasons are May – September, and you are encouraged to go on one of these tours to experience these drawings just for yourself. The cave tour costs vary depending on age. Adults are $14 and kids ages 5-13 are $8. Every day they do four-hour-long tours that each can have a maximum of 20 people.