Desoto Caverns, recently renamed Majestic Caverns in order to reflect the beauty of the site, is a historical attraction located at the edge of Shelby County.  

Located about an hour away from the University of Montevallo campus, the caverns are part of an amusement park that offers a variety of attractions for people of all ages to enjoy. 

When visitors enter the park they are met with a scenic trail leading up to a visitor’s center with a café and gift shop. From there, they can purchase tickets that allow unlimited access to all the different facilities at the park. Some forms of entertainment that are offered at the park include water golf, ore panning, and a train ride. 

The main attraction of the park is a guided tour of the caverns. Park-goers walk into an expansive underground room where they can see formations made from onyx and underground waterfalls. The tour features an experience of complete darkness as well as a laser light show. Visitors can also learn about the origins of the caverns and the surrounding area.

The earliest recorded discovery of Majestic Caverns was by Hernando Desoto, a 16th-century Spanish explorer, in the year 1540. However, archeologists who have studied the caverns determined that the caverns were inhabited as early as the  Archaic period (8,000 to 1000 BC). 

The caves have a connection with Native American history, where they were used as burial sites. Today, the first area that park-goers enter when they walk into the caverns is called Healing All Cathedral. This was a way to honor how the Native Americans associated the caverns with healing properties.

Visually, the Majestic Caverns offer a different experience compared to other caverns. Asa, a tour guide at the park, pointed out the complexity of the natural details of the cave. “If you look up you see all these formations. A lot of caves are just big holes in the ground.”  

The beauty of the caverns was one of the aspects that caught the attention of Benjamin Hawkins, a presidential agent, in 1796. After experiencing the caverns, Hawkins wrote a letter detailing the cave’s physical attributes to President George Washington. This led to the documentation of  Majestic Caverns as America’s first cave.

For more information about visiting Majestic Caverns, and to book a tour, visit the cavern website.