• Three Unique, Guided Cave Tours
• Admission to each tour ($70+ value!)
• Coffee, Donuts and Savory Hand Pies for Breakfast
• 1-Hour Guided Tour of Crystal Cave
• 1-Hour Guided Tour of Niagara Cave
• Gourmet Boxed Lunch and Sides
• Private Use of Picnic Shelter at Niagara Cave
• 1-hour Scenic Cave Tour at Mystery Cave
• Access to Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park
• Scrumptious Appetizers with Dinner
• Choice of Locally Sourced Entree for Dinner
• Choice of Craft Beer, Cider, or Wine with Dinner
• Snacks and Water Throughout the Day
• Local GetKnit Gurus to Guide You

Join us as we venture below the surface for our underground adventure that features three different cave tours in Western Wisconsin and Southern Minnesota. During this outing, you will have the opportunity to explore three different cave systems which highlight winding caverns that showcase unique natural wonders like stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, fossils, crystal formations, and beautiful underground pools, rivers and waterfalls!

Our day trip will begin as we gather at St. Paul’s Union Depot where your local GetKnit Gurus will excitedly be awaiting your arrival with delicious donuts from our friends at A Bakers Wife Pastry Shop and hot coffee. Once we’ve all arrived and gotten comfy on our luxury motor coach for the day, we will begin our drive to Spring Valley, Wisconsin.  On our way east, we’ll enjoy a savory hand pie of our choosing from The Buttered Tin! At time of registration, you’ll be able to choose between their Ham and Pimento Cheese; Brie Cheese, Caramelized onion and Potato; or the Chorizo sausage, Cheese and Potato

Our first stop of the day will be Crystal Cave in Spring Valley, Wisconsin.  This privately owned and operated cave was discovered in 1881, making it Wisconsin’s oldest known cave.  It is also Wisconsin’s longest known cave system and is known as the “Jewel Box of America’s Caves”, as it features many different crystal formations, hence its name.  Here we’ll break into two smaller groups to create a more intimate experience as we descent 70 feet below the surface for an hour long guided tour of this beautiful cave.  During our exploration of Crystal Cave, we will make our way through it’s underground caverns as we learn about its’ history, as we seek out the many treasures within it’s caverns like the unique crystal formations and other cave features like stalactites, stalagmites, fossils and beyond!

After we’ve returned to the surface, we will hop back on our luxury coach bus and head 2 hours south to Niagara Cave in Harmony, Minnesota – our next stop on our underground adventure!  Once we arrive, we will head to their outside picnic shelter reserved for our group and enjoy a lovely lunch from local favorite,  BReaKeRs Restaurant. Here we will have our pre-selected gourmet boxed lunches waiting for us to enjoy. For lunch, you’ll be able to choose between their Stacked Club (Ham, Turkey, Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Mayo, Lettuce, Tomato and onion on a Butter Croissant), The Aviator (Roast Beef, Turkey, Horseradish sauce, Cheddar Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato and onion on a butter croissant), Turkey Avocado Delight (Turkey, Bacon, American Cheese, Avocado, Lettuce, Tomato, Mayo on Cranberry wild rice bread), Chicken Salad (Chicken salad with cranberries and almonds on cranberry wild rice bread), Mediterranean wrap –Vegetarian – (Chive Cream Cheese, mixed green, onions, tomato, olives, banana peppers, feta cheese on a flour tortilla), Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap (Chicken, bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce and ranch on a flour). Each boxed lunch will include chips, coleslaw, a pickle spear, and a sweet treat.

After we’ve refueled, we will break into three smaller groups to create a more intimate experience as we descend nearly 200 feet below ground and enjoy an hour long guided tour. While we explore Niagara Cave, we make our way through winding passageways, carved into the limestone by rushing water millions of years ago and discover the treasures preserved in its magnificent caverns. During the tour you may see fossils of cephalopods, fisherites, gastropods, horn corals, or even trilobite fossils – all which give us a glimpse into the geology below our feet in this Driftless Region. These historic gems are not the only treasures hiding underground – as we wind through the intricate cave system, we will marvel at different cave formations, view their underground stream and check out the caves namesake – the Niagara underground waterfall.

Once we’ve ascended back to the surface, we will hop aboard our bus and head to our next stop of the day, Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park. Home to Mystery Cave, which is the longest cave in Minnesota, with over 13 miles of underground passages! Here we will break into two groups for a more intimate experience of their best known scenic tour,  where you’ll get to marvel at many unique cave formations like stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, fossils, as well as enjoy beautiful underground pools and Turquoise Lake. Along our underground adventure your guide will educate us on how the cave and all these natural features were formed.

After our action packed day of underground explorations,  we’ll travel to beautiful Lanesboro, Minnesota which is nestled in the Bluffs of the Root River Valley. Here we will head to Pedal Pushers Cafe, which puts an emphasis eating local and believes “real food comes from real farmers.” Our feast will begin with family style appetizers featuring white cheddar cheese curds and crispy brussel sprouts paired with our choice of craft beer, cider, or house wine. For dinner, we will enjoy our pre-selected choice of either a Bacon Cheddar Ranch Burger with Fries, Blackened Chicken Grain Bowl, Apple Cranberry Walnut Salad with Chicken, Chicken Pot Pie, Falafel and Tabbouleh Bowl, or Fish & Chips.

With our bellies full we will begin our return trip back to the Twin Cities, as we recall the many memories of the unique beauty, rich history, and natural wonders we’ve experienced on this day long, underground adventure!