Dixie Caverns is a commercial show cave

Show cave

Show caves — also called tourist caves, public caves, and in the United States, commercial caves — are caves that are managed by a government or commercial organization and made accessible to the general public, usually for an entrance fee...

 located in the Riverside

Riverside, Virginia

Riverside is an unincorporated community in western Roanoke County, Virginia, United States. The community lies along the Roanoke River near Dixie Caverns along U.S. 11/U.S. 460. The area is more commonly referred to as Dixie Caverns instead of Riverside....

 community of Roanoke County

Roanoke County, Virginia

Roanoke County is a county located in the U.S. state of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area and located within the Roanoke Region of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 85,778. As of 2010, the population was 92,376...

, Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

, 4 miles west of Salem

Salem, Virginia

Salem is an independent city in Virginia, USA, bordered by the city of Roanoke to the east but otherwise adjacent to Roanoke County. It is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 24,802 according to 2010 U.S. Census...

. The cave is a limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

 solution cave.

Description and access

Visitors may explore the caverns in a 45 minute guided tour. The best known attraction is a bell-shaped flowstone

Flowstone

Flowstones are composed of sheetlike deposits of calcite formed where water flows down the walls or along the floors of a cave. They are typically found in "solution", or limestone caves, where they are the most common speleothem. However, they may form in any type of cave where water enters that...

 formation

Speleothem

A speleothem , commonly known as a cave formation, is a secondary mineral deposit formed in a cave. Speleothems are typically formed in limestone or dolostone solutional caves.-Origin and composition:...

known as the "Wedding Bell". Weddings have been held under the Bell. The cave is located in a hill overlooking the surrounding region.

External links

• Dixie Caverns website