Look, but do not touch. The cave is cool, wet, and slippery in places. Cave temperatures remain in the 40s F year round. Wear rubber-soled shoes and warm clothing. Waiting times for a tour can reach 90 minutes in the summer.
Some formations provide information about the cave.
Water evaporated by air flowing in from outside leaves a residue of bumpy cave popcorn . Just as hikers use moss on the north side of trees, cavers use popcorn as a compass to find new passages or, when lost, their way out. Moonmilk is made of tiny calcite crystals but has the look and feel of cottage cheese. From early times it was a folk medicine smeared on livestock to heal wounds. But some folklore is true moonmilk is created by the same type of bacteria used to make today s antibiotics.