Hidden underneath 35 acres of beautiful countryside in Champaign County, the Ohio Caverns were first discovered in 1897, when a young farmhand was sent to investigate the disappearance of water into a sinkhole in a nearby field. After digging down a few feet, he found the opening to the largest known cave system in the state.

Thousands of years ago, an underground river sliced through ancient limestone rock, creating several miles of subterranean passageways, before receding into the earth below. Ground water dripping from the cavern's ceiling continues to fill these expansive rooms with breathtaking crystalline stalactites and stalagmites.

The Ohio Caverns' most famous formation is the Crystal King, the largest and most perfectly formed white crystal stalactite in Ohio, measuring nearly 5 feet long and estimated to weigh over 400 pounds. Some of the caverns' other features include The Big Room... Fantasy Land... and the Palace of the Gods.

Over 90% of the cave's formations are still active, though it takes hundreds of years for one cubic inch of crystal to form. Regardless of the surface temperature, the caves remain a steady 54-degrees, making the Ohio Caverns one of the state's most popular year-round tourist attractions.