As you may have noticed it’s been a bit toasty here in the south lately. But I found spot here in Alabama less than an hour outside of Huntsville where the temperature is always a cool 58-60 degrees, a delightful relief when it’s a sweltering 105.

Cathedral Cavern entrance Woodville, Alabama — The widest entrance of any commercial cave.

Where is this mystical refuge from the south’s heat? Cathedral Caverns.

Not your average cave

If you’re like me, attractions with the word cave in them do not typically top my list of attractions to visit. I envision crawling around on my hands and knees surrounded by bats in the dark. But that is nothing like Cathedral Caverns. While you may see a bat or 2, there is absolutely no crawling. In fact, the Caverns holds the world record for the widest entrance of any commercial cave in the world.

The Tour

Every day of the year (except New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day) Cathedral Caverns offers walking (remember no crawling!) tours through this record setting Karst cave and large stalagmite forest. And it is an amazing experience and perfect for all ages. Our tour group had kids as young as three all the way up to seniors and we all had a blast.

Cathedral Cavern Woodville Alabama — I’m ready to tour the Caverns!

Tips for the tour:

Wear tennis shoes or closed toed shoes. It’s wet in the cave.
Be prepared for a lot of walking. You should be able to walk for at least an hour and a half.
If you get cold easily, bring a jacket and wear long pants. I did both and was comfortable.
Bring a camera. You’ll want to take pictures.
If you want to go all out you can even get a nifty caving hat like mine. Don’t have one in your closet? Not a problem! They have them in the shop where you buy your tickets for the tour!

If you want to make a day out of it, come early in the day and bring a picnic lunch. Cathedral Caverns has a picnic pavilion on site. Want to make a weekend of it? They’ve also got primitive camping sites. You’ll need to make a reservation in advance. Visit their website here for more information.[spacer size=”0″]

Cathedral Caverns flow stone. Woodville Alabama — The record setting flow stone

The Sights

Besides its cave opening, Cathedral Caverns holds four other world records:

the largest column
the largest flow stone wall
the most improbable formation in the world.
a Big Room

These are just a few of the amazing sights you’ll see. The Caverns are filled with stalactites and stalagmites that seem to defy gravity, forming the most amazing shapes. You could stare at them for hours upon end. Our tour guide would stop every so often and point out shapes he and the other guides had found in the formations. As a master at finding shapes in the clouds, I had a blast staring at the limestone and stalactites/mites and finding shapes. Entertaining objects spotted in the cave:

Cathedral Cavern Stalactites Woodville Alabama — Stalactites and stalagmites at Cathedral Caverns. Woodville Alabama

Chimney
President Lincoln lying down
Toadstool
Rocket
Sandcastle
Dragon
Flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz

If you’re looking for something fun to do and get out of the heat, then Cathedral Caverns is the place to go.

A Bite on the way back

After all that walking, I was starving! Driving back to Huntsville on highway 72, I spotted a pizza place on the road and decided to stop and try it. Boy was it worth it! What I discovered was an amazing treasure: Joe’s Pizza.

Though my friends and I had never been to Joe’s, everyone else that walked through the door obviously had. How do I know? Because the staff greeted each and every one by their name and even knew exactly what they wanted without asking. That is my kinda of place. The seating is limited, just a couple of booths and some picnic tables outside, but the pizza is worth it.

Joe's Pizza Huntsville Alabama — Joe’s Pizza

It’s cooked in a brick oven and the prices are right. The staff is friendly and honestly care if you’re happy with the food.

The prices are great: a small cheese pizza will run you $5.75, an x-large $11.99. Toppings are $1.20-1.75 depending on the size of your pizza. They’ve got all kinds of sandwiches from Philly Cheese Steak ($4.59) to Muffuletta ($7.45). Then they’ve got a variety of Italian dishes from spaghetti ($4.79) to lasagna ($5.39) and sides like breadsticks ($3.15), cheesy bread ($3.39) and even hot wings ($4.99). Click here to see their menu.

Eat at Joe’s Pizza

Location:
6582 US Highway 72
Woodville, AL 35776
Click here for directions
Phone: 256-776-6268
Visit their website here
Hours:
Tuesday-Wednesday: 3-8pm
Thursday-Saturday: 11am-9pm
Sunday: 3-8pm