Wonder World Cave

Wonder World - Bevers Cave - Wonder Cave - Balcones Fault Line Cave

Useful Information

Location:	1000 Prospect St, San Marcos, TX 78666. Between Austin and San Antonio. I 35, San Marcos exit, in the San Marcos city limits, Wonder World Drive. (29.877519131576040, -97.956733026725200)
Open:	All year Mon-Fri 9:30-19, Sat 9:30-20, Sun 9:30-19. Closing earlier out of season. Closed on 24-DEC, 25-DEC. Onine booking for last tour strongly recommended. [2024]
Fee:	Cave Only: Adults USD 24.95, Children (4-12) USD 18.95, Children (0-3) USD 7. All In One: Adults USD 33.95, Children (4-12) USD 24.95, Children (0-3) USD 7. [2024]
Classification:	Tectonic cave Karst Cave Cretacious Limestone (Buda Limestone, Georgetown Limestone, and Edwards Limestone).
Light:	Incandescent Coloured Light
Dimension:	T=22 °C, L=395 m, VR=28 m.
Guided tours:	Cave: D=45 min. Full park: D=2 h.
Photography:	allowed, flash allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Wonder World Park, P.O. Box 1369, San Marcos, TX 87666, Tel: +1-512-392-6711. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1893	discovered by Mark A. Bevers, drilling for water in what is now the car park of the park. It was called Bevers Cave.
1903	bought by W. S. Davis who opened it to the public.
1916	bought by Arthur B. Rodgers, electric lighting, paths, handrails and ladders installed, renamed Wonder Cave.
1951	ventilation shaft installed to supply fresh air into the cave and vent moisture from the cave.
1955	leased by Ralph Marker from the son of Arthur B. Rodgers.
1958	bought by T. J. Mostyn.
1970	surveyed.

Description

Wonder Cave, recently called Wonder World Cave, is a rather small cavern with little formations, the passages are narrow and steep. But this is a result of the unique process which formed this cave. It developed along the Balcones Fault Zone, which runs south from Waco to Bexar County, then turns westward to Uvalde. It’s a rare Speleology Tectonic cave and was formed primarily by tectonic forces. And among these rare tectonic caves, the caves produced by faults are the most rare ones. That’s why it is also called the Balcones Fault Line Cave.

It is sometimes called a dry cave, which is not a scientific term but explains the fact, that the cave was not formed by the solution of limestone by water. The divergent rims of plates produced divergent forces inside the rock and thus opened a crack in the rock. Another commonly used name is earthquake cave, because such forces always result in earthquakes. Of course, the cave was not formed during a single quake and existed then unchanged. It was formed by the still existing forces and the process was accompanied by earthquakes.

Although it was discovered by Mark A. Bevers, drilling for water, the first exploration of the cave several days later, used a natural entrance. Elizabeth Bevers, his wife, was throwing dish water out the back door, when she saw vapor coming out of a crevice. Mr. Bevers and Doras Biedler, a neighbor, were able to roll a large boulder away, revealing the entrance to the cave.

Only ten years after the discovery, it was bought by W. S. Davis who opened it to the public in 1903. It was actually the first show cave in Texas, although it was not developed. Again a decade later, in 1916, it was bought by Arthur B. Rodgers for $50, a gray horse and a saddle. He actuallydeveloped the cave properly, installed electric lighting, paths, handrails and ladders. He also renamed the cave into Wonder Cave.

The fossils embedded in the limestone are of geological interest. The cave contains some troglobionts, such as the Texas blind salamander (Typhlomolge rathbuni), a blind shrimp (Palaemonetes antrorum), and a blind isopod (Cirolanides texensis). They are also found in other nearby caves.

The cave is now part of the Wonder World Theme Park, and as a result it is now known as Wonder World Cave. That name change is quite positive, as there are actually numerous Wonder Caves, and this change makes the name unique. At the end of the tour, at the deepest point, an elevator takes the visitors up 48 meters to the surface and another 30 meters to the top of a metal lookout tower. There are two different tickets, the Cave Only ticket and the All In One Ticket, but actually the cave ticket makes most of the cost. It seems it is not possible to visit the park without the cave. The site is quite weird in managing the visitors, which is only partly a result of online booking. First of all they do not give open hours, which obviously change over the year, so we have given the summer open hours. The open time seems to be the same all year but the closing time is earlier out of season. And while it is possible to come without booking, if there is no booking for the last tour they may close earlier! However, online booking is available only for a month ahead. In other words, it’s quite complicated!