“Christmas at the Caverns” begins Saturday, Dec. 5. This annual family-friendly event brings you the sights and sounds of the holiday season combined with Texas’ largest cavern system for a truly one-of-a-kind experience, all while providing extensive health and safety protocols to minimize the potential risk of exposure to COVID-19. Christmas at the Caverns will be held on nine evenings: Dec. 5 and 6, 12 and 13, and 19-23.
Christmas at the Caverns activities start at 4:30 p.m. with Caroling in the Caverns tours, then at 5:30 p.m. in Discovery Village, guests can roast s’mores over a warm, inviting campfire, or drink hot chocolate while strolling through the brand-new “Trail of Lights,” a spectacular one-third-mile walkthrough of lighted holiday scenes and characters with towering Live Oaks all wrapped and adorned with hundreds of thousands of lights, perfect for meandering and social distancing, adults and children alike will enjoy lighted scenes throughout the trail, highlighted with the sounds of Christmas music. After the trail, gather around our 30’ tall Christmas tree for the perfect family photo for this year’s Christmas card or search out our other amazing photo locations.
The caverns will resonate with your favorite traditional carols, 180 feet below the surface, while filling the cave with the sounds of Christmas. Large choirs have been transitioned to small intimate groups of performers, some with instruments and others filling the space with only the sound of voices in perfect harmony. “The acoustics in the caverns provide an incredible soundstage for carolers and stunning backdrop for guests,” said Brad Wuest, President, and CEO of Natural Bridge Caverns.
This year’s Caroling in the Caverns also has a whole new look. Earlier this year, Natural Bridge Caverns unveiled a brand-new, dynamic, multimillion-dollar programmable LED lighting enhancement package throughout the interior of the cavern. What used to be illuminated by a mere 319 fixtures has been replaced with more than 1,200 lights all strategically placed to both enhance and showcase formations in a way never seen in North America. “The quality of the LED light reveals textures and colors in the cave that you simply could not see before, while programming allows us to create beautiful scenes for guests and gives us the ability to turn off lights as guests move from room to room inside the cave, or to illuminate formations that guides are interpreting,” said Travis Wuest co-owner and vice president of Natural Bridge Caverns.
You can also visit with Santa Claus or “Spelunker Claus” as he reads some of his favorite Christmas stories. Afterward, try your luck in the AMAZEn’ Reindeer Roundup outdoor maze and help Santa find Rudolph and the rest of his eight reindeer in this 5,000 square foot maze and save Christmas! Once your work is done, take a break under the stars and watch holiday movies on the lawn. “We want families to enjoy Christmas at the Caverns knowing we have put in place additional measures to enhance health and safety including opportunities for social distancing without sacrificing the fun and entertainment of the event,” said Brad Wuest.
During this season of giving, Christmas at the Caverns continues to support the San Antonio Food Bank, which serves residents of San Antonio and New Braunfels. Travis Wuest, co-owner and vice president of Natural Bridge Caverns serves on the New Braunfels Food Bank’s Advisory Board. “Natural Bridge Caverns is proud to continue its support of the New Braunfels Food Bank and its mission of feeding hungry families,” said Wuest. “To date, more than $76 thousand has been donated through Christmas at the Caverns, which equates to more than 532,000 meals for families in need, and we are proud to be a small part of solving hunger in our community.”
Support for the Food Bank this year will come in several ways, first, a community food drive will be held in December, and area residents can even stop to drop off non-perishable food items via a contactless drop off program. Guests will have the option to Round Up for Hunger by adding a donation to their online ticket orders and every guest who brings a non-perishable food item will receive a free s’mores kit to enjoy by our campfire. Finally, a portion of each ticket sold will be donated to the Food Bank.
