10 Family Friendly Things to do at Olentangy Caverns

Olentangy Caverns provides a fun day out for families! With cave tours, mini golf, a petting zoo, gem mining, a large maze and more, kids will have fun and learn something, too!

Thanks to Olentangy Caverns for hosting us!

You might only think of caverns and caves when planning a visit to Olentangy Caverns in Delaware, Ohio, but descending into caves is not the only thing there is to do at this family friendly destination!

If you have never been to Olentangy Caverns, I think you will be surprised at all there is to do. The great part about it is that it’s not a package deal – your family can pick any one of these things to do on the property to customize your day according to your time and budget!

You’ll see throughout this blog post that I have used pictures from multiple visits (wow, kids grow fast!) Here are 10 things you can do at Olentangy Caverns:

1. Cavern Tour

Obviously, the first thing you’re going to think of is the Cavern tour. The caverns are naturally made tunnels and caves that were, at one time, used by Native Americans for hiding, meetings, shelter, etc.. 

Our guide was great, giving us the history, telling us stories and answering all of our questions! Cavern tours are $10.95 for those 13 years old and up and $7.95 for children age 3-12. Ages 2 and under are free. (As of 2021, all cavern tours are now self guided.)

There are a lot of steps to go up and down and the caverns are often wet. We had to hop over and through a couple of puddles on our journey. I was glad I had chosen to wear closed toed shoes for that reason. So keep your family’s footwear in mind when planning for the trip as things may be wet and/or slippery.

The youngest child on our tour was just under two and she had a great time, but if you have a non-walker I would recommend an on-body baby carrier of some sort. You can’t take a stroller in and I couldn’t imagine carrying an infant car seat, but many of you might be stronger than me . . . 😉

• Related: Fun and Educational Field Trip Ideas for Students in Central Ohio

2. Richard F. Leitch Museum at Olentangy Caverns

The entrance to the caverns is housed in a small museum where you can read about the history of the caverns and some of the famous and infamous things that happened there, and see the bones of an ox that fell down to its untimely death around 1818 (or 1821, depending on the story!). There are also arrowheads and lots of other artifacts related to the caverns.

3. Treasure Hunt Maze

When you purchase admission to the Treasure Hunt Maze you will receive 3 tokens. Explore the maze to find 3 treasure stops! You can use the tokens to get your three treasures and then work to find your way out!

I can promise it is way harder than it looks! Admission is $5/person.

4. Mini Golf

The option of mini-golf is available on the property. There are 18 holes and the cost is $5/person.

5. Gem Mining

After our cavern tour, we did some gem mining! This was another first for our boys and I was honestly surprised how much they loved this! (Though when I think about it, the act of digging through dirt, stones and water to find treasure sounds exactly like their idea of a good time! 😉 )

A bag of sand/stones/gems is provided and you use a strainer of sorts and a small stream of water to sift through the sand to find gemstones! There is a range of bag sizes available and prices range from $6.99 – $29.99/bag.

6. Petting Zoo

There is a rather large petting zoo area on the property at Olentangy Caverns! There are goats, cows, sheep and even deer who will happily eat out of your hand! If your kids are skittish (like mine) there is a fenced in area where the kids can stand inside and feed the animals from behind the fence.

After some shrieks, we started out here and then eventually ventured into the large open area. My kids were scared of the cows but loved the smaller goats.

This could definitely be unique a stand-alone activity! The cost for a wristband to enter the petting zoo is $4. The petting zoo closes at 4:00 PM.

There is also separate area for feeding and petting deer!

There are also rabbits and chickens on the farm. They are not for petting, but still fun to spot!

7. Playground

The playground at Olentangy Caverns is a destination in itself, especially if you ask my boys! This is the one activity they wanted to come back to again and again! I had to peel them away from the playground to do the other activities!

The play structure is quite large and includes a couple of climbing walls, tube slides, and a really great wooden train structure!

A really awesome recent addition to the playground is a real fire truck! Kids can climb inside and slide down the back! This is a definite plus for all those kids who LOVE fire trucks!

8. Picnic Area at Olentangy Caverns

On the grounds there is a pavilion with picnic tables and covered areas. You can bring your own food here for a picnic lunch or reserve the shelter for a group event!

There are also many picnic tables scattered around the property for a rest or a snack!

9. Gift Shop at Olentangy Caverns

Pick up souvenirs (and all your activity tickets) at the Gift Shop! There was a surprisingly large amount of merchandise from toys and t-shirts to souvenirs and jewelry!

10. Bigfoot Walking Trail

Take a walk on this path to get out in nature! Keep an eye out for Bigfoot, birds and various kinds of trees! The path is less than a mile and it is possible to exit at various points along the way!

Know Before You Go:

• 1779 Home Rd. Delaware, OH 43015, 740-548-7917
• In 2023, The Caverns will open from March 25 – October 31, every day from 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM.
• All cavern tours are now self guided.
• See most recent rates for all activities here.

Looking for more to do when you’re in Delaware, Ohio? Check out: Exploring Delaware with Your Kids!

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