The Chimes Room: where the stalactites were once played

The ceiling here forms a dome, like the inside of a bell. Years ago, visitors struck some of the stalactites to hear them ring, which is how the room got its name.

The tour does not strike them anymore. Look up and you can still see broken chimes from those days in the ceiling, and even see inside them. Formations like these grow extremely slowly: geologists estimate about a hundred years to deposit a cubic inch of calcite.

What to know

• The ceiling forms a dome.
• Stalactites here were once struck to make a musical tone. The tour no longer does this, and broken ones from that time can be seen in the ceiling.
• Geologists estimate it takes about a hundred years to deposit a cubic inch of calcite.

See it on the map Book a Tour

Position from the 1970 to 1971 survey, approximate.