Carlsbad Caverns?

My daughter went there on a 5th grade field trip for school, and loved it! I wish I could have gone with. It's amazing, and well worth the trip!

I went several times when I was little, and I took my five-year old daughter there earlier this year over spring break (the busiest time of year at Carlsbad Caverns, btw). We both enjoyed it -- after we were about halfway down! My daughter didn't immediately adjust well to the dark and enclosed cave, but after a while she was fine and had a great time. We walked down, had a snack at the restaurant below, then rode the elevator back up.

We went too early in the year to see the bats, but August is prime bat-viewing time. Just plan to either go out to the caverns twice, or spend a very long day there. The bats only come out at dusk, and the cavern tours end long before then.

If you don't do a guided tour, I recommend renting one audio tour "phone" for each little kid, and at least one for the adults to share. The guided tours were sold out when we were there, but the audio tour recordings are very informational.

We stayed at the Super 8 Carlsbad in Carlsbad, which is about a 20-minute drive from the caverns. It is about what you would expect from a Super 8 - nothing fancy. We were there only one night and had no problems at all.

Take jackets - the caves are cold. I don't think strollers are allowed, but there is so much to see from so many different angles, your four-year-olds probably wouldn't sit still in them anyway! It is a fun trip, and should be a beautiful drive from ABQ. Enjoy!

Oh, and be aware that your legs (particularly your calves) will be pretty sore the next day - it's steep! I don't think my daughter was as sore as I was, but she's much younger!

I didn't go with kids (we went before we were married) but we really loved it! I'd love to take my boys again. Do check on the seasons though---we went in November and the "season" for the bats to do that fly over thing had ended. We were a little disappointed.

It's been years since I've been through but I have family in Carlsbad and they have gone through recently. Your kids will enjoy it. It's really neat and interesting. You can get a hotel in Carlsbad. It's not too far from the caverns.

Last time I went my son was 2.5 & I was 6 months pregnant. We really enjoyed it but I ended up carrying my son most of the way down (daddy wasn't with us). The path can be slippery in places & while there are some handrails, they aren't everywhere. They also offer an elevator if you would rather ride down instead of walk, that way you can still see the big room. Have fun!

I lived in Carlsbad for about 3 months when I was on temporary assignment there for work. I did not have any kids at the time, so I can't give you any perspective on what kids would enjoy. However, I think the caverns would be pretty cool for the kids to see. It is very educational for the kids learning about stalactites vs stalagmites. There is one room there that they will have you sit down and then they shut the lights off just to show you how very very dark it is underground without the artificial lighting they have there. In the evening time, there is I think it is called the bat flight amphitheater where you can go and see MANY MANY bats swirling out of the opening of the cave going out searching for food. It is quite the sight to see and if your kids love bats, they will love this.
Regarding places to stay, you probably already know, Carlsbad is in the middle of nowhere. The closest "big" city to there is Roswell which is about 1 hour to the north. So I think your choice of hotels might be pretty limited. Definitely worth the trip, enjoy!

Hi there! WOW...I lived in Carlsbad, and Roswell NM for about 10 years. My granny and pop are from Carlsbad and I visited the Caverns many times! I was about 5 or 6 on my first visit! Loved walking all the way down the Cavern. You can ride up the elevator if you're too tired to walk back up. The Caverns are in White City. They have a hotel there, and I can't for the life of me remember the name, but I stayed in a hotel there once and it was pretty nice. :-)
Enjoy your trip! :-D

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We went when our boys were 5 and 3. we all loved it. Our 3 year old son walked almost the whole way through. My husband just went back there with his brother this past week. Roswell is near that but a complete waste of time.

I remember going when I was about 10, that means my sister was 4 or 5.. I thought it was awesome.. I can still remember the "largest room" down there!

Our family has been & enjoyed it. The walk down through the natural entrance is very steep & gets quite narrow in spots. This spooked our 4 year old, so we took the elevator down into the main caverns (which are very large). The elevators are normally the way you exit. So you may want to consider that for the younger kids. We stop there on our way to Ruidoso, NM, which is in the moutains north & west of there. A great town (wih cool mountain air in the summer) and the nice Hubbard Museum of the American West which our kid enjoyed.

I went with my grandparents when I was 10. I loved it. It was really neat. I have always wanted to go back because no matter how old you are there is something you missed or something you didn't get. Plus I think I would appreciate it that much more too. I am thinking of going next summer with my kids who will then be 4 and 7. From what I remember there are 2 tours. A long one and a short one. Obviolulsly there is more to see on the longer one but we did the shorter one (my grandparents were old even then and the longer one has some strenuous areas). I am not sure younger ones could do the longer one but maybe when they are older...