No state in America has caves quite like those you'll find in Missouri. One of them can lay claim to being the largest cave entrance room in the United States. It's truly something to "marvel" at. Literally. Oh, and it was once believed to have the fountain of youth inside, too.

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Of all the Missouri caves my parents took me through as a kid, one of my favorites was definitely Marvel Cave. The Cathedral Room is a massive sight as you enter this cavern system.

According to the official website, Marvel Cave is home to "the breathtakingly beautiful Cathedral Room...the largest cave entrance room in the United States".

One thing I did not know is that it was first explored in 1541 by the Spanish. The Silver Dollar City website says that the Spaniards were hoping to find "riches and possibly the fountain of youth". History says it was known to Spain as the "Devil's Den" since it didn't have any riches in it...only bat guano.

The state of Missouri shared on YouTube that the first recorded American expedition into Marvel Cave was in 1869. The good news for kids like me is the entrance was eventually the center of what would become Silver Dollar City in the 1960's.

Did Marvel Cave house the fountain of youth? No, but for kids like me it was an entertaining part of my youth that I hope to go back to often in my lifetime.

Jesse James Farm in Kearney, Missouri

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