During your 45 minute tour your will find that animals and humans have been exploring the cavern ever since its been around. A Mastodon made the cavern its home at one time and its bones still remain in the cave. The first room of the cave is where American Indians held ceremonies.

Numerous books have been written about Cascade Caverns including “Hermit in the Caves” and “A Wasted Life.” The writer is said to be a lovesick German immigrant who lived as a recluse in the first room of the cave.

The Cavern, in a 105 Acre park, is now a designated historical marker. It boasts half a mile and 140 foot deep water formed Cavern. Along with the waterfall you will see amazing rock formations.

You will go through corridors of cavernous beauty which will take your breath away. There are many formations to search for in the rock—the Giant Turtle, the Skull, the Dinosaur and George Washington. There’s a rain forest with many forms of wildlife and soda straw formations galore. You may be surprised by a “cave kiss” as the cave is active!

Also in the cave you will find an endangered variety of the albino Salamander, the Cascade Cavern Salamanders.

You can enjoy the natural beauty of the Cave daily from 10-5 (10-4 Labor Day through Memorial Day).

Imagine sipping a nice South African wine or having a cold beer in the comfort of the lodge and looking out over the veranda only to see Zebra, Ostrich or even a Giraffe.

Well you can do it just outside of Boerne, Texas at the Serengeti Resort http://www.serengetiresort.com. With a wide variety of some of the best South African wines to choose from and gorgeous venues including the Zafara Lodge along with the Courtyard, it may be better than actually spending the money to go to Africa itself.

While the settings are definitely Africa and you would be hard pressed to know that you weren’t really in Africa by the decor, you can still get a flavor of Texas with their Chuck Wagon dinners.

Your meal will be cooked over the coals and you will see the stars at night. There is nothing like having a fresh cooked dinner made over a camp fire and being outside to enjoy how good it tastes sharing it with friends and family.
Here are just some of the things that you can do there.

Wine Tasting Verandas
Grand Lodge
Courtyard Dining
Coffee Shop
Gift Store
Stargazing Platforms
Nature Trails
Carriage Rides
Hayrides
Trail Rides
Themed Cookouts
Saturday Night Steak Feast
Weekend Entertainment
Safari Vehicle Rentals
Playground
Sport Court
Pool / Hot tub
Animal Viewing
Feeding the animals

If you have never been there before, give yourself a treat and try something different. You can make reservations by going to their website or calling them @ 830.816.3600.

And if projections for the city’s population to triple over the next 20 years prove true, the self-proclaimed “Gateway to the Hills” might need to swing a little wider.

The city’s economic base is a downtown business district composed of locally owned shops, restaurants and boutiques in the midst of historic buildings. Through the recently created Boerne Business Alliance, the local owners can take a unified approach to prepare for the expected growth.

“Tourism is still the No. 1 industry because of the uniqueness of the area and the proximity to larger cities,” Rogers says of the city’s easy accessibility from San Antonio, Austin and Houston via Interstate 10. “We’re growing and getting a broader population and business base because a lot of people come here to visit and just decide to stay. It’s got a magnetism about it.”

Requests for information from potential visitors to the Hill Country Trail tend to favor Boerne about three times over neighboring Fredericksburg, Kerrville and New Braunfels, says Larry Woods, director of the Boerne Convention & Visitors Bureau. In July 2008 the city attracted a record number of visitors, and Woods says that pattern is expected to continue.

“As the city grows, our options for our visitors and residents improve,” he says. “That’s just a win-win for everyone involved.”

But the city needs a base of businesses to support its schools – a draw to the area – and city services and infrastructure. The top-heavy demographics of over-50, very mobile and affluent help drive the business base. Amenities are gradually being added to complement the historical and artistic aspects of the city. Two new hotels opened in recent months, as well as two fine-dining restaurants, and a hospital is planned for the near future.

A master plan to attract additional retail businesses is in place, and the medical/health-related industries are also growing.

“We’re projected to grow, the question is how we manage that growth,” Rogers says. “We’re constantly getting more executives from San Antonio businesses. We’d like to have more executives from Boerne.”

The top employer, Albany International Corp., has committed to expanding its Boerne aerospace composites plant. The expansion brings about $41.6 million in capital investment to Kendall County, along with an additional 330 jobs over the next seven years.

“We got a new injection of growth – good-paying jobs in a good high-tech industry that will grow astronomically over the next 10 to 15 years,” Rogers says of the January 2008 announcement. “It’s overall a good fit: a clean industry, not a large water user and a company that will work with the community. We couldn’t be happier.”