Rickwood Caverns State Park is offering holiday fun for the whole family. “Wonderland Under Warrior” is a festive light display set up inside the park’s iconic cave that is taking place all month long. The event features a light display both inside and outside of the cave as well as a surprise visit from Santa Claus.
“It's kind of been a hidden gem for years,” said Bridget Grace, a manager at Rickwood Caverns. “We have just so many visitors, so it’s great to see the same families coming back year after year,” she continued. “We're thrilled to be a part of that, and especially for our local area bringing business in.”
This is the seventh year the state park has put on “Wonderland Under Warrior.” This year, the festivities will be bigger than ever, said Grace.
“It’s been so successful. We've taken a lot of the money and put it back into it to build it even better,” she explained. “We were able to add a good bit this year. We've got some bigger displays above ground as well as underground. As you're going through, we have even more characters that you get to see and match for the themes of the room.”
Additionally, the park has a custom soundtrack that will play throughout the cave during the event. “We had a local composer from North Alabama that actually compose the soundtracks specifically for our cave,” said Grace.
The self-guided tour of the cave excludes the 110 step climb out of the cave so that it can be more accessible. The cave also stays at an approximate 62 degrees all year, which organizers say is the perfect holiday excursion for any weather conditions.
“It's going to be so much different from any other holiday event that you're going to go through. We're one of the few places that are we're going to be open rain or shine,” said Grace.
“Wonderland under Warrior” is from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. through January 1, 2024. Tickets can be purchased online and onsite for $12 a person.
For more information, visit Rickwood Caverns State Park.
