Caving adventure

Largest cavern in Texas excavates new tour through hidden wonders underground

The new tour, Hidden Wonders, opened May 12.

Photo courtesy of Natural Bridge Caverns

Spelunkers now have a new cave to explore at the state’s largest cavern: Natural Bridge Caverns’ newest tour, Hidden Wonders, opened to visitors on Friday, May 12.

The new tour allows guests to access an area that was previously accessible only by cavers. Development of this second cavern has been in the works since 2017. It was previously sealed under the Earth’s surface, perfectly preserving the natural environment and its beautiful, unique formations.

“In developing this area of the cavern system, we have both pursued and established best-case practices for working in this delicate environment,” said Natural Bridge Caverns president Brad Wuest in a statement. “Our goal is to give visitors a stunning view of the cavern like never before, without impacting its beauty.”

The multimillion-dollar expansion into never-before-seen areas of the cave features state-of-the-art lighting and a unique sound and light show. Public passageways have expanded by 1,100 feet with a new stainless steel bridge that crosses the cavern’s deepest area.

Additionally, a new 5,700-square-foot dome chamber, dubbed the Ballroom, has been constructed to serve as an event space. For the light show, a viewing area called the Box Canyon serves as a natural theater.

Wuest explained that certain aspects of developing the cavern had been a challenge, such as the depth of the new touring area. Fortunately, they were able to construct a new exit tunnel "with minimal impact on the cavern."

"We used best-in-class techniques and developed new ones to make it work," he said. "We took the time to do it right. The result speaks for itself.”

To exit the Hidden Wonders tour, visitors take a glorious ride on a pioneering conveyor system ride, the Belt Assisted Transport, to the surface through the newly constructed tunnel.

“We plan to showcase the science behind the beauty of this once hidden cavern on our tour,” said Wuest. “With Hidden Wonders’ many enhancements, we have an opportunity to both educate and entertain.”

More information about the new tour can be found on naturalbridgecaverns.com. The visitor's center at the caverns is located at 26495 Natural Bridge Caverns Rd., San Antonio.

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Airline News

Frontier Airlines adds cheap nonstop flight from DFW Airport to JFK

Frontier Airlines Facebook

Frontier Airlines

Low fare carrier Frontier Airlines is launching three new routes from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in spring 2025 including one to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

On April 22, nonstop service to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) will begin, operating four times per week. Which days, they do not say, and getting a response from anyone at Frontier is a challenge.

They're also launching daily nonstop service to Miami International Airport beginning March 30, and daily nonstop service to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on May 1.

This barely offsets a recent reduction of Frontier flights out of DFW to Jacksonville, Omaha, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Sacramento, St. Louis, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Atlanta, Cleveland, and Raleigh-Durham.

Frontier currently flies from DFW to LaGuardia in New York.

These new routes are less about DFW and more about Frontier building up its presence at JFK, where they began operating in June 2024.

They'll introduce the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) flights starting at $29. But nothing is free, and before you buy a ticket, it's worth visiting their Facebook page, an absolute house of pain with one complaint after another. The turnovere rate for their social media staff has to be pretty high, because that is one bleak job.

Frontier Airlines recently ushered in something called ‘The New Frontier’ which they claim has more transparency through upfront pricing and a range of options to meet various budgets, with no change or cancellation fees, longer flight credit windows, and more enhancements to come including First Class seating which they'll debut in late 2025.

However, going back to that Facebook page, you'll see comments about people getting charged for changes and cancellations, so who knows whether the airline's policy is confusing or if it's user error.

They currently offer UpFront Plus, a new seating option in the first two rows of the aircraft which they say has extra leg and elbow room, plus a guaranteed empty middle seat. No clue on the pricing, since getting anyone from their media department to respond is no more effective than getting anyone in customer service to respond.

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