Carlsbad Museum and Art Center
Carlsbad Museum and Art Center
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 2:30 PM
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
242 reviews
Excellent
185
Very good
47
Average
8
Poor
1
Terrible
1
TheresaA
Lawton, OK1 contribution
Jun 2024 • Family
This is a nice little museum, great displays of local history and art. We arrived in town late afternoon, as most places close at 5pm. You are able to visit inside an hour, at no charge. There are sculptures to see outside around the building as well.
Written 29 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
eonny
Fort Collins, CO363 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
A room devoted to heroes of Carlsbad, everything from Medal of Honor winners to race car drivers.
A room with the history of Carlsbad citizens who served in World War II. Include display of firearms.
The rest is art. I believe mostly local artists.
With no entry fee it is well worth a visit.
A room with the history of Carlsbad citizens who served in World War II. Include display of firearms.
The rest is art. I believe mostly local artists.
With no entry fee it is well worth a visit.
Written 15 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Keith S
48 contributions
Jun 2020
I have wanted to go here for as long as I can remember. Now at 60 years, I made it. Nice to have one more thing off the list. The bat experience was closed due to the Covid stuff. The cave tour was great. Yes, the walk in was a bit of down hill walking but once in was well worth it. We were both very glad to be able to experience this amazing place.
Written 25 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FulltimeRVTraveler
Reno, NV316 contributions
Feb 2018 • Couples
Came here as part of a quest to visit as many National Parks as possible. Seeing somewhere that it was a “wonder of the world” also made this a must see for us. We booked the King’s Palace tour for two, for $8 a piece. It was about two hours with a large group, and a ranger telling us information and corny jokes throughout. Afterwards, we went back up the elevator and had lunch in our truck, the view of the open valley southwest toward Guadalupe Mountains National Park was very nice. We hiked in the Natural Entrance. They said it was steep and they weren’t kidding. If you have bad knees (or one bad knee like I do) be very careful going down. I am still recovering from this walk in two weeks later! The Big Room is excellent, in fact it has all and more than the tour we took. So even if you can’t book a tour, you can see all of the formations in one place on a self guided Big Room tour. However, the information given on the tour helps so much with your understanding and knowledge of this remarkable place that I recommend you do a tour. The King’s Palace is a nicely paced, fairly easy walk, with some ups and downs, but not bad. We visited the book store and gift shop and the visitors center exhibits were some of the best we have seen in terms of quality. This is a great, wonderful, awe inspiring place for families and couples, and if you want to be adventurous, take the Spider Cave hike. My only regret is that we came off season, I will come back later in the year to see the bats exciting the cave in the early evening. I hear that is also spectacular. Another bummer, lodging and RV facilities nearby are either very expensive or not very good quality. We stayed far away and had to drive over an hour to get to the park, one way. This was our least favorite part of the visit.
Written 23 February 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeannie W
San Francisco, CA47 contributions
Apr 2019 • Couples
We have been to caves before, but this is, without a doubt, the most beautiful Cave experience ever. We had seen pictures from other viewers, but going down with our own camera and stopping to see the beautiful exhibits of the stalactites and stalagmites and columns was breathtaking. We used our national Park pass, and did not have to pay an entrance fee. We also went on a Tuesday, and took the elevator down the 750 feet, and we’re the only ones in the elevator.
Written 3 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kim L
Austin, TX163 contributions
Jul 2018 • Family
If you decide to go to the Caverns, you can enjoy the grandeur of the caves regardless of your physical abilities, however, to fully appreciate the entire caverns in the areas available to the public, you might consider being in good condition! I'm feeling my age today after visiting every step of the trails with my spry kiddos.
We asked what the ranger recommended when we arrived and his recommendation was to take the elevator down and then hike out the natural entrance, so we started out on the elevator and visited the big room, but when we were done with that, there was no line for the elevator, so we went back upstairs to have a shack in the cafe. After that, we walked down the natural entrance and I'm sooooooo glad we didn't try to do that going up! It was a one mile walk, 800 feet down! I was exhausted going down and can't imagine going up!
We had originally planned to spend more time in the caverns, but ended up with time to leave and go to dinner in Carlsbad, so we came back later in the evening for the Bat Flight. I will point out to out-of-town travelers that this can be rained out (and we nearly were!), so don't wait until your last night of your trip to attend this (we did). We were patiently waiting for the bats to take their flight as a lightning storm approached. As the spot at the top of the hill wasn't ideal in a lightning storm, we were only able to stay for about 10 minutes of the flight. It was super cool, though, so I'm glad we got to stay for that. As an Austin resident, this wasn't my first bat flight, even if it was my first "natural area" bat flight.
Couple other notes... you can take all the pictures you want in the caverns (or try, as it's fairly dark, even with the LED lighting), but at the Bat Flight, NO photographs or video recording devices are allowed. You have to turn your cell phone OFF. I know this is hard for Americans, but it is best for the bats (they DO live here) and it forces you to enjoy the moment.
Also, we wore hiking shoes. You could get by with sneakers, but I was glad to have the extra grip on the sole of my shoes. I had a flashlight in my pocket, but rarely used it. Also, bringing layers/long sleeves is a must. Even my "mom, why are you always so cold?" teenager borrowed a spare rain jacket from my bag when he discovered that he forgot his jacket in the hotel. I was very glad I brought my fleece jacket. In July.
I hope you have a wonderful visit!
We asked what the ranger recommended when we arrived and his recommendation was to take the elevator down and then hike out the natural entrance, so we started out on the elevator and visited the big room, but when we were done with that, there was no line for the elevator, so we went back upstairs to have a shack in the cafe. After that, we walked down the natural entrance and I'm sooooooo glad we didn't try to do that going up! It was a one mile walk, 800 feet down! I was exhausted going down and can't imagine going up!
We had originally planned to spend more time in the caverns, but ended up with time to leave and go to dinner in Carlsbad, so we came back later in the evening for the Bat Flight. I will point out to out-of-town travelers that this can be rained out (and we nearly were!), so don't wait until your last night of your trip to attend this (we did). We were patiently waiting for the bats to take their flight as a lightning storm approached. As the spot at the top of the hill wasn't ideal in a lightning storm, we were only able to stay for about 10 minutes of the flight. It was super cool, though, so I'm glad we got to stay for that. As an Austin resident, this wasn't my first bat flight, even if it was my first "natural area" bat flight.
Couple other notes... you can take all the pictures you want in the caverns (or try, as it's fairly dark, even with the LED lighting), but at the Bat Flight, NO photographs or video recording devices are allowed. You have to turn your cell phone OFF. I know this is hard for Americans, but it is best for the bats (they DO live here) and it forces you to enjoy the moment.
Also, we wore hiking shoes. You could get by with sneakers, but I was glad to have the extra grip on the sole of my shoes. I had a flashlight in my pocket, but rarely used it. Also, bringing layers/long sleeves is a must. Even my "mom, why are you always so cold?" teenager borrowed a spare rain jacket from my bag when he discovered that he forgot his jacket in the hotel. I was very glad I brought my fleece jacket. In July.
I hope you have a wonderful visit!
Written 10 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mattos_family
Round Rock, TX368 contributions
Dec 2017 • Family
I spend the afternoon on the Caverns and it is really impressive!
I took the scenic route into the exterior entrance and if you are planning to do, don't take the elevator because the experience entering into the deeps of the earth is amazing. Going down and stopping for pictures takes around 30 minutes and you get into the Big room.
Lots of formations and a quite well detailed information written in plaques. I regret 2 things: (1) not taken the guided tour as they are completely booked way ahead and (2) I didn't know about the audio guide that you can buy and I believe it is worth as it gives lots of information about the cavern.
Going down, as I said is OK but going up is another story. After almost 2 hours in the cavern we went to the elevators and the waiting line was supposed to be around 1.5 hours... way too much to wait so we decided to go up via the same route we went down. It was the most extenuating hike I ever had in my life. I was not physically prepared for that and was not easy to go back to the sun light, but we did it.
Amazing is what I have to say and a must do if you are in the area.
I took the scenic route into the exterior entrance and if you are planning to do, don't take the elevator because the experience entering into the deeps of the earth is amazing. Going down and stopping for pictures takes around 30 minutes and you get into the Big room.
Lots of formations and a quite well detailed information written in plaques. I regret 2 things: (1) not taken the guided tour as they are completely booked way ahead and (2) I didn't know about the audio guide that you can buy and I believe it is worth as it gives lots of information about the cavern.
Going down, as I said is OK but going up is another story. After almost 2 hours in the cavern we went to the elevators and the waiting line was supposed to be around 1.5 hours... way too much to wait so we decided to go up via the same route we went down. It was the most extenuating hike I ever had in my life. I was not physically prepared for that and was not easy to go back to the sun light, but we did it.
Amazing is what I have to say and a must do if you are in the area.
Written 9 January 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sarah P
Santa Paula, CA57 contributions
Apr 2017 • Family
First visit to the caverns for my whole family! We enjoyed it! It's a REALLY steep walk down. My son decided "at the dark whole" that it was too scary so we hiked back up to the visitors center and took the elevator down. My daughter and husband walked it,it took them about 40 minutes. Once we were all together we walked back into the caves on the self led paths and it was amazing! Bring flash lights! But they also sell them down there.There are drinks and bathrooms at the main room lobby/snack bar area down in the cave. I think total time we were there about three hours. There's a small museum, book store,gift shop and cafe up top. In the summer, in the evening they do the back flight presentation but we were too early for it. You really could plan to be there all day if you wanted to!
Written 17 April 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CMDO2014
Richmond, VA76 contributions
Jul 2019 • Family
For starters, this is a Museum and Art center - this is not the caverns! Some of the reviews posted here are not in the correct place. This is no where near the caverns and is in the city of Carlsbad.
The museum is nice with lots of Carlsbad history. Its a large building with mulitple rooms to walk through and check out the history of the city. They also have a decent amount of artwork inside as well as some statues outside. We did take our children, some parts were interesting to them, other parts not so much.
Small gift shop inside. Staff greets you when you arrive but are otherwise quiet unless you need them.
The museum is nice with lots of Carlsbad history. Its a large building with mulitple rooms to walk through and check out the history of the city. They also have a decent amount of artwork inside as well as some statues outside. We did take our children, some parts were interesting to them, other parts not so much.
Small gift shop inside. Staff greets you when you arrive but are otherwise quiet unless you need them.
Written 17 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
M.Comeans
10 contributions
May 2019
Really, there are no words. I took the natural entrance into the cavern. The whole way down into the cavern is just something you should see. The winding path down into the cavern is pretty amazing, then once you are in you can look back at the blue sky through where you walked from. The path is steep at times, but there are hand rails all the way down. Something that you must see!
Written 17 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
How much of the caverns are wheelchair accessible?
Written 3 September 2019
I remember in the Big Room, there are areas on the trail that have signs saying no wheelchairs beyond here.
The parks website's "Explore the Cavern at Your Own Pace" page has a "Accessibility Brochure" on the same page you can download.
Written 4 September 2019
What are the hours?
How much are tickets?
Written 14 July 2019
Tickets depend on what age you are. Children are free. I bought the senior's park card which is good for a year at all the national parks and forests. It was $20 and included myself and another adult for the pass and admission. I also agree with regard to getting the headphones. They have stations along the way that tell you all about that particular area of the cave. They are $5 each.
Written 15 July 2019
vickiemy
Rancho Santa Margarita, California
Does any know if the bats are there right now? We will be arriving into Carlsbad next Wed and would love to see them. I understand it might still be too early. Thanks!
Written 5 April 2018
We were just there today. We were told there are bats present, but that most of them won’t be returning from Mexico for another month or so. You can check daily with the rangers as to the bat evening program. IMHO, the caverns are awesome, and the bats a bonus!
Written 16 May 2019
Can you see the bats going out for the night from outside the park? We are rolling into to town after the park closes about 7:30pm it's End of June and there is some time before the sun sets...just wondering.
Written 26 June 2017
You might be able to see bats in the sky in the surrounding area but check the park website. It should have the times listed where the bats actually start to fly out.
Written 28 June 2017
Is the cave accessible to a wheelchair
Written 28 May 2017
I think I saw that, yes some areas are but not all the paths down inside the Cave. There is an elevator that can take you down below. Might want to check the website.
Written 30 May 2017
I've been reading reviews that the elevator was under repair. Did you use it?
Written 27 December 2016
This goes to past visitor reviews (mostly recent ones as of 9/24/2016). There is a lot of talk of caves and elevators. Is this the museum on the National Park or the one in town. If it's the one in town, can you access the caves? If this museum does not access the caves, can the incorrect reviews please be removed?
Thanks.
Written 25 September 2016
The Carlsbad Museum and Art Center references the museum in downtown Carlsbad. It is not connected to the caverns in the National Park, which is about 15 miles south of the city of Carlsbad.
Written 25 September 2016
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