The Mark Twain Cave

Remember when Becky Thatcher and Tom Sawyer got stuck in a cave and were scared to death?  Well, the very cave that Mark Twain played in as a child, the one that inspired that scene in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, is most definitely IN Hannibal and it is very cool and fun.  Thank goodness I had a tour guide though because that thing is just a labyrinth and when the lights aren't on it's pitch dark.  Jesse James actually hid out there and signed the side of the wall and that is on display for all the tourists, which I thought was awesome.  Here are some cave pictures.  I also want to say thank you to the staff at the Mark Twain cave for giving me a private tour because I was on a time schedule, slated to leave for Kansas City.  The tour guide actually came out to our car to get me because he felt bad that I had prepaid and would have missed my opportunity.  It was definitely worth it and the 52 degree temperature is refreshing on a hot summer day.  Bring the kids!  (And read Tom Sawyer first).  

Also, if you remember (I didn't, but was reminded by my tour guide), in his book, Tom Sawyer says that Injun Joe hid his treasure in the second room of the cave, underneath the sign of the cross.  Well, if you look at my last picture, that definitely is a sign of the cross and there is a boot pointing into the room (this is also described in the book) to where the treasure is hidden.  This is the actual room where Tom and Huck discovered their treasure in the cave!  I felt lucky to be there =).