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About The Caverns

Located in Grundy County, Tennessee, The Caverns is a world-renowned destination for live music in beautiful natural settings above and below ground, home of the PBS television series The Caverns Sessions (formerly Bluegrass Underground), and a magical cave system for different skill levels of exploration.

Inside The Caverns subterranean music venue, guests revel in the prehistoric natural acoustics and otherworldly beauty. Live music inside a cave, it’s a bucket list experience that keeps fans coming back to The Caverns time and again for “The Greatest Show Under Earth.”

During the day, 7 days a week, guided tours navigate an underground room that’s 3 football fields long and end on the stage of the iconic underground music venue. For thrill seekers, challenging adventure cave tours go even deeper underground. We invite you to enjoy and explore the music and adventure of The Caverns!

The Caverns’ large, connected underground cave system covers over 8,000 linear feet of known surreal cave passages. Underground shows are hosted in a section of The Caverns historically known to locals and cavers as the Big Mouth Cave because of its impressive, large archway entrance. Experts believe humans have been using the cave to escape the heat, take refuge from rain, and enjoy each other's company for up to 25,000 years.

For cave concerts, The Caverns can accommodate 850 people in padded chair seating or up to 1,200 people for standing-room only shows. What’s more, the subterranean concert hall is equipped with state-of-the-art sound and lights, has well-appointed restrooms, and offers delicious food and beverage concessions including craft beer, cider and seltzers. And thanks to the gentle slope of the room and its smooth concrete floor, the venue is accessible to music fans with mobility concerns or physical disabilities.

Daily guided tours include a journey through Big Room Cave, an awe-inspiring underground room which gets its name from its massive size. During the tour, guests learn a little bit about geology, cave lore, and the unique history of Grundy County. Adventure cave tours take guests even deeper inside The Caverns cave system and include the daunting “Tombstone Pass.”

With stunning views of the Cumberland Plateau, The Caverns Amphitheater hosts crowds of up to 6,000 guests per show and on average 10 events a year. The amphitheater has reserved chair seating available close to the stage for almost all shows. Guests in this front section have exclusive access to restrooms and their own bar inside the world famous subterranean cave. At the back of the amphitheater, a new concessions building and restrooms have been added as well as spaces for local food trucks to set up. Pop-up bars in key locations throughout the amphitheater serve guests as well. In the rear sections, guests can bring their own blankets and chairs.

Down twisting country roads, The Caverns is located at 555 Charlie Roberts Road, Pelham, TN 37366 in a geographical sweet spot approximately 90 minutes from Nashville, TN, 60 minutes from Chattanooga, TN, and less than three hours from Atlanta, GA, Birmingham, AL and Knoxville, TN. Additionally, there’s much to explore in the surrounding Southeast Tennessee area, like South Cumberland State Park Tennessee’s largest state park, which includes hiking trails, majestic waterfalls, world-class rock climbing, and stunning overlooks. The surrounding communities of Monteagle, Tracy City, and Sewanee offer local dining, shopping, and historic sites surrounded by nature’s beauty.

Underground The Caverns stays 59 degrees year-round with 91% humidity. The cave feels cool when it's hot outside and warm on cold weather days. Whether you’re attending a concert or taking a cave tour, be sure to bring a light jacket and wear comfortable shoes. If you book an Adventure Cave Tour, we provide all the caving gear you'll need. For underground concert-goers, “Stay-and-Cave” packages are available with lodging and transportation to and from the venue. With shows throughout the year and a wide variety of music programming, you’re sure to find a concert on our calendar to inspire your musical adventure. See you underground down in The Caverns!

Available Downloads for The Caverns Underground Music Venue

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The Caverns logo (PNG)

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The Caverns logo (PNG) for dark backgrounds

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The Caverns drone footage [VIDEO]

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Photo by The Caverns Staff

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Photo by Kat Brown

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Photo by Kat Brown

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Photo by Kat Brown

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Photo by Michael Weintrob

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Photo by DV Photo Video

Available Downloads for The Caverns Amphitheater

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Photo by Matt Morrison

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Photo by Keith Griner

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Photo by Matt Morrison

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Photo by Matt Morrison

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Photo by Keith Griner

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Photo by Matt Morrison

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Photo by Matt Morrison

Available Downloads for The Caverns Campground

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Photo by DV Photo Video

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Photo by Matt Morrison

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Photo by Keith Griner

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Photo by Keith Griner

Available Downloads for The Caverns Guided Cave Tours

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Photo by Jeff Meltesen

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Photo by Robby Black

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Photo by Robby Black

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Photo by Robby Black

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Photo by Jeff Meltesen

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Photo by Robby Black

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Photo by Jeff Meltesen

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Photo by Matt Morrison

Available Downloads for The Caverns Adventure Cave Tours

Press Coverage

"The Caverns Unearths A Gem in Tennessee" (COVER STORY) - VenuesNow, December 2022 issue

"Inaugural CaveFest offers fantastic first festival in Tennessee" - Bluegrass Today, October 17, 2022

"The Caverns Above Ground Amphitheater Is Here to Stay" - Nashville Scene, June 23, 2022

"The Caverns Wins G&G's Favorite Southern Music Venue Bracket" - Garden & Gun, March 15, 2022

"The Caverns might sound like a dream, but I promise you, it’s very, very real." - Far Out Magazine (UK)'s music lover's essential venue bucket list, September 23, 2021

"Every precautionary measure in place" - American Songwriter, October 14, 2020

"Jason Isbell Launches The Caverns Concert Pod Experience In Tennessee" - Forbes, October 12, 2020

"An impressive outdoor music venue" - Rolling Stone, October 12, 2020

"A perfectly unorthodox venue for unorthodox times" - Nashville Scene, October 12, 2020

"The Coolest & Most Unique Concert Venues in the World" - Bosshunting (Australia), September 14, 2020

"Cave tours at The Caverns like seeing 'Red Rocks meets Ruby Falls'" - Tennessean, July 16, 2020

“This Rocking Venue Gets an Upgrade that Fred Flintstone Would Appreciate” - Front of House Magazine, September 11, 2019

“18 of the Coolest Concert Venues In The United States” - Buzzfeed, August 3, 2018

"The concert's setting may very well steal the show" - People, August 2, 2018

“Tennessee’s version of Colorado’s stunning Red Rocks Amphitheatre, but smaller – and deep underground” - Rolling Stone, June 4, 2018

“The South’s Coolest New Music Venue” - Garden & Gun, January 3, 2018

Artists Who Have Played The Caverns

  • Adia Victoria
  • Allison Russell
  • Amanda Shires
  • Andrew Bird
  • Arlo Guthrie
  • Asleep At The Wheel
  • Band of Horses
  • Big Head Todd & The Monsters
  • Bill Miller
  • Billy Strings
  • Blackberry Smoke
  • Blue October
  • Boy Named Banjo
  • Brandi Carlile
  • Brit Taylor
  • Brothers Osborne
  • Bruce Campbell
  • Buffalo Nichols
  • Cha Wa
  • Cedric Burnside
  • Corey Smith
  • Crowder
  • Dailey & Vincent
  • Darin & Brooke Aldridge
  • Dark Star Orchestra
  • Dashboard Confessional
  • Dawes
  • Della Mae
  • Del McCoury Band
  • Devil Makes Three
  • Drive-By Truckers
  • Fleet Foxes
  • G Jones
  • George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic
  • Glen Hansard
  • Godspeed You! Black Emperor
  • Gov’t Mule
  • Greensky Bluegrass
  • Gregory Alan Isakov
  • Guster
  • Harley Kimbro Lewis
  • Here Come The Mummies
  • Hot Tuna
  • Iration
  • Iron & Wine
  • Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit
  • Jimmy Eat World
  • JJ Grey & MoFro
  • John Anderson
  • John Butler Trio
  • John Moreland
  • Josh Ritter
  • John Summit
  • Katie Pruitt
  • Kathy Mattea
  • Keb' Mo'
  • Keller Williams
  • King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
  • Kitchen Dwellers
  • Larry Fleet
  • Lauren Morrow
  • Leftover Salmon
  • Lettuce
  • Los Lobos
  • Lucero
  • Mandy Barnett
  • Mary Gauthier
  • Matthew West
  • Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
  • Mike Farris
  • Molly Hatchet
  • Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
  • Moon Taxi
  • Margo Price
  • Marshall Tucker Band
  • NEEDTOBREATHE
  • Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
  • North Mississippi Allstars
  • Of The Trees
  • Old Crow Medicine Show
  • Papadosio
  • Paul Thorn
  • Peekaboo
  • Peter Rowan
  • Railroad Earth

  • Rainbow Kitten Surprise

  • Rev Osagyefo Sekou

  • Rhonda Vincent

  • Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
  • Sam Bush Band
  • Scott Miller
  • Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies
  • Shooter Jennings
  • Sierra Ferrell
  • Sierra Hull
  • Spoon
  • Steep Canyon Rangers
  • Steve Earle & The Dukes
  • St. Paul & the Broken Bones
  • STS9
  • Sunn O)))
  • Svdden Death
  • Taj Mahal Quartet
  • The Avett Brothers
  • The Cadillac Three
  • The Church
  • The Disco Biscuits
  • The Flaming Lips
  • The Infamous Stringdusters
  • The Lil Smokies
  • The Mavericks
  • The Milk Carton Kids
  • The Nashville Celts
  • The SteelDrivers
  • The Steel Woods
  • The Wood Brothers
  • Tommy Emmanuel
  • Turnpike Troubadours
  • Trampled By Turtles
  • Trevor Hall
  • Twiddle
  • Umphrey’s McGee
  • Watchouse (formerly Mandolin Orange)
  • Watkins Family Hour
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic
  • Willie Watson
  • Wyclef Jean
  • Yelawolf
  • Yonder Mountain String Band
  • And many more...

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