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Fall has set in, but Fairy World and Fairy Grottoes in central Germany’s wooded Saalfeld is still open for tours and playtime. It’s a great place to take the little ones, pre-school through elementary school. You can never have enough simple but magical places for kids to be kids–and who doesn’t love walking through a cave?
The Feengrotten (Fairy Grottoes) cave tour itself, which is recommended for age 3 and up, does not feature a large room to the magnitude of America’s Luray or Carlsbad Caverns. However, a memorable light show at the end of the tour, set to the narration of a fairy tale about the grottoes, makes the visit worthwhile.
The tour lasts about an hour and visitors must wear the provided cloaks in order to protect clothing from drippings from above. Some areas of the cave are very narrow and low, and wet even in walkways, so proper footwear should be worn.
The Fairy Grottoes came to be after a system of caves was created during mining operations. After the mine was abandoned, colorful stalagmites and stalactites began to slowly fill the caverns; eventually, the mines were rediscovered. For 1 euro, we rented an English-language audio guide that translated the German-language tour, which discusses both mining and the formation of stalagmites and stalactites. Our guide kept the children engaged throughout.
In some areas of the grottoes that are not a part of the tour, visitors can pay to sit in the cave for varying lengths of time for health benefits.
Next to the grottoes sits Feenweltchen, as well as an interactive museum we did not visit (Grottoneum), and a hotel.
Feenweltchen is a fairy world, with magical doorways and an outdoor trail that weaves through a nature-themed world of obstacles and themed playground equipment–most of which was beautifully handcrafted.
Giant musical instruments hung in the woods, kids could make a craft, a fairy painted faces inside a tiny hut, and boys and girls just generally ran through the forest shrieking and playing. It is a simple, natural place for a kid to be a kid.
Many girls wore fairy wings, boys sometimes troll hats. If your child is dressed as a fairy, be sure the ticket agent sees so they get a little surprise.
This is a worthwhile day trip if you’re in the area, and Thüringen itself is a great state for outdoor activity.
To check hotels in Thüringen, click here
