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Bell Witch Cave
Categories: Local Flavor Hotels & Travel Tours Local Flavor, Tours [Edit]
430 Keysburg RdAdams, TN 37010
(615) 696-3055
- Good for Kids:
- No
6 reviews for Bell Witch Cave
6 reviews in English
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Review from Karen G.
Nashville, TN
8/12/2011
After eight years of *almost* going to the Bell Witch Cave, the stars aligned and I found myself close to Adams, TN. I could not deny myself the opportunity to experience this legendary haunt I had read so much about. We drove down the long gravel road and pulled up to a little wooden house with a bunch of canoes out front and a gang of families milling about. We all trekked down to the cave as a group and met up with our hunky young tour guide (I don't recall his name, but I shall call him Brad as that is an appropriate name for a studly college aged tour guide). I won't go into too much detail about what Brad told us inside the cave, as future cave goers will likely hear the same stories, but I will say that whether you believe in the super natural or not, that cave is a creepy place to be. Brad told stories of things that had personally happened to himself in the cave, and explained why he won't go past a certain point in the cave by himself anymore. He also explained the legend of the Bell Witch, as well as went into a lot of history about Native Americans in the area, as several bodies had been found "buried" in the cave, and right above it is a Native American burial ground.
While we did not experience anything out of ordinary on our tour, the atmosphere of the cave itself is creepy. If you let yourself get a little swept up in the idea of it all, it's easy to spook yourself a bit, but what's wrong with that? The whole point is to be scared, is it not? -
Review from Wayne H.
Nashville, TN
6/27/2011 2 photos
I can't quite say this is worth visiting, unless you are interested in the paranormal and/or history or at least have some knowledge of what has become known as the Bell Witch Haunting. I went last Halloween, and it was somewhat underwhelming. This cave is in the middle of nowhere, more than an hour from Nashville, and it cost $12 to enter the fairly small cave, or $18 for a combined cave/cabin tour. This was farm country; the proprietors looked like very home-grown folk, which for an Asian suburban student made the encounter a tad awkward, though they simply let me purchase a ticket and told me where to go.
First the legend; long story short, this is supposedly the only place where a ghost has been recorded to kill someone. After one Kate Batts was cheated out of a deal with a John Bell in the early 1800s, she supposedly cursed him and his family with a violent poltergeist haunting that involved floating objects, people getting beaten and stuck with pins from unseen elements, and a ribald, swearing, singing ghost. Supposedly this Bell Witch drove off a ghostbusting attempt by Andrew Jackson, broke up a marriage and eventually poisoned John Bell before disappearing.
I have heard a dozen versions of this, some genuinely freaky, the guides however were much less interesting. They seemed to be local high school students hired by the farm, and they seemed to follow a playbook fairly strictly. It was much more interesting when, while waiting to enter the cave, they talked personally about the town, the owners, and their paranormal encounters in the cave.
The cave itself is a fairly small, dry cave made up of two chambers connected by two tunnels that flood in the rains. This was supposedly where Kate Batts lived, and folklore says she resides to this day. It is quite wet underfoot, though you could find your way across without getting wet on you sneakers. The first chamber contains a Cherokee(?) grave, while the second chamber has some formations, including one shaped like a human skull. Here most of the hauntings are said to occur, cameras malfunctioning, people getting pushed etc. Could be creepy. Except for the dozen people crowding the chamber. My camera worked fine too.
Also on the property is a replica of the Bell Cabin. Looked authentic enough, though again the guides lacked that good stoytelling skill. I did meet some interesting people who would participate in such a tour, including some guy who came down from Illinois; we had a nice chat about the legend and its source and embellishments after the tour.
If you are genuinely interested in the morbid, it is worth your time and money. It would help to read up upon the story before you come however, to get in the proper mindset for a American Haunting.Listed in: Day Trips from Nashville, Caves
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Review from Marcia M.
10/19/2010 1 Check-in Here
I am still uncertain on how I was able to talk 3 of my galpals into signing up for a hour drive and forking over $25 on a Saturday night to experience the Bell Witch tours...that's what friends are for?
I don't regret having the experience because it was a fun outing. I also did gain some interesting facts about the paranormal experiences that supposedly occurred in this area. We booked a 45 minute tour of the Bell Cabin + Cave for $25 but declined to upgrade to the $50 package that included a 20 minute tour of the Native American burial grounds, tour of the dells, and a peek into a photo album of paranormal proof.
I was disappointed that none of the descriptions of this tour (that were listed on the website) acknowledged that the tour of the "Bell Cabin" is actually a replica of the actual Bell Cabin. Mind you, they did a fantastic job with the replica and outfitted it with period accurate furnishings, mannequins, and artifacts but this should have been disclosed at an earlier time. Our tour guide answered questions and gave some information on the legend of the Bell Witch but much of the story-telling was done by a tape recorded voice.
We had to squeeze into all of the rooms due to the over-booking of the tour. There were over 30 in our group which does take away from the ambiance and spook factor.
The 2nd leg of our tour included a tour of the Bell Cave led by a young frat brother who unassumingly took away from the ambiance again. He was nice enough but joked way too much throughout and didn't give enough factual information or real life experiences. If I wanted a laugh, I would head to Zanie's. I paid to get spooked out and learn about a local legend, thank you very much.
The cave was fantastic and had a definite spooky vibe but yet again that was killed by the herd of people that were booked on the tour and the fact that we were crammed for space and time. I don't think that my review would have been even been 3 stars if I would have purchased the $50 package. There just wasn't enough of an experience for that kind of money.
However, I still had fun with my friends but we can have fun practically anywhere.
TIP: This place is worth checking out for $25 but I would suggest avoiding the Halloween crowd and going during a different time of the year.Listed in: Spooky Places
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Review from Cassie P.
6/23/2008
My daughter totally freaked (13 years old) and we didn't even make it in. My friends continued on the tour without us. They said there isn't really a witch but some super cool rock formations.
Big Tip......wear shoes that can get wet. There is a tiny creek that you have to walk through for part of the tour.
Oh yeah, there is a sign in front that says "No Profanity". I think that is funny! -
Review from Adam B.
San Francisco, CA
6/4/2007
So there have been several movies that have been based on the Bell Witch. This location serves as a nice little escape into the weirdness of the south and ghosts. Both can be very disturbing. I went out there with friends one evening We arrived very late and the police basically harrassed us b/c we had pulled down the driveway and noticed that it was closed and tried to back out. They pretty much gave us a hard time for nothing. We ended up coming back the next day with a bad taste in our mouth. Its good to go in October when the weather is better for the cabin. You can schedule cabin tours and even psychic readings. Even if you dont believe in the mumbo jumbo...it can be lots of fun with friends.
Cave tours $10
cabin tours $5 -
Review from Erin D.
Nashville, TN
2/6/2009
This is one of my annual Halloween outings. I love going up here to hear the stories of the Bell Witch and tour the cave. It's always fun to take a big group of friends, especially newbies. It is a bit of a drive from Nashville, but totally worth it.
Depending on who your guide is, you can usually get some unique/crazy/fun tales of the witch and the Bell family. In the cave there is also a disturbed Indian grave an they tell you if you take anything from the area you'll be cursed. Yes, it's hooky, but it's fun. Their have been many movies made about her/it "American Haunting" and "The Blair Witch Project" were all based on it.
During the Halloween season they do have haunted hayrides, psychics and concessions. The directions on the site are actually pretty easy to follow so don't worry about getting stuck in the middle of nowhere. You do park in a field, so if you have a weeny car, be sensitive of that.Listed in: Halloween Fun
