Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, August 13, 1995                   TAG: 9508160035
SECTION: DISCOVER ROANOKE VALLEY                    PAGE: 87   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

DIXIE CAVERNS OPEN FOR YEAR-ROUND TOURS

One forms upward, the other downward. But which is which?

The tour guides at Dixie Caverns always are ready to answer that question and any others asked about the caves.

After a dog led some inquisitive farm boys into a hole at the top of a hill in 1920, Dixie Caverns opened to the public in 1922.

It is now open for guided tours 364 days a year. Weather isn't a factor because no matter what the temperature is outside, it's comfortable inside all year long.

The tour first heads up into the mountain (which opens to the jaw-dropping cathedral room), and then down underground past a series of attractions, including the wedding bell where dozens of couples have tied the knot.

Once the tour is over, visitors will find a variety of shops offering everything from pottery to wicker baskets to wedding supplies to Christmas gifts and decorations.

A short drive to 5753 West Main St., Salem (two minutes off I-81 at exit 132), will take you to Dixie Caverns, the only caverns in Southwest Virginia.