Wabasha Street Caves
On Saturday, Patty and I took a tour of the Wabasha Street Caves. We got the idea last weekend when we went on a long walk around our neighborhood and came across a group of people standing outside the entrance, waiting for the tour to start. I had heard of the caves before, and without knowing much about them, I thought it might be interesting to see them. What I found, however, was totally unexpected.
When I heard “caves,” I was thinking something along the lines of cold, dank, dimly lit corridors filled with bat droppings and some weird rock formations. I didn’t realize that the caves are actually home to a full nightclub that once served as the hangout for the likes of John Dillinger and practically every other gangster who ever crossed through St. Paul (and there were apparently a lot of them).
Bullet holes, famous criminals, ghost stories, a full-service bar — who could ask for more? My pictures, frankly, didn’t turn out so great (who would’ve thought that the lighting in a cave would be so difficult?), but it’s just as well you go see it for yourself anyway. It’s only $5 per person, lasts about an hour, and runs Thursdays at 5 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m. No reservations are required; you can just show up.
A quick word of praise for our tour guide, Dawn, who was terrific. She obviously knew her stuff, and did a good job of keeping our attention. Make sure you tip her!
More pictures here.
May 30th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
http://www.actionsquad.org/phalen1.htm
That one is cold dank, and not lit at all.
October 18th, 2008 at 9:49 am
“Edna” did a great job on our gangster tour yesterday; enjoyed the food and the cool weather even though it was cool “Edna” heated things up with her enthusiasm and “book of knowledge” about the bygone days of st paul.