The Moqui Cave Museum is a fun road side attraction in southern Utah. It catches your eye as you drive by because it features an old brick dwelling with white glass blocks embedded into the opening of a gigantic sandstone cave.
In this guide we’ll show you exactly what to expect if you decide to add this quirky attraction to your Kanab itinerary. Now considered a landmark tourist destination, we think the cave holds some interesting secrets.
Our Experience
We visited Moqui Cave in December 2021 during a 3 month west coast road trip. Originally we were in Kanab to hike the Wave and after winning a Wave permit for the following day, we had some time to kill in town. We saw Moqui Cave as we drove along Highway 89 so we turned around, parked up and decided to explore the museum on a whim.
It’s a unique attraction in southern Utah with an interesting past so it’s a good spot if you’re interested in learning about the history of the surrounding area. We spent almost 2 hours inside chatting with the owners and paid the small fee for entering the museum. The cave is small in size, but has distinct rooms showcasing various artifacts. Read more about us.
What Is The Moqui Cave?
Located in southern Utah and about 5 miles north of Kanab, Moqui Cave is a museum of ancient history. It originally began as a natural sandstone cave and was eventually inhabited by Indigenous groups. They used the cave as a place for shelter and to store food.
In the 19th century, settlers used the cave as a speakeasy during the Prohibition period. Then in 1951, the cave was purchased by Garth and Laura Chamberlin. Garth wanted to created a popular tourist spot so he built a stage and tavern inside the cave creating southern Utah’s first dance hall.
You’ll hear fun stories if you decide to take the cave tour because this was a place where you could grab a meal, have a drink and listen to a live band on the weekend. For years, Moqui Cave was the place to be seen.
Chamberlin was always interested in geology, archeology and paleontology. His dream was to create a museum with his personal collection. So when the dance hall was shut down, the four room cave was converted into a museum.
Today, it’s filled with an eclectic mix of art work, artifacts, fluorescent minerals, rocks and dinosaur tracks. The exhibits include Garth’s personal collections from over the years and members of Chamberlin family still run the museum. You can visit the official website for more information.
Travel Tip: Moqui was formerly a term used for the Hopi people who one inhabited the area thousands of years ago.
READ: 10 amazing Utah road trip itineraries
Visitor Information
Nearby to Moqui Cave, you can also visit the Moqui Sand Caves (sometimes known as the Moqui Caverns). These attractions are sometimes confused because the names are so similar and they are located very close to one another along highway 89.
The caverns are artificial and were originally used to harvest sand for glass production. You’ll find them between Moqui Cave and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. You can read our Moqui Caverns guide next so you can visit both at the same time.
We liked visiting Moqui Cave because parking was very easy. There is a large lot located along the highway and it’s completely free (see our photo below).
While the cave itself is free to enter, there is a $6 admission fee if you want to walk through the museum with a tour guide. It’s open everyday from 9:00am to 7:00pm expect Sundays. Dogs are also welcome.
Travel Tip: If you’re visiting Kanab in summer, the Moqui Cave Museum would be a great palce to cool off on hotter days as temperatures inside never rise above 65°F.
What To Expect Inside
A guided tour of Moqui Cave is included at no extra cost with your small admission fee and we highly recommend you ask as many questions as possible. While this cave is a bit gimmicky, it’s still family owned and we learned so much during our tour.
There are four main sections inside with the largest room connected to three smaller rooms. Here’s what you can see:
1. The Main Room
The first section includes a large room where you initially enter and pay for a ticket. Here you can admire the high ceilings and observe how the dwellings from the outside were originally built further into the cave. This is where the tour will officially begin.
We liked looking at the Indigenous artifacts spread out across multiple shelves. Many of these pieces have been found in southern Utah and go back as far as 1,200 years ago.
Another unique item was a wooden carving created by Chamberlin himself, which depicts his entire family tree. He simply used a black and white family photo as a reference.
There is also a large collection of dinosaur tracks, records, photographs and information about the early-day life of people involved with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
2. Moqui Cave Bar
A highlight for many visitors includes a beautiful wooden bar from 1952, which was handmade by Garth. This was the same bar that was very popular back in the day during the dance hall days. We won’t spoil any of the fun stories you’ll hear about the bar, so you can learn about them during your visit.
It’s fun to imagine what this cave was like during it’s busy days. Mark was ready to order a beer!
On the other side of the room, there’s a large display case of Indigenous artifacts so don’t miss them. We also liked the old cash register dating back over 140 years ago as well as the extensive collection of early antiques and handmade artwork.
3. Inside The Tepee
After exploring the bar section, you’ll walk through a small tepee. This is where you can find the old dance hall. Take a second to imagine music blasting, acoustics bouncing and people dancing inside the cave. The old stage is still in place and features a fluorescent exhibit of its own.
Off to the side of the old dance hall includes one of the largest fluorescent mineral displays in the United States. We enjoyed this part of the museum because there were samples from all around the world including Rochester, NY which isn’t too far from where Kristen grew up.
READ: Best places to visit in the NY Finger Lakes
4. Gift Shop
There is also a small gift shop filled with handmade jewelry from various Indigenous groups throughout the region. The jewelry is beautiful because it’s made from sterling silver and genuine stones.
You can also find more dinosaur tracks, fossils and old photographs.
Our tour was quite lengthy because we asked a lot of questions. But we wanted to learn as much as we could about the surrounding town of Kanab. The original bar in the tavern was our personal favorite part of the tour due to its colorful history.
After your tour, there are restrooms and a garden located right outside Moqui Cave. If you’re traveling with kids, there is also a dino dig where they can unearth a velociraptor skeleton.
READ: 12 best hotels in Kanab, Utah
The Morgan Conclusion
What we like: Overall we were happy that we turned around on the highway and visited Moqui Cave. The $6 entrance fee is very reasonable and the staff were incredible welcoming. To get the most out of your visit, ask questions and engage with the owners.
What we didn’t like: The cave was a bit smaller than we thought it would be, but it was packed full of artifacts. It was a bit gimmicky, but what roadside attraction isn’t? If you aren’t interested in history, this attraction may not be for you.
Is the Moqui Cave Museum worth visiting? Yes, we think the museum inside Moqui Cave is worth visiting if you have time to spare. It’s a cheap attraction that offers a lot of history. We do think it can be touristy and tacky, but the cave is what you make of it. During our trip, we learned so much about the history of the area and saw many very interesting artifacts. However, if you’re short on time, we wouldn’t recommend adding this to your itinerary.
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Want more Utah content? Head over to our Utah Travel Guides to explore the Mighty Five National Parks and beyond.
We hope our guide featuring the Moqui Cave Museum tour helps with planning your trip!
Please let us know if you have any questions about visiting the cave or Kanab in the comments below.
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
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Mark and Kristen Morgan are travel, hiking and photography experts. Over the last 6 years traveling full time, they have explored more than 40 countries and 30 US states.
Where Are Those Morgans has been featured in USA Today, Gestalten, Get Your Guide, CityPASS and Condé Nast Traveler along with various other publications. Read more about us.