Laurel Caverns is a large natural calcareous sandstone cave located 50 miles south of Pittsburgh. It’s the largest sandstone cave in the world. The cave itself is situated beneath a 435 acre privately owned geological preserve.

Since Laurel Caverns, as a sandstone cave, does not create stalactites, The Grottoes was designed to allow scientists to measure the rate of “soda straw” formation in terms of centimeters per year and also observe how they transition to stalactites. To provide school field trip children with an interesting way of seeing The Grottoes, it was converted to a miniature golf course called: Kavernputt. However, it became obvious that children, golf clubs, and delicate cave formations, are a poor combination.  It is now more aligned with its original purpose.