Wayne H.
Yelp
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.