A decline in tourists was among the reasons the Jones family decided to close the privately owned Sequoyah Caverns and Ellis Homestead in September.

Sequoyah Caverns has attracted thousands of visitors to its "looking glass lakes" that reflect the intricate cave ceilings. The attraction will close in September. (File photo)

“It was a tough decision, and several factors entered into it,” said John Jones, the 79-year-old patriarch of the family-run business that he personally has overseen the past 10 years after decades of leasing the caves to tourism businesses.

The tourism industry has changed dramatically since the sharp increase in gas prices in 2007, he said, and people are less inclined to travel off the beaten path to get to the cave. Sequoyah Caverns visitors specifically come for the cave tours, as there’s nothing else in the area, he said.

“We’re not situated for visitors,” said Jones. “It has been more of a struggle, because of gas prices.”

The attraction slowly rebounded after the initial nosedive of visitors in 2007, but seems to have peaked at about 12,000 visitors annually, he said.

Additionally, Jones said the family closed caverns because he wanted to relax more in his retirement years and his children and grandchildren are more interested in other business ventures, including farming the family land.

The caves and surrounding property have been in the Jones family since 1842 when James Ellis and his family moved there. The family opened the caverns and their “looking glass lakes” in the 1960s by leasing part of the property to private tourism businesses. The family took over operations in June 2003.

Unlike other caves, Sequoyah Caverns is full of pools, which reflect the thousands of intricate rock formations and underground creations. Along with the reflection pools, the caverns also feature towering stalagmites, waterfalls and wall writings dating back to the early 1800s. Park visitors also can mine for gems and watch white fallow deer, goats and sheep graze in the pasture.

The property also serves as working farm. It began raising strawberries three years ago and has since added cattle herds and a peach orchard.

Because the property has been in the family for such a long time, Jones, the great-great grandson of James Ellis, said leasing or selling the caverns to a tourism operator or to the state to establish a permanent park is unlikely.

For one, it probably wouldn’t be economically feasible for someone to manage it without being able to rely on family, he said. Additionally, the family intends to continue residing on the property, and doesn’t want to risk seeing the property developed in a way that interferes with their lives.

“I told somebody a long time ago, if somebody wanted it, it would be very expensive,” Jones said, but he didn’t rule out the possibility of his children or grandchildren re-opening for tourists in the future.

Since Monday afternoon when news broke of the closing, Jones has taken a lot of phone calls from past visitors saddened by the news. He said he regularly meets visitors who came as children and are bringing their own children now.

“That’s why we thought we would give it the summer before we closed,” he said. “There are lots of people who came here we knew would want to come back.”

Located off Interstate 59, north of Valley Head, Sequoyah Caverns and Ellis Homestead is open Monday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $15.95 for adults, $8.95 for children and free for children 3 and younger.