Play and Relaxation Spaces for the Whole Family
Your cave entrance ticket gives you access to numerous free activities and games, including mini-golf, pedal-powered go-karts on a circuit, board games, classic wooden games, slacklines, pétanque, balance bikes, pedal cars, scooters, and much more.
Basically, everything is designed to give parents a well-deserved breather while the kids stay happily occupied with simple, low-tech games—unless you count the power of body and mind!
That said, if parents can muster the energy to get up, the wooden games are just as much fun for them. If you've got a few brain cells left to make sure the kids actually follow the rules and behave properly, we're all for it—we see way too much damage around here every year.
For the more adventurous and brave-hearted, hammocks are scattered throughout the woods for a nap to the sound of summer cicadas.
Please don't forget your kids when you leave—the secondhand market is flooded and our cave is already full!
This year, included with your cave entrance ticket, we've created a mystery expedition (15 riddles about wildlife) for ages 6-14, and we're giving away a beautiful stone with it as a bonus.
The stone doesn't come from the cave—it's strictly forbidden to take anything from the site, even from the ground.
Why offer all these activities and a nice stone? Because we love people and our society needs to rediscover values of sharing, mutual support, and kindness. And the best way to do that isn't with grand speeches, but by setting an example to inspire tomorrow's adults. I know it sounds a bit clichéd, but isn't it equally clichéd to say success means being popular like kids say nowadays?
Moreover, when you go through a rough patch in life, when you brush shoulders with death for instance, you realize that material wealth is just for comfort, but there's nothing vital about owning more than you need. We can see that today's kids are influenced by people who preach appearance and worship possessions. It's up to us to flip that script.
Since we created this 'mystery expedition' and decided to give away a stone, war has broken out in the Middle East (not to mention all the other conflicts worldwide...) and it really drives home how important it is to learn to live together, to share and give, rather than always taking for ourselves, for ME.
BERG Pedal Go-Kart Circuit
Small marked circuit with traffic signs.
Complimentary activity with cave ticket.
Many vehicles for ages 2 to 14
and this year go-karts for adults too.
Scooters, balance bikes, cars, wheeled bikes…
Children's and adult models
Mini Golf
We decided to install a Mini-golf course and offer it free to cave visitors.
Here at the Aven Forestière cave in Ardèche, we've respected the natural site classified as a heritage location. The mini golf courses are made with reconstructed stone laid without invasive foundations, to preserve the space as it is—no cement used, just a comfortable sand base surrounded by Orgnac stone. The blue balls are the winning balls.
Mini-Golf Rates:
Adults or children who visited the cave: FREE.
Also free for those who don't play…
The Origins of Mini Golf:
Historically speaking, mini-golf or miniature golf—or Mini-putt as we call it in Ardèche—is a miniature version of the game of golf.
Mini golf has been played since 1927, invented by Garnet Carter.
He was an American based in Tennessee. He manufactured and distributed it nationwide under the name 'Tom Thumb Golf'.
By 1932, it was making headlines and becoming a public leisure activity for families. The first Mini-Golf association was established in Sweden in 1937.
Then, in 1953, a Swiss architect, Paul Bongni, designed concrete courses with well-defined obstacles.
In 1958, German architect Mr. Pless invented asbestos cement courses.
About a dozen free play areas
Every family and group of friends always finds their place to play simple games with no complicated technology—just the incredible biological machine that is the human body.
Taking time is a treasure…
Having time is being rich
(Amarnath)
We decorated the place by following our hearts, and by keeping it simple, we've maintained only life's essentials: playing, relaxing, laughing, drinking, eating, exploring, sleeping, and sheltering in the cave during rain or heat waves.
About thirty wooden and board games for all ages… Big, small, and medium too!!!
Games for the whole family in Ardèche
Being in nature without any passing traffic—except for the road to the free parking lot—naturally creates a serene atmosphere, especially knowing the kids are safe.
Since we opened in 2017, we've noticed that parents play just as much as the kids—sometimes even more—and it's not uncommon for families to come say hello and thank us for giving them such a happy moment.
The atmosphere on the site is greatly appreciated; deep physical and mental relaxation sets in naturally.
The hardest part is leaving. Initially, most people come just to tour the cave, have a picnic, grab a snack, or play mini golf, but the sense of wellbeing they feel as soon as they arrive makes them forget the urge to keep moving—we see families end up staying for hours, and some stay right until closing time. Even I, someone with what they call ADHD, when I'm here, I can actually sit still for more than a minute and a half!!!
We often let golfers continue playing past closing time—we just ask them to kindly slide the golf clubs under the gate when they're done.
Last winter, we let a family finish their golf game, and when we opened in March, they were still there playing.
Otherwise, you could always stick a GPS on your kids or leave a full diaper so Bobby, our sommelier with his powerful nose, can track down the lost child.
