

BRINGING HISTORY TO LIFE
"I can tell. You've got the bug."
- Carol Linebarger Harker to Krista Bradley,
February 2022.
Are we obsessed? ABSOLUTELY!
Decades of research has gone into the creation of Wonderland Cave as writer and Executive Producer, Krista Bradley, and friends, dig deep into the cave's fascinating history. Just like all children, we explored as kids - we just never stopped.
Enjoy special interviews with family members, community members, Historians and more throughout a span of more than 10 years of collective recorded research.
CHECK BACK OFTEN FOR
UPDATED MATERIALS.
Video courtesy Joe Murphy.
Growing up knowing of Wonderland Cave and dedicating years studying its rich past, it was hard to pinpoint a specific time in the cave's fascinating history to focus on writing about. So many exciting events took place there - where to start? Naturally, I chose the beginning.
On March 1st 1930 Wonderland Cave (formerly known as North Cave) opened for business as an underground nightclub in Bella Vista, Arkansas, offering guests an escape to an enchanting world hidden "500 feet" below, where roaring jazz and big band music serenaded party goers through the night. The cave was owned by C.A. Linebarger and his brothers, F.W. and C.C., real estate moguls and business men who purchased land in Bella Vista in 1917, establishing it as a world-class resort where the wealthy flocked during the summer months to experience it's many luxury accommodations and amenities, like the pristine Sunset Hotel, summer cottages, golf courses, lakes, swimming pools, dance halls, and of course, what would become the world's largest underground nightclub and a nationwide sensation, Wonderland Cave.
During a stop to Paris on a European tour in October 1929, the ambitious C.A. was inspired to open the nightclub while visiting a small pub designed to look like a cave, Le Petite Caveau. Captivated by the setting and its obvious success, C.A. immediately began plans to open his own. "I have a big cave back home. I can make something like this work." C.A. told his beautiful wife, Ray. Ray simply replied,"You've had too much to drink."
Like always, C.A. and his right-hand man, Whitey T. May (operating manager of the Bella Vista Resort, Sunset Hotel, and Wonderland Cave) turned C.A.'s idea not only into reality, but into an actual wonder.
After a few months of hard work, Wonderland Cave had a successful soft opening on March 1st, going on to have its official opening at the start of the summer season of 1930, forever changing the cave's future and legacy.
In the film audiences meet real life figures like C.A. Linebarger, Ray Linebarger, F.W. Linebarger, C.C. Linebarger, Whitey T. May, Gladys May, Clarence Love, Agent Field Eugene Kindley, and are transported to Bella Vista and Bentonville in 1917.
To learn more about Wonderland Cave, please visit the Bella Vista Historical Museum, located at
1885 Bella Vista Way, Bella Vista, AR 72714. Ask for Dale or Xyta.
Special thanks to the Bella Vista Historical Museum and the Linebarger and May family's for sharing their time, history, stories, photos, records and more. With over 400 photos and documents, we change the gallery periodically to share our research, so please check back regularly.























