GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Hot days return in the coming days after a brief reprieve, and Central Texans are looking for ways to keep cool.

This time of year, going underground into one of the state’s developed caves becomes more popular, as families seek out the consistently cooler environments and the best shade Texas has to offer.

“Especially up at the ticket booth, a lot of people come up there and say that that’s the reason they’re coming to the cave is to escape the heat,” said Bailey Fife, a tour guide at Inner Space Cavern in Georgetown.

Around the week of July 4 is when the tour season starts to heat up for the cave, she said. At 72 degrees year-round, the cooler air wafting out of the cavern greets visitors at the entrance.

“It’s the coolest job to have in the summer,” Fife said with a laugh.

Inner Space is one of several caves within a couple hours of Austin. Others includes Longhorn Cavern in Burnet, Natural Bridge Caverns in San Antonio, Cascade Caverns in Boerne, and Cave Without a Name, also in Boerne.

Ruth Perez brought her family to Inner Space from Plano after seeing good reviews online. They didn’t come to beat the heat, but rather despite it.

“We thought it was going to be extremely hot” in the cave, Perez said. “It’s actually pleasant to walk around here.”

Inner Space was first discovered in 1963 when crews drilled core samples to determine if the area could support an overpass on Interstate 35. They broke through into the cave, and later that year explorers started mapping the system.

The cave opened for public tours in the summer of 1966, and it’s been a draw for tourists and locals alike ever since. 

The cave is still alive and growing, which means there’s a lot of moisture inside, especially after recent rains in the area. That also means deeper parts of the tour are very humid. 

“That’s when you start getting hot,” Perez said.

“You’ll probably break a sweat,” Fife said, “but it’s not going to be anywhere near as bad as the 100 degrees it is out here.”