The World's Largest Instrument Is Underground

Deep inside a Virginia cavern, the Great Stalacpipe Organ uses ancient rock formations as musical keys. It spans 3.5 acres, turning the entire cave into a massive, echoing percussion instrument.

Instead of pipes, this organ features rubber-tipped mallets that strike natural stalactites of various sizes to produce different musical notes. It took inventor Leland Sprinkle three years to find the right stones that were perfectly tuned to the scale. The resulting music creates an eerie, haunting resonance that fills the subterranean chamber. It remains the only instrument of its kind in existence today.