Region:
Statewide

National Caves Association - Pennsylvania Show Caves:
Crystal Cave, Pennsylvania
R.D. 3 Box 416
Kutztown, PA 19530
(610) 683-6765

Indian Caverns
HCR 1 Box 76
Spruce Creek, PA 16683
(814) 632-7578

Indian Echo Caverns
368 Middletown Rd.
Hummelstown, PA 17036
(717) 566-8131

Laurel Caverns
RR #1, Box 280 U.S. Route 22
Huntingdon, PA 16652
(814) 643-0268

Lost River Caverns
PO Box M
Hellertown, PA 18055
(610) 838-8767

Penn's Cave
RD 2, Box 165A
Centre Hall, PA 16828
(814) 364-1664

Woodward Cave & Campground
PO Box 175
Woodward, PA 16882-0175
(814) 349-9800

Coal Mine Tours
Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour
McDade Park
Scranton, PA
717-963-MINE

Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine
19th & Oak Sts.
Ashland, PA 17921
717-875-3850
717-875-3301

Seldom Seen Tourist Coal Mine
PO Box 83
Patton, PA 16668
800-237-8590
814-247-6905

Tips:
Bring a sweater or jacket. The temperature below the ground is between 50-55 degrees.

Bring your camera too! But, we suggest the use of flash and/or high speed film for all inside pictures

Sure, there’s a lot to see and do in Pennsylvania; splendid scenery, superb shopping, impressive history, amazing amusements. So, you think you’ve done all there is to do in Pennsylvania. Well, have you really been in Pennsylvania? Chances are, you’ve only scratched the surface. You see, there are a lot of things you can do below Pennsylvania too.

Once you look beyond the exterior, you will find mines, caves and caverns throughout the state. Ok, so you’re thinking, "dark, dreary, damp, bats---eeek bats!" Well c’mon, this is the month of Halloween after all. Let’s be adventurous. It might be better than you think!

Caves and caverns actually offer a variety of underground splendors. Each cave or cavern has its own unique features. Some caves you explore by foot, others by boat. Most caves feature stalagmites, stalactites, columns and draperies, but they are all different because they have all developed and formed in their own way. In fact, the some of the formations have grown in ways that give them the appearance of other things you might find in nature. As you look around, use your imagination. You may see formations that look like a camel, an Indian ear of corn, a lion’s head or even the "Statue of Liberty". These are not man-made formations. The beauty you find here took hundreds of thousands of years for nature to form. Some caves are winding canyons, some are flat broad halls, others are open like a cathedral. Some have waterfalls, rivers or placid ponds. At each turn a new view is seen and with each step a different perspective appears. All caves have different minerals, life forms, sights and sounds. At some you can even pan for gems.

Now mines are a different story. Yes, nature did create the coal found beneath the surface of the Keystone State, but it took man to create the mines. No, I’m not a coalminer’s daughter, but I am a coalminer’s great-granddaughter, and I know that there is a lot of history behind coal mining in Pennsylvania. In the past, miner’s had a hard life; sometimes going to work before dawn into the depths of the earth, only to return to the surface after sunset, never seeing daylight for months, with the exception of the occasional day off.  At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution every locomotive ran on coal, factory engines ran on coal, iron and steel needed coal to be manufactured, and most houses were heated with coal. There were no child labor laws and boys as young as eight went to work in the mines. Today, you can get a glimpse into their world with little effort. Take a coal car into the depths of the mines and take an educational and entertaining look at this underground world.

Now if you really did want to see bats and other creepy things, you’re in luck. Several of the caves and mines do offer special ghost tours. A couple that I am aware of are:
Lincoln Caverns’ 15^th Annual Ghosts & Goblins Tours.
Seldom Seen Tourist Coal Mine – Haunted Mine Tours.

      --- Sandra Lee

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