All around this area, on busy roadsides, you may notice the signs calling you to embark on a subterranean adventure, such as:
- “Visit Penn’s Cave”
- “Woodward Cave: 16 Miles Ahead”
- “Lincoln Caverns: Just Ahead.”
Yes indeed, the caves are calling us from near and far in Central Pennsylvania. These tourist-targeting caves draw in folks for a reason. Caves and caverns are fun places to explore, and tours provide a safe and informative adventure for the whole family.
During the dog days of summer, caves offer an added bonus: The underground cave remains cool even when it is blistering outside. That is my kind of place on hot and humid days.
That being said, living here for the past 23 years or so, I sometimes forget about these local wonders. I last took a group of friends out for a tour of Penn’s Cave when they came to visit me after my kiddo was born. Welp, that same kid is now turning 23, so it has been a while.
Recently, though, I met a Penn’s Cave tour guide while out and about. He was an interesting fellow, and it sparked my interest to return to the cave. My partner’s sister and nephew also happened to be coming to town and wanted to check out the cave, so everything lined up — I was going to make my return adventure to the underground.
We had a 1 p.m. tour scheduled for a busy Saturday. Of course, I arrived a little late. But, lucky for us, we were able to reschedule for 2 p.m.
If you have never been, Penn’s Cave offers more than a cave. It also offers a wildlife park along with other family friendly attractions, like a maze for children to play in and a visitor center and café. In our down time, we explored as much as we could without paying extra for the maze and wildlife park (perhaps next time). It was fun to people watch, and our excitement grew as our cave tour time approached.
Eventually, we made our way down to the cave entrance and waited for our tour. If you have never been, it is important to understand that Penn’s Cave is a water cavern, and the tour is by boat. While we waited, we could see fish swimming in the water below us.
Eventually, our boat arrived, and we loaded up with other cave-goers, and off we went on our exploration. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and had plenty of dad jokes to tell us along the way as we explored different areas of the cave.
It was fun learning about the different rock formations formed by the minerals of dripping water that make stalactites and stalagmites. From a heart shaped formation to another that looked like an organ and was lit up with colorful lights, it was fun to see. My favorite part was when the guide turned out the lights and it was pitch black as could be. Eventually, we made our way to the other side of the cave and into a pond near the wildlife park, where we saw elk hanging out near the water. After a tour around there, we made our way back through the cave, learning more of the history as we went through.
It was a fun day, and our whole party, aged 65 to 4, had a good time. For me, it felt like a school field trip. I especially enjoyed making jokes with the tour guide (always the class clown).
It is interesting to think that the cave has been a tourist destination since 1885, and it is neat to see the original hotel from that time still partially standing (the north wing was removed in 1938), serving as office and event space.
There is a lot of history in the cave that I feel is best left for a tour guide to explain, so you should check it out. I hope to catch these other two caves in the region soon. Let’s take a peek at what they have to offer.
Lincoln Caverns & Whisper Rocks
Located out on the William Penn Highway in neighboring Huntingdon County, this cool spot offers a one-hour interpretive tour of two spectacular crystal caverns, Lincoln Caverns and Whisper Rocks. A wide variety of speleothems (cave formations), including delicate crystals, sparkling stalactites, and massive flowstones, await around every turn.
Woodward Cave & Campground
Out in the far reaches of Centre County in, you guessed it, Woodward, this unique geological feature is one of the largest winter homes to bats in Pennsylvania (I love bats; they eat the insects, people — don’t be afraid), so tours are only offered from May to September. Even in August the cave is a constant 48 degrees, so bring a jacket. Sounds pretty cool to me. T&G
Vincent Corso loves exploring the outdoors in Central Pennsylvania and beyond.
