For families with a sense of adventure – and without claustrophobia or a fear of the dark – exploring caves and caverns makes for a memorable experience. It’s important to remember that exploring caves out in nature is dangerous and for experienced hikers only, so opt instead for one of these fun day trips where you’ll be guided along your underground journey.
New Jersey
Sterling Hill Mining Museum
Ogdensburg
973-209-7212
There are tours of the mine every day at 1 pm; make a reservation for the tour in advance. From there, you will be guided through the mine itself, receiving information about its history, working conditions and geology as you cover about 1,300 feet of tunnel. Bring a light jacket or sweatshirt as it is 56 degrees in the mine. You will also be able to tour two mining-related museums: the Warren Museum of Fluorescence, which contains a “Color Wall” displaying 100 fluorescent mineral specimens— and the Zobel Hall Museum, where you can learn more about the daily life of a miner. The museums are only available with the tour. Come the fall, there are special haunted walking tours and ghost hunts. The next public tour is April 18, and then starting June 30 there are tours every day through Labor Day. After Labor Day, weekend hours go into effect.
Sybil’s Cave Park
Hoboken
This twice-excavated, man-made cave is more than just 30 feet of space and a natural spring; it is also an eerie true-crime hotspot. In 1841, Mary Rogers, dubbed the “Beautiful Cigar Girl” by the press, was found murdered nearby. As a result, the cave was briefly a destination for gawkers, only to fade into obscurity until 2007, when it was rediscovered, re-excavated and fitted with a new gate. Today you can enjoy a view of the Manhattan skyline and step back in time to what was considered a Victorian-era “rural retreat.” The cave is open every day except Monday.
Pennsylvania
Crystal Cave
Kutztown
Crystal Cave — an underground structure and the first “show cave” to open in Pennsylvania— is known for its many crystalline, milky-white formations. Hikers who opt for an hour-long tour will be led 125 feet underground by guides and will have the opportunity to view a film detailing the geology of caves. Plus, as it spans 150 acres, this historic attraction truly has something for everyone, from mini-golf and an ice cream parlor to a museum, rock shop, gemstone panning and a hiking trail. The caves are open for the 2025 season.
Indian Echo Caverns
Himmelstown
717-566-8131
This cave, formed from over 440 million-year-old Beekmantown limestone, contains a variety of wildlife. You can take a 45-minute guided tour, during which you will learn about the geology and history of the caverns while viewing the beautiful rock and mineral formations they contain. Plus, kids will love feeding the animals at the Discovery Barnyard, panning for gems and fossils at the Gem Mill Junction, and taking a break at the playground. The caves are open 7 days a week year-round, and it’s 52 degrees inside, rain or shine.
Laurel Caverns
Farmington
800-515-4150
This is Pennsylvania’s largest cave, with over 4 miles of passages. You can go spelunking or mining for gemstones, or check out the views from Chestnut Ridge via the family lookout. You can also take a virtual tour from the comforts of your own home – but it’s much prettier to check out in person. The 2025 season runs from April 22 to September 1.
Lincoln Caverns & Whisper Rocks
Huntingdon
The Lincoln Caverns contain an abundance of speleothems— that is, “cave formations”— from flostones and stalactites to crystals. Take a one-hour interpretive tour of the 90+-year-old cavern and you’ll get an educational experience, while preserving the natural beauty and splendor for everyone. Up your experience with a Black Light Adventure Tour on Friday nights. Lincoln is currently open for its 95th season, and on April 11, you can stop by for the Raystown Rocks spring open house, which will include live music by The Nick Miller Project, door prizes, and snacks.
Lost River Caverns
Hellertown
At the Lost River Caverns, you can learn, shop and explore. The caverns themselves have 1,200 feet of paved, lit walkways, which can be experienced via a guided walking tour; as well as a rock shop and a souvenir shop. Walk the 1,800-foot nature trail or pan for gems at the Gem Mill before checking out the many gems, fossils, minerals and antiquities at the Gilman Museum. You can bring a picnic basket and have a scenic lunch at Picnic Grove. Tours are available almost every day.
Penn’s Cave & Wildlife Park
Centre Hall
814-364-1664
Penn’s Cave is America’s only all-water cavern, and you can take a fully guided cavern tour by boat. The park also features a farm, which can be experienced via a farm, nature, and wildlife park tour, and the Cave Rock Mountain Tour is available for anyone who wants to head up to the mountaintop. You can even pan for gemstones. The caves are open daily, but the farm-nature-wildlife park opens again on April 1.
New York
Howe Caverns
Howes Cave
518-296-8900
Head 156 feet underground with the Signature Rock Discovery Tour, a 2-and-a-half-hour exploration into areas of the caverns that had not been open to the public for a century, or try the 2-hour guided spelunking tour. If you’re looking for a more straightforward cave exploration experience, try the traditional tour, a 90-minute walking tour 156 feet underground that includes a boat ride. Tickets are currently available.
Natural Stone Bridge and Caves
Pottersville
518-494-2283
The massive stone bridge is the largest marble cave entrance in the eastern U.S. and is still being carved by Trout Brook. First described in Morse’s Geography of 1790, the property has been owned by family members since the Revolutionary War. It was initially a sawmill, but became a tourist attraction in the 1940s. You have your pick of serious spelunking or more relaxed fun: self-guided tours on the above-ground nature trail expose visitors to Adirondack geology and lighted caves/grottos, while 3-4 hour guided spelunking tours are perfect for those who are at least 13 years old and want more of an adventure. There’s a snowshoe trail here, too – and an ice cream shop, if you’re not too cold from all the exploring. The caves are currently closed; the summer season will begin the third week of May, weather permitting. Generally, you can explore from December to March, and then from May to mid-October.
Secret Caverns
Howes Cave
518-296-8558
If you are heading to Howe Caverns, you’ll see a bunch of bright and colorful signs for Secret Caverns. This offbeat cave has a unique vibe and boasts a 100-foot underground waterfall. It was founded by a local civil engineer, who planned a 45-minute to 1-hour guided walk through an accessible prehistoric passageway, where you can see stalactites, stalagmites and flowstone. And you get down to the caves via a petrified escalator (103 stairs) through layers of limestone.
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