penn's cave

This cave attraction was listed as a AAA “gem.” You have to tour the cave by boat; our guide gave a lot of interesting information about this cave, as well as information about other caves across the United States. On the site is a neat, old 1800s building called the Penns Cave House; we couldn't go in, but we enjoyed the architecture of it from the outside. There is a really nice, huge gift shop, with lots of good choices of quality souvenirs as well as a place to get a bite to eat. In addition to taking the cave tour, there's also an option to purchase a tour of the wildlife park that is there; unfortunately, we did not have the time to do this. The cave tour is definitely something to do at least once; or more, if you are into caves.

We went off season, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. We had a very good lunch of bison burgers and fries. There's an incline down to the cave so Mom had to walk slow. The boat and boat guide was very interesting. I would suggest sitting up closer to the guide if you are hard of hearing. They turn the lights on and off, just FYI. It was a great day for us. Enjoyed the shopping and all the rocks, minerals, artifacts. As we were leaving we noticed a set up to do some panning. So we went back in and bought bags for panning, that was a lot of fun. Our 10 year old told us that was one of his favorite things on the trip. We came home with a bag full of fossils, minerals, amber and stories.

We had a great time at Penn's Cave. The folks in the visitor center were very friendly and helpful. They seemed to really enjoy their jobs. Our tour guide was very informative and had a nice, if not dry sense of humor. The caves are beautifully eerie. I'm a grown woman and even I had some anxiety being in a dark cave on a boat. The lights do not stay on - the guide turns them on and off as you traverse the cave. Sometimes the only light down there is the guide's flashlight. But it was a really cool experience and I'm so glad we made the trip out there!

You walk down a series of paths and steps and board a flat bottom boat to take you through the underground water caves. The lighted rock formations is the highight of the tour. You see formations that look like the Statue of Liberty and many others formations - don't want to spoil it for you so you will have to see for yourself. The guides are exceptional. Next time I will try the Wildlife and Nature Tour and/or the guided two hour off - road jeep tour. What a surprise to find such a gem in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania. Another stop for sightseers is Penn State University about 10 miles from Penn's Cave.

Been through a few cave tours, and this was one of the best. The boat/water aspect makes it unique and the cave formations are great. It wasn't too long and our tour guide was knowledgeable, even if a little dry. Gliding through the water with the quiet, battery powered motors on the boat was very interesting, and we even saw some pretty large rainbow trout swimming beneath us. A very different and cool experience. We didn't do the wildlife tour, but maybe next time, if we pass through the area again. A nice "find" in central PA.

Very unique and interesting. I have been there several times over the years when my kids were younger and we recently took our 5 year old granddaughter. She loved it and talked about it for day's after. A very interesting and enjoyable family experience. Don't forget a sweater.

Did not even know there were caves in PA. Was totally awesome to have the opportunity to visit these caves and enjoy the tour inside the caves. The explanation of the tour guide was excellent

Dynamic combination of family friendly fun. Get there early for a serene float through the caves. Both boat and bus drivers very knowledgable on their subjects. Panning for "gold" and a maze at additional costs. Pricey but a unique experience!

Aug 30/14 This was our first visit to a cave of any kind! We did not know what to expect. The cave itself is amazing! Wonderful introduction to caves for us. Enjoyed the long narrow boat (I suspect built just for the job) but don't expect to be comfortable! Fascinating formations to see! Our tour guide seemed knowledgeable enough, but unfortunately did not always face us when talking, so some people at the back could not hear. Fun experience though! Jacket or sweater recommended. Gift shop was great...very reasonable prices and nice selections. Highly recommend this stop! (We did not take the wild animal park tour.)

Myself and my 10 year old son visited Saturday, August 23rd. It is our second visit to Penn's Cave but after the first visit (three years ago) my son stated that it was his favorite of our day trips he's been on. He was very excited to be going back again. We went this time for the new (as of last year) Jeep tours. We did the Wildlife tour again because he wanted to see the Mountain Lions this time (last time they were hiding and were the only animals we didn't see up close). Well, we saw the mountain lions and every other animal UP CLOSE this time. Katie was our tour guide and was wonderful and very engaging. I think Oscar (the bear) is in love with her....he was kissing her through the fence, trying to get her attention, while she was talking to our group. She had the long horns right up to the steps on the bus. they couldnt get on becausew their horns wouldnt fit through the door (LoL!). She also had the deer running across the field to see her (the treats might help!) when they heard her voice. The cave tour is fascinating and one of a kind.Then we set out on our Jeep excursion. My ten year old was pretty much quiet the whole time listening to Brian (employed @ Penn's Cave for over 20yrs) tell stories about the area, the park, the animals, the plants and the prep that goes into the trail for the 4x4 trip (which lasted over 3 hours). I asked him later why he was so quiet and he simply said, "I was too busy looking all around and watching the upcoming hills, and the hills we were going down, to say much! It was just too fun to talk!" (high praise from a 10 year old boy). When we reached the top of the mountain we were IN THE FOG! Unique experience for us! Brian was awesome!! With him we got an even closer look at the wolves as he was the one who raised them from pups so they came right up to him. We were less than a foot from them. It was obvious they adore him :O) We had a blast! Bottom line.....Highly recommend!We'll be back in the future when the bears get their new home. Can't wait to see. (and take another Jeep tour!)

Penn's Cave is an absolute pleasure to visit. The admission price can be expensive if on a budget, but it is worth the price. The cave had some really cool formations and the light show was a nice piece also. Definitely bring a jacket or wear a sweatshirt even in warm weather though-- it is 52 degrees in the cave. The tour guide was knowledgeable and made the ride enjoyable, although he tells some bad jokes along the way, but it's fine! The wildlife tour was great also, and Kim the tour guide was very nice and she really knows what she's doing. Be careful of the longhorns coming up next to you on the bus if you're sitting on the right of it! Gift shop was nice and had very nice tee-shirts and long sleeve shirts for just $10.99, and also jackets and shirt bundles (3 tee-shirts for $19.99 and a hooded sweatshirt and tee-shirt for $26.99) that were very reasonable when compared to most gift shops. Most of the other things were overpriced though. The longhorn and bison burgers in the cafe were very good also, and very fresh (you'll find out why on the wildlife tour!). If you're traveling with anyone that has disabilities, a word of warning-- the place really isn't that accessible. To get to the cave, you have to go down a large set of steps, and it's only done by boat. The tour is also done on a school bus with very little leg room. So overall, I do certainly recommend going to Penn's Cave if you're in the area

Our grandsons wanted to see inside a cave so we took them to Penn's Cave. The boat ride through the cave was fascinating and the boat driver/tour guide was a wonderfully entertaining young man who patiently answered all of our questions and told us the history of the cave. We would recommend it to anyone. We saw acres and acres of sunflowers on the way to the cave which was a pleasant bonus! Cool inside the cave - 55 degrees F.

Have been to several caves over the years but this was the first one where you took the tour via boat. Nice guide and lasted about 50 minutes.

This is something that everyone should see if you are in the area. Very coolest bit of nature I have ever seen. I have walked through caves before, but this was so much more amazing. You have to take a boat through it which is fun. Their use of electricity to show off different aspects of the cave itself was magnificent. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and a few of the tour guides are quite funny. I learned a lot and got to marvel at how amazing nature really is. It was low cost for great adventure.

We went here with our kids, and overall we had a good time. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Going through a cave in a boat is a really neat experience, and was perfect for us as my daughter doesn't enjoy caves as she trips a lot. In the boat that was obviously not a problem and we all enjoyed the tour. A comment about the gift shop: it wasn't small, and the prices weren't unreasonable. We didn't buy anything, but I felt like the negative comments about the gift shop here were a bit overblown. Perhaps the comments have more to do with being forced to wait too long in there than anything else. Going during the summer there were tours every 15 minutes and so we were only in the gift shop for a few minutes.The cave isn't the prettiest cave in the world, it's a lot of white and gray, but it's still a very nice experience. The lake out the back end was actually a nice break, and overall we enjoyed the experience. The issue for me was that it was $70 for the 45-60 minute experience with four people. If your kids are over 12 these days they are considered adults, and it just gets very expensive to go anywhere. That said, I don't regret spending the money for admission, we did enjoy ourselves, and it was a good visit. Afterwards we went to the Penn State Creamery and Arboretum, which was a wonderful way to complete our day.