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    Howe Caverns

    4.1 (234 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    Howe Caverns Photos

    Recommended Reviews - Howe Caverns

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    Reviews With Photos

    Lester Howe and Us
    Orawan N.

    I would do this again. It was just a lovely place to be, the cave was beautiful. I love the whole set up of the estate and the main lodge was beautiful. The staff there was kind and the cider donuts is a must! We forgot to buy more after our tour. The only reason why I gave it 4 stars was because of our tour guide, she sounded like she didn't want to be there, not as friendly. I wasn't sure if we could stop and take pictures or we just had to keep following her. My fiancé and I did enjoy and made the most of it though. We met another nice couple.

    Eric D.

    I've always wanted to visit this place and it did not disappoint. My gosh what an awesome experience! The caves are massive and beautiful and the lighting and walkways are excellent as well. It is most definitely not ADA accessible so be aware and there are many stairs throughout the cave. The formations are amazing and the tour guides are fantastic too. Ours was Cassie and she was very friendly and open to answering any questions during the tour. There is even a boat ride at the turn around point in a cave! So interesting! So glad we visited it was super fun and an amazing experience!

    Cucumber
    Ellliot K.

    I went with my family and it was good because the staff was nice and fun. None of us died.

    One of many incredible views in Howe Caverns
    Andrea F.

    Where to begin? Let's start with if you haven't been here you need to add it to your bucket list. BUT you need to be old enough to appreciate it. Prior to planning this stop on my sister's weekend of fun, our mom had told us she had brought us here on a family trip many years ago when we were kids. Neither myself or my sister had ANY recollection, which makes NO sense because it is completely memorable and simply amazing! Anyway, we stopped here at Howe Caverns on our way up to our mineral mining dig for Herkimer diamonds. So you can see this was part of our Rock theme. From beginning to end it was fun and enjoyable. You can choose and schedule your tour by checking their website (www.howecaverns.com). You can also get lots of other information that you can use to optimize your visit or stay in the area. We opted for the traditional tour. We were in a group of 32 people, which seemed like a lot to be honest based on the other groups we saw along the way. They run tours every 10 minutes so I suggest asking how many are in the group you are considering your tour. Mind you, this still gets 5 stars but smaller would have been more optimal for hearing the tour guide as he shared the history & stories behind the caverns. The tour lasts 90 minutes. Wear warm clothing! It's cold 156 feet down. It's also dark to enhance the lighting and beauty of the caverns. You walk the whole tour with the exception of the VERY short boat ride. Listen to the tour guide because the caverns are rich with history and great stories. Our guide was funny and clearly enjoyed serving as our sherpa. May you be as lucky as us. There is so much beauty to be seen that my pictures don't seem to really do them justice they deserve. There is also one professional photo opportunity should you choose to take advantage of it. It's affordable in comparison to others I've done. But if you find an obliging stranger and you have a decent cell phone camera then you'll be able to capture the moment without having to pay. I enjoyed this your so much I'd do it again! VERY IMPORTANT and they really mean it -- **Please Note: Food, Beverages, Strollers, or Bags of ANY kind ARE NOT PERMITTED IN THE CAVE.**

    You can see the separation. I washed it on gentle and alone with no other clothes

    I bought a sweatshirt that was defective. They first emailed me saying they would replace it. Then later in the day I received another email saying that I didn't wash it on gentle cycle, that's why it happened and they're not going to replace it. I'm dumbfounded. I spent a lot of money there. I bought a sweatshirt at the gift shop that was defective and my replacement is you did it , can't help you. So the morning email was this Good morning! I have another XXL here for you. Please send your address and we'll ship it out. Thank you so much! Terran What kind of "family" business is this. This is terrible. I wanted a shirt to wear that I can remember my experience with my family and I get blamed of ruining the shirt by the business. I'm lost for words. I do not recommend this place at all and don't buy anything there! Obviously the quality is very poor. Then it changed to this- Hi, Because of our concern regarding this sweatshirt, we contacted the company that makes them, and, after looking at your pictures, they deemed it had not been washed on the gentle cycle, and that they are not responsible for replacing it. So, unfortunately, we will not be able to replace it. Sincerely, Terran

    Map - notice the bottom part that informed us that the boat portion was cancelled today due to high water. ‍
    Christina M.

    Brian the tour guide made the tour in our opinion. We didn't have a great start by the unwelcome reception we got at the front desk. No one informed us that the boat tour was cancelled, we had to read it on the television/map over the ticket booth area. The parts that we did explore was a lot of interesting stuff, only wish was that we could see more of the cave and been able to do the boat tour. One and done for us, but a fun day trip none the less.

    Stephanie T.

    This was my first time at Howe Caverns and we did the Traditional Tour. There are a few different tour options so you can choose what best suits you. Booking the tour was very easy online. The tours are pretty frequent, either 15 minutes or 30 minutes or 1 hour apart. There is a huge parking lot so there is no trouble finding parking at all. After parking, you'll head to the main building. The main building has a gift shop, cafe, and restrooms. When it is time for your tour, they will say the [time] tour line up or has departed. The tour begins with some history from Lester Howe himself. He'll talk about the caverns before they were named Howe Caverns (how they were discovered) and then his legacy. He only paid $100 to buy the caverns from the owner of the land. You'll also see a map of where you'll be exploring and the name of structures you'll be seeing. After that, you'll descend in an elevator 156 feet below the Earth's surface to explore the caves with your tour guide. Our tour guide was really informational and had some really good jokes too. He talked about sedimentation, stalagmites and stalactites, and so much more. Each step of the way, he educated us about the caves and would offer alternative routes if you cannot use stairs or are claustrophobic. We also went on a brief boat ride on Lake of Venus. The tour guide used an oar and pulled us along the lake. There were interesting structures like Chinese pagoda and there were opportunities to touch stalactites. There was also a Bridal Altar where at least 700 weddings have been held. Probably most fun was the Winding Way. This was a series of curves and corners. There are multiple photo op opportunities along the tour that the tour guide stops and gives you some time to take photos. One photo op opportunity the tour guide takes a picture and you can pay $10 for a print out back in the lobby. Our tour group was about 20-30 people I think. The cave is always 52°F so bring a jacket or sweatshirt. The caves are really well maintained and they are very transparent about the rules like not touching the caves since our hands have oil and that would ruin the caves. I highly recommend checking out Howe Caverns. You won't regret it!

    Destiny P.

    We had fun, bring a jacket, beautiful views outside, beautiful views inside, the history and stories the tour guide told was cool. The only part I didn't like was the elevator ride we were packed like a can of sardines, I could literally feel the man behind me and the wall too. luckily the elevator ride was just a minute long and I was trying to make jokes. The gift shop was wonderful as I love shopping.

    Kathryn K.

    What a great experience. The views were stunning outside and in. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable , funny and helpful. In the beginning, with the animatronics and the background information, it reminds me of Disney world. It was a great presentation. We had a great time learning about caverns and, in particular, how this cavern was used when it was first discovered many years ago. I greatly appreciate the tunnel that was placed in the 1970s as there were some spots that got extremely narrow at the end. They had a gift shop, dessert spot, cafe, and more. This can be done in 1 day or over a few.

    Cool spot! Perfect weather today!
    Rita L.

    Cool spot to visit! Very organized tour in a colorful cave and a fun boat ride included inside and then you walk back out the same way, friendly staff that takes you around. The group size was around 20-30 when I went (a few months ago around the Labor Day break). There's also a secret cave nearby but I didn't have time to go there this time, will have to come back again in the future! Book the tickets online in advance to reserve the time you like, they recommend coming 30 minutes early but we ended up getting here late (from fixing a flat tire on the way) by 10 minutes and they took us to our group to catch us up right away, great experience overall and I'd definitely recommend it to others. You do have to wait a bit when walking around to wait for the group but not too bad.

    Gem Mining
    Renee H.

    Over commercialized cavern, filled with tons of cement and brick walkways that they clearly spent a ton of time commercializing for tourists. This is a one and done cavern, not an experience we would do again. As you can tell from many of my other cavern reviews, we would participate in almost all of them again. This cavern starts in an elevator jam packed with as many people as they can put on the tour. You ride down and stand in an entrance way where you get your speech of the rules. I don't understand the no bags rule, as there's literally not many stalagmites or stalag tights that you could even take. Everything is dug out and cemented around so much of the walls. This does have some really cool narrow passage ways and a boat that you literally go to and from the same place with. You can hear the water fall but can not see it, like you can with Secret Cavern. The entrance says are mostly over the water and the water is not reachable. We were told there's an entire section that was cemented over because the water ran onto the walkway and that "hindered" the tours. God forbid the tours get bothered by nature! The cool parts about this place is that the mining part was fun for the kids. The store is huge and you can buy lots of over priced crap. The boats in the tunnel are all hand driven, meaning these kids are pushing the boats along the path. The people at the counter seemed pretty miserable, the tour guide was a really awesome one. They didn't work there for very long. Seems like anyone who works there doesn't last for very long. Very interesting since the caverns are in a small town.

    Karyn E.

    Fun place to explore. They have many different tours but we took the basic tour with a cavern boat ride. I have been on several cavern tours and always enjoy the scenery and marvel at the environment. The boat ride is what made this adventure different form other tours I've done. It felt like a cross between Phantom of the Opera and a Venice boat ride. Fun and family friendly. The tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable. I was very hesitant and nervous about going on tour with strangers during the recent Omicron outbreak. However we went during the week, it was the last tour of the day and everyone on tour was very respectful of space and wearing masks. I ended up feeling comfortable.

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    Ask the Community - Howe Caverns

    Do people wear masks (due to COVID) on the tour, and especially in the elevator going down?

    It's optional there.

    Is this good for elderly (grandparents)?

    The tour consists of a 1.25 mile walk that has 139 stairs within that walk. The walkways are brick and there are hand railings, but there are also some inclines and declines in the pathway.

    Can I bring my 1 year old? I'll wear her in a carrier.

    Yes, absolutely! We don't allow strollers or diaper bags in the cave but you can wear the carrier, that's perfect for young ones on our tour!

    Do I need to make reservations far in advance?

    No. I do recommend getting there early to avoid a long line.

    Is this open year round?

    Yes they are. But you should call and check timings.

    What's the price?

    $25 Adults regular tour $21 juniors (ages12-15) regular tour $13 Children 5-11 regular tour… Read more

    Is it wheel chair asscessable?

    The caves are not wheel chair accessible for the tour... there's stairs and a boat ride

    View All 8 Questions

    Review Highlights - Howe Caverns

    My boyfriend surprised me for my birthday with the lantern tour and it truly was unforgettable.

    Mentioned in 12 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Experience It Tours - Enjoy a night in the Sahara desert!

    Experience It Tours

    (15 reviews)

    I was very disappointed in everything except our driver/tour guide. He was fabulous and worked…read moreincredibly hard for us. The company was very expensive ($1000 a day) and I did not like their advice on what to see. The places they booked us (we were not put in 5 star riad when there were 5 star ones available and charged same amount) and the riads they chose were very long walk to get to. They booked us for the Yves St Laurent garden instead of the museum. There were many spots to see they didn't mention. They had us driving all over when there were better options. There were many places we should have visited such as Dyers District (silk & cashmere fabric & scarves). We had lunches included (they did these on the cheap) and their recommendations for dinner were the same sort of food every night. I felt they took us to shops that were overpriced and probably giving them a kickback. Would have preferred to have gone to Max & Jen, Michi, Rue 33 Majorelle, El Fenn Hotel Boutique and Rooftop Bar, etc. Next time, check Yelp, Trip Advisor or elsie green blog first!

    We were lucky enough to spend two weeks in Morocco and I just want to say that this was one of the…read moremost positive experiences and trips I've had. Namir, our driver, was above and beyond the call of duty and truly made us feel like we were members of his family. He took such good care of us and even though I'm old enough to be his mother I kept referring to him as my father since he guided us and wouldn't allow us to do anything that could hurt us in the end. We loved Morocco and the people and felt that each place that we visited was unique and special and it's hard to pick a favorite. Of course our night in the desert was a once in a life time experience and probably was one of the highlights but we equally enjoyed all of the other places we visited. The Riads we stayed in were outstanding and once again the people we met in our stays just added to the enrichment of our trip. I will recommend this company to everyone I know and am so thankful that I stumbled upon them. We spent two weeks in Spain afterwards so it was a whirlwind trip but our time in Morocco was definitely the highlight of this entire experience. THANK YOU EXPERIENCE IT TOURS AND THANK YOU NAMIR, RUTH, LORRE, JILL and everyone else who I dealt with.

    Howe Caverns - tours - Updated May 2026

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