Howe Caverns

Very disappointed in customer service. My family (12 of us) traveled over 3 hours to find out Adventure Park was closed for no reason other than to save on Labor costs as per an email from customer service representative.

The caverns are pretty and Justin, the guide was funny and knowledgable. The pace of the tour was good for all ages. My least favorite part was the boat tour … Too short and nothing fabulous to see; however, guides were skilled at maneuvering the boats. The only complaint I have is with the line. While waiting; it became too warm. NOTE: If you have small children, bring something to entertain them.

A fine cave to visit. We had visit one in Virginia, Lu… And this is not as spectacular but is better for several reasons:
There is a much shorter wait time
The employees are more friendly
There isn’t a population density greater than NYC
The items in the gift shop are cheaper
You park closer
Plus, you get an underground boat ride.

Highly worthwhile tour
Friendly staff
Great total package
This was a pretty exceptional experience on a couple of fronts.
We started by buying tour tickets and then heading directly across the parking lot to the geode and gem store pavilion. The staff were incredibly friendly and insightful, helping guide us that for our kids (8 & 10, one very into geology and the other ambivalent), one 9lb bag of sand could provide enough sift-​and-​find fun time combined. Conveniently, it also yielded just about the perfect mixture and volume of neat souvenir rocks, which would save most families from an additional venture to the gift shop. However, since we have a geology buff on our hands, we also went for cracking a Mexican geode. The tension mounted as the kids cranked away gently until (poof!), we had a clean split and another beautiful two-​halved take-​home treasure.
We rinsed off, toted our newfound treasures to the car, grabbed some sweatshirts (the caves are ~52 degrees), and headed for the tour. The fun started with a kind of diorama history lesson at ground level, after which we shuffled into the vintage elevator to make our way down into the cave.
While it was the highlight of the time at the complex, I’ll actually say very little about the cave tour itself — I’d recommend you go in without too much foreknowledge, and just take it in as you walk. Chances are you’ll find it fascinating as a modern-​day tour-​taker — but what blew me away was thinking about how the path through the cave must have felt if you were Howe himself, discovering it all with a lantern for the first time over a hundred years ago. Purely unbelievable.
Pro tip — when you’re finished your tour and about to enter the elevator alcove, there’s a spot you can find to look directly up at the ceiling and see a tiny peekhole of daylight. Best I can figure is that if you stand in the receiving area facing the cave-​aged cheese, move back about five feet, and move about eight feet to your left. Look up, and shift around a bit until you see light. Voila.
Howe Caverns gave me a fresh perspective on geology, history, and the wonders that lie beneath our feet. Enjoy!

Hands down the best Cavern I’ve visited across US.
They have put a lot of effort into making it an adventurous trip and the guides are amazing too.
There are three types of tours that are available given the days and an adventure park that opens sometime around May end — June start that has OGO balls.
Whilst we were there, our guide told us about the Signature tour that’s supposedly coming up very soon and it explores a much bigger portion of the cavern than the normal ones — do try and get a spot for that (or else, the Halloween one — they both would be the best).

I went on the Lantern tour. It’s a typical tour of the amazing caverns including a boat tour. Then on the boat the lights are all turned off and you guide the boat back with your lantern. The tour guide then leaves you to explore the caverns alone on your way back. It was an amazing tour one I highly recommend. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is because I stayed at the motel at night, it had great view but the bed was very uncomfortable.

A great day out for the family and a great lunch too boot! The food was amazing!

I did the Adventure Tour where you gear up and get to crawl through the cave and I have to say it was «just alright.» First of all, I thought the price was a little steep for the amount of cave you get to experience. It started with a brief walkthrough (not too far in) of what I’m pretty sure is part of the traditional walking tour and then we went to an area to gear up and do the dirty part of the tour. There was some crawling at the beginning, which wasn’t difficult to manage and then you basically stop at 3 spots and turn around to go back. The guide lets you take your time in each stop since they are private tours, which is nice, but I really would have liked to go deeper into the cave instead of hitting a dead end and going back.
If this is your first time doing a rougher cave tour, then you will probably enjoy it a lot. I was expecting much more out of this tour as I am comparing it to one where we had to crawl up small spaces and actually got to slide down rocks and explore much more with heavier duty gear.
Honestly, if I were to go back I’d do the traditional tour or one of the other special walking tours because it is much cheaper and I feel you would get more for your money.
Also, if you are considering this tour go a half size up with boot size if you are not already a whole number (the boots only come as whole sizes). I am a 7.5 shoe and got a size 7 boot when I should have chose the 8. My toes were a little squished and I would rather have had a looser boot through the tour for comfort. It isn’t that long to deal with them, the only problem you might run into is getting a boot stuck in the mud in one area of the cave, but it isn’t super likely that will happen.

A beautiful drive through the country from where we were staying in Utica. The tour underground was amazing — loved our guide and the boat ride. Loved the zip line, too. Highly recommended.

Excellent for sure. Nice tour guide excellent views, nice walk and tour a boat ride and some really wonderful looking sites. Cave is amazing well worth it and AAA discount

Went here with my girlfriend the weekend of December 5^th. We did the first tour on ¹²⁄₆ and we were the only ones taking the tour. Our tour guide Levi was absolutely fantastic.
The caverns are breathtaking and the tour was fantastic. All the historical information and scientific information was great.
We can’t wait to come back for Halloween and the spelunking tours.

We truly enjoyed how organization of this tour. Our only regret was that we did not get reservations for the early morning tour that takes you into the waters of the old cavern. We plan to take our grandchildren next time.

Nadeen was our guide. We enjoyed his humor. The tour was a little long and some people in our group slowed us down, but maybe i was just hungry. It’s cold down there so dress appropriately.

An epically fabulous trip! We took our students here for a field trip and they loved it. The tour guide is extremely thorough and never gets frustrated no matter how many questions the kiddos ask.
It’s 52 degrees in the caves so be prepared with sneakers a hoodie and scarf. If you run on the cold side add an extra layer.
The tour lasted just over an hour and it is guided the entire time. There is no point in the tour that you explore on your own. So no cave hole exploring or splunking for you!
Great place for families! It’s also a blast for adults who have never been… there is also a marriage alter if you’re feeling like Vegas and wanna get hitched!

For my mother’s birthday she wanted to go somewhere upstate NY. I was looking for a place to go and i found Howe’s Cavern. This place was 3 hours away and well worth the drive. Beautiful place. People are so nice. I’m definitely going back there again.

This was a wonderful family adventure to accommodate all ages. Everyone was in awe over the beautiful rock formations. The introduction before entering the cave told the story of the discovery of howe caverns. Then the tour itself was led by a knowledgeable young person who was charming and funny. Following the tour our family headed over to the zip Lines and ropes course. Overall this was a fun trip. And I would go agian & agian.

I am originally from the area and hadn’t been to Howe Caverns since I was a kid. When I took my boyfriend to meet my family, I figured this would be a fun thing to do one afternoon. We convinced my mom to join us, as she hadn’t been in many, many years either. We were really pleasantly surprised! We had a nice time on the tour and even though we’d heart it before, it had been so long that we remembered very little about it. I did remember the stone heart and the boat ride; the things that stand out to an elementary school girl.
Our tour took about 90 minutes and was full of information that I don’t recall hearing before, despite being local. It might be a little long for really small children and we did have someone in our group with limited mobility turn back towards the beginning of the tour, as she was worried about falling or holding the group up. Otherwise, I think this is a great spot to spend an afternoon, regardless of age.

This was definitely a fun experience! we decided to do the lantern tour. It’s a two hour tour that takes you through the cave. There is a tour guide that is explaining things to you. There is a small chapel area where they actually hold real weddings. It was pretty cool to see.
After about an hour and a half, you go on a small boat ride. After the boat ride, they turn every single light off and it is PITCH black. Your eyes can’t adjust to the darkness because there is literally no light in there. They give everyone a lantern, and then allow you to go back and find your way on your own! It was really fun I would recommend it.
Wear comfortable shoes and a jacket because it’s cold in there! 52 degrees all the time. Also, ladies, bring a small wristlet. They don’t allow big purses. There is also no food or drink allowed in the cave.
****NOT RECOMMENDED FOR THE CLAUSTROPHOBIC!!!****

This place was really neat.
The tour was a couple of hours. Maybe 2? I dont remember but the tour guides were very informative and literally could answer any question you could possibly have.
There is a part of the tour which is a boat ride which, in a weird way, was romantic.
It was just a very nice and relaxing time. I loved it.
It was pricey and after a while, it became a bit repetitive. I liked it, but maybe make the tour a little shorter so it doesnt become redundant.

Came here with a group of 3. I am rating this cavern in respects to other that I’ve been to, namely Indian Echo Caverns and Luray Caverns. Giving this place 3 stars because the caverns was not that impressive. The only thing memorable/​unique about this place was the boat ride and the «maze» like pathway towards the end of the tour. The other 2 caverns definitely do not have a boat ride.
A reason for the average rating is that the caverns feels more like a little cave than a cavern. Didn’t feel as massive or expansile as the other two. Another reason that the stalagmite, stalactites, flowstone, column, drapery, and straws were all very small. They were like baby versions of the ones I’ve seen at the other caverns. It also felt like this «cavern» was greatly more affected by us humans than the other two.
One interesting fact is that they age cheese down there. There is a separate room where they age cheese (sharp cheddar to be exact). We didn’t get a chance to try it but I’m sure it tastes okay.
It is cold in the «cavern» so please bring a light jacket.
If I had to choose between the 3 caverns I mentioned, I would recommend the other 2 over this one. It’s great that I got to see it but not as memorable as the others.
Parking is $ 2 which was not mentioned on their website. A little shady =P
They also did not have an issue with tripods. Just lag behind in your group and you’ll be able to use your tripod =D