Great tour! Very informative and a great way to beat the heat on a summer day! Definitely worth the $10 to walk around an old coal mine and learn about how it operated read more

Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour - Tours Near Me - Scranton, Pennsylvania

Kids get to go on field trips with school and some get to go to large museums like the Smithsonian or the American Museum of Natural History. When you grow up in Northeast PA (NEPA), you go to the Coal Mine Tour. Now from my childhood I only remembered that there was an incline that you descended and that it was slightly cold underground, so I decided to revisit the tour as an adult on a recent trip home to NEPA. I have to say that it is an incredibly eye-opening tour as an adult. You don your hardhat and take a car down a shaft into the mine itself. Your guide then takes you through parts of the mine and educates you on how mining was done in this area at the turn of the century. This was backbreaking, awful work and I couldn't be happier that this is no longer a job for people in this area. Having grown up in the area, it's incredibly humbling to look a breaker boy and think that it would have been my job if I was born 100 years earlier. The Coal Mine tour is a very educational activity and one that I would recommend to anyone who's visiting or to anyone who may have done the tour as a child and who would want to revisit it as an adult. read more

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Excellent tourist attraction. A must see. We've been up in NEPA for 30+ years, and finally went..... what took us so long? It's very interesting to learn how Scranton was the hub of the world. How the coal industry impacted the Railroad industry. Amazing. And this was just 100+ years ago. The tour was execellent. Travel 300+ feet beneath the surface. It's very cool - and very cool (constant 53 degrees). The trip down and up is very fun. What workers endured, is amazing. Take the whole family. read more

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Website said that they were open until a specified time. We took a ride share option up, two hours before listed closing hours, only to be told from someone inside of the guest area that they were closed for the season (this was latish November). No complaints about a seasonal business, but all of the complaints about leaving misleading information on online resources. We lost $30+ dollars traveling roundtrip for false advertising. read more

This was my highlight of my trip to Scranton, going into a coal mine. We rode down in some sort a tram to take the tour. The ride was fun. But, you are close together with people. Someone next to me crossed their legs and the shoe touched my clothing. Their shoe had coal on the bottom. Don't wear nice clothes and shoes on the tour. I was not upset, and did not say anything to the person because I should have worn old clothes. When we got off of the tram, we received a coal mine tour. It was very interesting hearing about young people working in the mines. We were shown pieces that miners used when getting the coal out of the mines. Stay near the person giving the tour to here the details. If you are passing through Scranton stop here to take a tour! read more

Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour - Tour guide and the mine. - Tours Near Me - Scranton, Pennsylvania

While there are several different places in PA where you can head to the land down under and tour a coal mine, the one here in Scranton is probably the best at capturing the experience/feel of what the miners dealt with on a daily basis. Understand from the get-go that information about this place is a little scare compared to a typical tourist attraction I think because this a government run/affiliated tour versus something that's privately run. What this means is that the "website" is generic page on the Lackawanna County website that looks like it's from 1996. The below link is a little better in terms of information. www.lackawannacounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/LAC8650-Coal-Mine-Brochure_500_Optimized.pdf When you get here you head into the giftshop/snack/ticket building to buy the tickets. No, there are no reservations nor is there any ability to buy online but know that especially on weekends tours get busy and they will sell out. Max capacity for each tour I think I heard our guide say is 25 but that's assuming the people selling the tickets keep track because for our tour they sold 28. Also know that while the building opens at 10 the first tour doesn't start until 10:30. Also know that they will tell keep telling people that if the next tour sells out they might start early and to be ready for that but our tour sold out 30+ minutes in advance and we still left late so I think that's a little bit of wishful thinking or BS. The tour itself is fantastic. Put your hardhat on, get in the mine car and get ready to be backed down a few hundred feet into the real deal that operated until 1966. Our guide had his schtick down cold and did a great job explaining the operations/lifestyle of the mine. Surprisingly one thing he wasn't big on was answering questions. Most of what was asked he deflected by telling people to either wait for certain areas/displays where he would explain whatever it was to the group or that you could visit the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum which is next door to the mine for more information. That weirdness aside, you're underground for a little less than an hour and to a degree it looks like the place could be reopened at any time for operations. That's speaks to the quality of the mine and how easy it was to move around. A few things worth noting: 1. As mentioned in a few of the other reviews, the staff at the main counter where you buy your tickets is shall we say a bit lacking in the customer service department. Not quite Roz from Monsters Inc. but it's not too far off. 2. If you have no idea about mining watch the movie before going on the tour. It helps out to give you some context about how brutal the life and working conditions were especially in the earlier years before the government stepped in make certain parts slightly more tolerable. 3. This was a working coal mine, leave the flip flops and heels at home. It never fails to amaze me regarding how stupid some people really are. 4. Year round it's about 53 degrees in the mine. That might feel great when taking a tour in August but not so much in late October. If you're someone that is cold all of the time, wear layers and think ahead. 5. The mine is open daily April 1 through November 30. Tour hours: 7 days a week, except major holidays, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Must arrive by 2:45 p.m. for the last tour at 3:00 p.m. Gift Shop open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tickets: Adults (13-64) $10; Senior (65+) $9.50; Military $9; Child (3-12) $7.50; Age 2 and under Free. If you're a claustrophobic this may not be the experience for you or if you can't handle the dark as the lights are briefly more or less turned off to give you an idea as to how dim the lighting was this also may not be the best idea but overall this is an awesome experience that you simply cannot do in most parts of the country and should be done for a sense of context as to the origins of the area's mining industry. read more

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Really cool and informative tour, would certainly recommend. The tour guide was great too. Don't recall his name, but he knew a lot and was funny. Not overpriced either, I think the ticket was $10? Gift shop prices were also very reasonable, I got a magnet for $3.50. Most gift shops have the audacity to charge $7-$10+ for those. read more

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A good side trip, especially in the heat of the summer. After a brief wait, we headed down 300 feet down into the belly of a coal mine. It is a relatively constant 55 degrees, so bring a jacket! It was an interesting history lesson on the coal industry. The information was thought-provoking to realize how many children worked in mine and how little they were paid. We were here 20 years ago and the tour was very similar - a good place to take visitors. read more

My son and I thoroughly enjoyed this tour. We arrived on Saturday too late to take the last tour for the day, so we returned on Sunday. So glad we did! It was an interesting and informative 1 hour tour of an underground coal mine. Our tour guide answered questions, and made it fun the whole time. read more

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I came here on a self-designed tour of sites around Scranton mentioned in "The Office" (and, as it turns out, also featured in Man in the High Castle). Michael Scott calls the coal mine to find out if they have a freefall, which they do not, and thus decides not to take his employees on a field trip there. I am fairly certain that if he had taken the Dunder Mifflin employees on this coal mine tour, they would not have been disappointed. It is really neat! The descent into the mine, while not a free-fall, was actually quite thrilling. They give you a hard-hat, which you wear while your trolley car is lowered by a cable. The coal mine itself is much larger than I had anticipated. They do a great job explaining the history of the mine and describing the daily lives of the miners. There are some surprisingly disconcerting miner replicas placed throughout so you can really appreciate their working conditions. It is a little bit chilly, so bring a jacket. Also, please keep in mind that you will be in a coal mine, so your shoes may get dirty. You get a coal mining certificate upon returning to the surface, which I have now laminated and placed among my prized possessions. read more

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I'd really like to give this tour more stars on the account of how cool the experience but the staff at the building where you buy the tickets we're annoying. They made such a big deal about wearing masks in the tour but nobody wore them, even the tour guide. Which was fine but then I wasted money on buying their masks when we didn't need to wear them. Anyway... the tour was very fun and John the tour guide was great at explaining everything. I'm not sure if he was joking about how not structurally sound the mine was but it made some people nervous lol. He was still a great tour guide and I really enjoyed the experience read more

Very fun and informative quick stop. $10 per adult for 1hr+ of a mine walking tour. About 1/2 mi of walking on uneven mine floor boards with varying ceiling height of 5'5" to 6'+. Very chilly with a constant draft. Keys to a good time: - good flats/ sneakers - warm jackets /pants Don't forget to tip the tour guide! They are so knowledgeable and friendly. Happy to help with pictures and questions! read more

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Fun affordable hour trip from home. Tour guide was fun and knowledgable. The best part is that I am now an official coal miner.

Decided to stop during a road trip. Excellent experience. It was a little eerie going almost 500 feet below ground. Definitely something you need to experience if you have the time. Gives you an appreciation for all the hard work Coal miners had to do. read more

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This is a park nestled high above the city of Scranton. It has a coal mine toar that is to die for. its called Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour. it is located in and surrounded by a park. You just arrive at the visitor's center and purchase tickets, if you like you can shop for souvenirs, watch a short movie or just chat with the staff. they provide jackets if you need them. I didnt think I would, but the temp was like 50 degrees constant. This place was an active mine not that long ago, but it is now only open for tours, you go down in this awesome vehicle down a super steep slope to the bottom of the 300 foot shaft where you get out. then you just go around from room to room, and hear about living conditions, pay, life and history of the mine. how the town filled up with east european immigrants in the late 1800's. at the end you get a little certificate and can take a photo. most of the tour guides were former miners in this mine or in others. read more

Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour - Tours Near Me - Scranton, Pennsylvania

This was my first tour of a coal mine. Took my son (15) and read Yelp reviews to prepare properly. Thanks So, what you should know: Bring a jacket and possibly a hat and scarf. Depending on the weather that breeze down there cool have you thinking about your body temp instead of enjoying the tour. This is an awesome tour and one of the best history lessons in a 1-2 hour tour I think I have ever received. Helps to have 2nd or 3rd generation coal miner kids as your guide. ours even broke a few tears as he told his stories. Added to our tour big time. The mine: Everything I thought about a mine; tight dark moist hole in the ground, all true. what I did not know, How open and how much area the mines covers. Not claustrophobic at all , as the halls are huge. the air is fresh and yes, it is dark and moist. This tour has me interested in visiting mines all over the country now. My son loved it and we were taking pics and asking questions all amounting to one incredible memory for us both. Thanks Check early to see what the schedule is. We caught the last train down and had to wait about 1:15 since we arrived just as a train was leaving the station. You do not want to miss this even if you are close so check the schedule and plan ahead. read more

Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour - Air lock. - Tours Near Me - Scranton, Pennsylvania

Touring the Lackawanna coal mines was a very interesting experience. For just $10, you are lowered via cable car into the mines, before a walking tour. The experience was highly educational and really helps you empathize with the children who worked in the mines prior to the implementation of child labor laws. read more

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The coal mining history of this county is amazing. My grandfather was a coal miner and died of the black lung but the sacrifices our ancestors made for us is incredible to see. If you have time to get to Mcdade park please take the tour. read more

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Honestly, when my hubby suggested we hang out underground, in the wet and cold with coal, I wanted no part of it. At all. Probably even rolled my eyes. Don't tell him, but he was totally right! This was pretty darn cool and something everyone should do when visiting this region known for coal mining. 75% of all Anthracite (hard, pure coal) in the world comes from NEPA (Northeastern PA) so naturally this would be the best place to go on a coal mining tour! This particular mine was active from 1860-1966! Generations of families in the area including our amazing tour guide, grew up working these coal mines! The tours run about every 40 minutes with no set schedule. Once they fill, they go. We waited about 25 minutes for our turn which was fine because the girls shopped the geodes and amethyst in the small gift shops. All rocks were about $3! The cheapest I have EVER seen. There's also a few snacks for purchase too. Before the tour, it is suggested you not only pop on a hairnet and helmet, but that you watch a brief, very educational film. Don't miss this part! It really helped lay the foundation for the actual tour. 25 stories below ground is where the tour starts! How cool?! You decend in a yellow metal cart you catch just outside the building. Make sure to be the first ones on! Do NOT get stuck in the middle. There's no bar and you will slip and slide all around as you are headed down and up a very steep incline! It's 50-54 degrees in the mine at all times, all year round. So make sure to bring a jacket regardless of season! Here's a few interesting facts we learned on this very informative, surprisingly awesome tour: Mining careers generally started at age 9-11 Over 100,000 men killed over the years "Nippers" was the name for the young men who had the job of door holders in the air shaft. They spent 10-12 hours a day in the mines as early as age 7 The men wore Oil lamps on their head so you can imagine there were frequent fires and many accidents. Rats in the mine that come and eat your lunch so you need to bring a metal lunchbox. Mules spent their entire life in the mines. There's stables right there! If you brought a car out which wasn't topped of with coal, 3 days off with no pay! 3 carloads per miner a day was required. They earned 97 a load. We enjoyed this immensely and highly recommend it. Our 5&7 year olds had a fine time paying attention. They were even given a coal minors certificate upon exit so I say it's a go for the littles. Don't forget some cash for a tip for your guide. read more

We randomly came across this tour because of a suggestion from a fellow car rental customer who found out we were driving from New Jersey to Niagara Falls, and mentioned they had done this tour along the same route when they previously did the same tour... what an awesome suggestion!! I don't think I ever would have done this tour had they not suggested it and spoken so highly of it. The tour was actually really interesting, I'm sure due in large part to our awesome tour guide, Robert (Bob). All the guides are retired or current coal miners, and at least our guide seemed to truly love talking about the history of the coal mines and miners. It was pretty fascinating, and I learned so much more than I ever knew I wanted to know about coal mining and the history of the mines and the area! It was definitely cold down inside the mine, as others have mentioned. Be sure to bring a coat or a jacket - it's steadily 50 degrees down there no matter what time of year it is. It's also very wet. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes... just meaning shoes that you can easily walk in. I wear flip-flops 24/7 so I am adept at walking long distances in them, so I had no problem. Another lady on our tour had heeled sandals on and she was having a rough time with it. This tour isn't great for little kids, either. If your kids are younger than about 11 or 12, you probably want to skip it. The ones that were on our tour were having fun on the cart ride down into the mine, but throughout the entire "educational" part of the tour they were bored and babbling to each other and their parents instead of listening, and shuffling around distracting everyone else trying to pay attention. Do them and everyone else a favor and wait until they're old enough to at least pretend to be listening. Definitely check this tour out if you find yourself in the Scranton area. read more

Bring a jacket. Seriously, you may think in the blazing hot Summer heat that it will be "refreshing" down there. It's effin freezing! Overall awesome tour. The tour guide I had lost his dad in a mine collapse and seemed to have mining run deep in him. He was awesome and answered every question the group had without flinching. An absolute MUST if you are in the area. Just a note- Those who suffer from claustrophobia should not go anywhere near this tour. read more

If this was based on just the tour itself it would be a solid 4, maybe even 5. But the managers/ workers on the business side basically made this place unbearable. Went on a Saturday in the fall at noon (they open at 10)...and was told they didn't have any tours planned until 1:30 today because they hadn't hired an inspector. In fact, they apparently hadnt even bothered to do tours at all the last several days. When asked why this wasn't stated on their website there response was they didn't know how to change it. So, we took a break and went to neighboring Steamtown and came back at 2:30. The 1:30 tour was just then going down. But they had tickets for the 3:30 so we purchased them and decided to wait....what she didn't tell us was the 3:30 time she wrote on the ticket didnt account for the extra 60 min+ they were behind. So it was really more like 4:40. I guess they figure it's better to guarantee they'll get your money than keep their customers informed & satisfied. The actual tour was great. Our guide actually worked in the mine for several years and was quite knowledgeable. If they just got their act together on the business side it would be a wonderful adventure. read more

Outstanding tour with a knowledgeable, local guide who is writing a book on the subject. The group descended hundreds of feet into Mordor, PA (or was it an anthracite coal mine dating back to 1860). Walking down wooden gangways, we explored the mine for about an hour, learning how those blue-collar mole people used to slave away 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. A bit of local history and culture, all delivered in a Scranton twang. read more

This is a great tour. Parts are hysterical, like the breaker boys down there. I had a great time. I'll second what Monicalyn says-it is very cold. Also don't wear your best outfit-it's a little messy (it's a coal mine) and water drips on your head a little bit. It's a great time though-I highly recommend it (not just for out of town tourists)! read more

Awesome tour! So much fun and a bargain at $10! Our guide was great and descending into the mine was so cool! This is definitely a place you need to visit if you come to Scranton. Everyone there was so nice too! Great for kids, great for adults, great for anyone... Just wear comfortable shoes :) read more

Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour - Descending into the mine! - Tours Near Me - Scranton, Pennsylvania

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A must stop place for anyone living in the northeastern PA. Other reviews are pretty much spot on. read more

Best $10 you will ever spend on a tour! You get to ride 300 feet down into the mine and then spend an hour walking through the different parts of it guided by a miner. It was really informative and the guide answered questions throughout the tour. Nothing kitschy here - this was the real deal. read more

Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour - Our own lump of coal! - Tours Near Me - Scranton, Pennsylvania

This was a really fun experience! I came here with a bunch of kids on a field trip type deal. I though entering a coal mine would be a bit scary, I was extremely nervous but I'm glad I wen tthrough with it. It's a very unique thing to do and I had a lot of fun! The tour guy seemed to know alot of things when it come to everything here, I learned a bit. The place was veyr cheap, not to expensive at all. Recommended for all ages im sure! read more

First time visiting Scranton for the weekend and my boyfriend and I decided to go on the Anthracite mining tour after seeing such great reviews. Very informative tour. We learned a lot about the mining industry and how important is was in the town of the Scranton. We were provided with hair nets to wear underneath our safety helmets. Our tour was conducted by a gentleman who had been a miner for his entire life. The temperature is around 50 degrees once you descend into the mines so I would advise bringing a jacket. Overall the tour is about 45 minutes. For $10 a person I would say this tour is well worth it. Gift shop is pretty cool as well. read more

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Really informative and authentic tour of a coal mine! Both the technical and historical info were incredibly interesting. It's an awesome, reasonable price ($10 for adults) and is located in a really beautiful park with lakes and walking trails. If you can, ask to be on a tour with Joe. He was a really great and knowledgeable tour guide. read more

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Very interesting and educational tour and worth the trip if in the area! Really humbling experience to see the life of a coal miner and all their hard work and sacrifice and the dangers of their occupation. I went with my entire family, and we enjoyed it. My only complaint is the front office - at least two of the older women in the office were very rude during our visit. They greeted us with scowls and seemed irritated when we asked questions. I'm sorry but you are in customer service - maybe you don't like your job or your life but you can't take that out on customers who are there to spend money. It's not a good look. My family is originally from Scranton and are good people, so I won't let a few bad apples spoil the whole experience. My advice to the staff is to try smiling every once in a while- it goes a long way! read more

For the price you cannot beat it! Our tour guide Lou was awesome (even though he doesn't normally do the tours he really knew his stuff), and the rest of the staff was super friendly too! Riding down into the mine was totally cool. I would recommend wearing tennis shoes or boots because it can be slippery in certain spots. Also, a lot of walking and in not so safe conditions. Other then that i totally recommend going. It was informative and different! read more

Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour - Tours Near Me - Scranton, Pennsylvania

My friends and I took this tour together, we were very excited. Our tour guide was Tony, and unfortunately he was no Bob read more

Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour - Tours Near Me - Scranton, Pennsylvania

The tour was great. Our guide was super knowledgeable- he jumps right in with super detailed information about coal mining. The most intense part of the tour is going down into the coal mine. It's dark and steep - if you're claustrophobic it may not be great. read more

Interesting. Nice example of life working in the coal mines. There's a lot of walking so be prepared. The tour guide was very informative. read more

We had a really fun time on this tour. It's a decent price for a family if 4 for some great educational fun into the depths of a once-active coal mine. Very enjoyable for the family. Younger kids might not appreciate it as much, but mine (8 and 12) had fun. read more

now see, it takes a certain person to get a travelboner over a COAL MINE TOUR! but i have done this a few times and I must say it is very interesting. It gets cold down there so bring a wolf pelt! read more

We started visiting the mine when we had a few grandkiddies over the age of 7 which we felt would be old enough to understand. Since then we've been back when a few more of them became old enough. The THIRD time we took the next bunch (there are 11 grandkiddies altogether!) we wound up with the older ones who had been there before wanting to go back. Needless to say, when we're ready to take the last group we're going to need our own, private guide, because the parents as well as all the grandkiddies look forward to a return visit. I guess you could say my family rates this pretty high. read more

Great people and tour... There was a mix up on visitors center when they stopped tours for the day we visited (the mine foreman had a meeting to go to) but since we drove over an hour to get there...they gave us the tour and he was very nice. The pictures give it no justice it was a great tour traveling way down and the guide was excellent. Do not miss this attraction. read more

A great piece of history. Some non-authentic touches (the dump truck had NY plates!), but a haunting peek at the hell my great grandparents endured to build a life for us in the USA! read more