A terrific place to spend a day and an outstanding value. My wife and I took a day trip (7/26/26) to visit and would certainly recommend it. We purchased the combo ticket for the cave tour and wildlife experience. Both were excellent. The cave tour is by boat, and we were piloted by a knowledgeable, spirited guide. And the cave is really kind of breathtaking. (We had a noon cave tour) The wildlife park tour is on a bus and again our driver was engaging and fun. The animals are well cared for, and not confined to small cages. They have space to roam and be animals. (Our park tour was 2 pm.... I mention the times so management can credit the guides if they read these reviews and do that sort of thing.) While we went for a couple's road trip, the visitors are definitely mostly families. So there are a fair amount of young ones around. Mostly, they just seemed fascinated with the cave and the animals. read more

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This is such a sweet and cool place to visit. Definitely a family type of event, all the staff here are great, from the staff in the souvenir store, the staff in the Cafe and kitchen area, the cave tour guides, the wild life tour guides and the maze staff too. You can really tell everyone here loves what they do for work, I mean seriously the tour guides are amazing. The cave and the wild tour are a MUST! We saw foxes, wild cats, Bison, Horses, among other animals . You and your family will have a great time. Specially the little ones. read more

Penn's Cave has been offering guided boat tours for over 140 years and it's easy to see why it's still such a popular stop. Located in Centre County, PA (which apparently has over 130 caves!), this unique tour takes you through a beautiful limestone cavern entirely by boat. The cave tour lasts about 45 minutes and costs $25 per person. They also offer a wildlife tour by bus, but we only had time for the cave portion. Be aware there's a fairly large staircase you'll need to go down to reach the cave entrance. Something to keep in mind if anyone in your group has mobility issues. Each boat holds around 22 people, but we visited on a quiet Monday afternoon and only had 8 in our group, which made it feel more personal. Our tour guide was excellent and knowledgeable, engaging, and had a sense of humor. He encouraged questions and had thoughtful answers for everything we threw at him. At the end of the cave, you actually exit into a small lake, take a brief spin around, and then head back through the cave to where you started, very cool and peaceful. There's also a gift shop on-site that sells snacks, drinks, and the usual souvenirs. Tours typically depart every 30 to 60 minutes depending on how busy they are, so timing is pretty flexible. All in all, it's a fun, unique experience that's well worth the stop! read more

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GREAT GREAT GREAT. AMAZING VIEWS. Definitely get the combo passes for the wildlife tour. Such a great experience will spread the word soon read more

We took our granddaughter to celebrate her 9th birthday and all enjoyed the day. She was looking forward to the cave tour and it didn't let us down. Almost an hour-long boat ride through the cave where we saw the incredible stalagmites and stalagtites that have formed over many decades. We tried our hand at the Miners Maze and found our way through. We ended our day with the Wildlife Tour. We all had different animals we wanted to see and they were all present. I highly recommend visiting if you're in the region. It's great for all ages. read more

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What a fun experience. We did the special Halloween night tour and had a great time. The caverns were completely dark except for our lanterns lighting the way. Very cool as you ride through the spooky caverns at night in a boat. Our guide was very knowledgeable and a worthy captain of our vessel. We saw some bats in the caves and some really cool formations. It was $26 per person and the tour lasted about 45 minutes. We made reservations online ahead of time. It's chilly in those caves so you may want to bring a light jacket. ***Absolutely NOT handicapped accessible. Several steps and a very steep incline to get to and from the caves. Be warned. It's a long steep hill to walk up. Otherwise, definitely stop here if you're in the area. read more

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It's amazing! It's well worth the 5-hour round trip! Stalagmites, columns, calcium, and bacon, oh my! A cave from the 1800s what?! Just go! read more

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The boat tour of Penn's Cave was great. Our tour guide, Cross was knowledgeable and fun.

Been living in Pennsylvania for 3 years and the gems we keep coming across really surprise us! This place is not only awe-inspiring but the tour guide is really informative! I ask a lot of questions (sorry, I'm curious about everything) and she was absolutely lovely and detailed. Loved that we got to see lil bats sleeping and the water - wow! Super clean. We got to see some wildlife as well! We really had a wonderful time. read more

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One of my favorite caves! This was my 2nd visit & really enjoyable - a tad different as it accessible via guided boat tour. Interesting formations & nice rather large gift shop (including food) at the entrance/exit. I recommend going during the middle of the week as the boat ride is more enjoyable when it is less crowded ;) Note - there is as bit of a jaunt down (& back up) the hill to get to the cave entrance ...not bad unless you get winded easily or have a trick knee;) All-in-all a great experience! read more

Such a fun place to visit! The boat captains seem to use the same jokes/script each time I've gone so if they would switch it up that would be fun but I get it read more

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I decided to visit Penn's Cave after looking for interesting things to do in PA. It sounded like a unique experience so I made the 3 1/2 hour ride (one way) to check it. Here's what I thought. Location: It's far (from me atleast) without much else do to in the immediate area. If your looking to make a day out of it you'll want to research some nearby cities for additional things to do. Cave Tour: Unique yes, but I was not overly impressed. The boat was very packed. A few too many people to be comfortable. The weight was not distributed evenly from one side of the boat to the other so the one side say lower into the water. Our guide was rude. She answered the riders questions but repeated said WHAT! when someone asked a question. It seemed as if the questions annoyed her. Her commentary started off good but seemed to be repetitive as it continued. The ride was about 45 mins. It takes you through the cave, onto the lake and back through the cave. It's 52 degrees inside the cave year round. It was 92 degrees outside when we visited so the cool air was welcomed. *The Safari starts 2 hours after your Cave tour so we had a little over an hour to kill* Safari Tour: The man at the ticket counter printed our tickets incorrectly bc when we went to do the tour our ticket only appeared to be for the Cave. I had to show my order confirmation in my phone and the guide let us on. 3 families behind us also had the same issue. The guide was great. She was extremely knowledgeable about the property and the animals. She was pleasant and friendly to all guest. The best part of the tour was the Bull who wanted to get on the bus with us. The tour lasted 1 1/2 hours. Restaurant: We ordered 3 burgers, 3 fries and 3 drinks for $36. I did not eat my burger bc when I went to bite it there was something on it. I couldn't tell if it was a bug, hair or some sort of melted plastic fried to it so I threw it away. There is a Sheez gas station less than 10 minutes away so I stopped for food there before making the long trek home. Pricing: $114 for Cave and Safari tours for 3 and $36 for lunch. $150 is a little on the high for what you receive. Overall it was an interesting way to view a cave but not somewhere that I would visit again or see myself recommending to others. It just wasn't worth the 7 hour car ride or money spent. read more

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Visited this cave with a group of 5. I mistakenly purchased tickets for the wrong day but thankfully the staff was able to accommodate us. We went on the 5:00 pm tour which was the last tour of the day. Our guide was knowledgeable and able to answer all of our questions. My only complaint was that they didn't inform us the gift shop would be closed upon the completion of our tour. They had a lot of trinkets for purchase that I didn't want to drag onto the boat with me and I was unable to purchase afterwards. read more

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What a hidden gem in the middle of Pennsylvania. Lots of history and excitement awaits. The cave tour is amazing. It's about 300 yards from the main gift shop and downhill. That's the easy part. The boats are a little narrow but nice. The tour guides are friendly and knowledgeable. The cave is about a half mile and open on the other side. Afterwards, we took the animal safari. It was amazing as well. We saw Bison, Elk, Longhorn Cattle, Wolves, Foxes, Bobcat, and Panther. The bear wasn't out that day. The tour lasted about an hour and a half. Plenty of parking, restrooms are clean. I would definitely go back sometime in the future. read more

The penny's cave was really well maintained and good place to visit with family. They have safari tour and the cave tour. They disinfect the boats before the next batch hops in and most of them wear mask. The gift shop is also very nice and has multiple things which are attractive. The overall place is nice to spend most of the day. read more

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Fantastic place! I was afraid to get on the boat and go into the dark cave, but the guide was so awesome and funny that it wasn't scary at all. There are lights inside and the guide is very knowledgeable with the structures in the cave. I loved it! My son loved it! Definitely recommend this natural beauty even to people who are worried being "in a cave" it's worth getting inside. read more

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Worth the drive, money and wait! Awesome family-friendly experience. Educational and interactive one of a kind experience. The wildlife bus tour provides opportunities to observe multiple species up close but within a safe proximity. (The silver Fox was just precious!) The cavern tour was incredible and awe-inspiring. The beautiful formations combined with the boat ride provided a one of a kind experience! (Take a light sweater or jacket as it does get chilly inside the caves- year round.) Did you know there's such a thing as cave bacon? There are other activities for the family to enjoy such as "panning" for fossils and gems, navigating through a walk-through maze, observing bison, grabbing a bite to eat in the cafe, shopping in the souvenir shop, etc. I would imagine this to be the perfect place for everything from a family day trip to an elegant wedding. It's worth it! While I highly recommend this for some, perhaps not all. Those with phobias pertaining to the dark or boats, those who may have mobility difficulties transferring in and out of the small boats, and those who oppose confined or underground spaces may wish to pass on the cavern tour. That being said- all of the staff we met were professional, knowledgeable and some of the most genuine guides we experienced. read more

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Great day to get our and explore Penn's Cave. Tours have been offered for over 135 years and this place can be explored in its entirety in a day or less. The drive over from Pittsburgh was about 2.5 hours each way but we didn't mind as it's beautiful country the whole way. The Cave tour lasts about 40 minutes and gives an opportunity for groups of 15-20 to see the various geologic features. Our guide was knowledgeable but a little soft spoken which was only further exacerbate when other boats were going by and all we could hear were the other guides. Very neat to be in the Cave where the water temp is always 38 degrees and the air temp sticks right around 52 degrees. After the Cave tour we then spent the next 1.5 hours on a wildlife nature tour. We saw deer, elk, foxes, wolves, longhorns, bison, cougars, bobcat, black bears. Very cool experience and reminded us of our time in Alaska at Denali NP which had a similar bus route. Worth doing at least once especially if you're in the State College area. read more

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Penn's cave is way cooler than I expected. We took 2 kids - ages 7 and 9 here. You ride on a boat through the cave and it's really cool! Such a unique experience! The tour is 50 minutes and you never get bored, it goes very quick. There is a cute gift shop and the kids can pan for gemstone by purchasing a bag for $7+. We also did the maze. We had fun as a family but could have skipped it, it was nothing special. What a fun day trip from Pittsburgh! read more

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Did the cave tour this morning. It was pretty good and I love all the gem stones in the gift shop. Booked it yesterday and the first booking only had one seat left so we booked the next one. It would be nicer if it was with smaller groups. The cave itself was very cool and the tour guide gave us some fun facts and noted which animals some of the cave structures looked like. Tour guide seemed a little rehearsed. Temperature is around the 50s throughout the year and it was perfect in this summer weather! read more

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We took our students there for the day and it was fabulous! Ethan the tour guide was especially funny. We all had such a great time. Recommend for field trips! read more

I've been to a few caves in the last few years and this one is awesome! If you like to sit and relax and enjoy the experience you'll love this! Did I say seat? Yes! That's because this is a boat tour!! It is so cool even as a bigger person I felt pretty comfortable on the tiny boat! They take you to an outside part that is beautiful read more

Penn's Cave & Wildlife Park - Historical Tours Near Me - Centre Hall, Pennsylvania

There are a lot of nice things to say about Penn's cave . Everyone is polite and professional. The gift shop is not really overpriced. The cave tour was done by Knowledgeable people. That took the time to answer questions of all kinds. The wildlife park was a little smaller than I was expecting. But i still enjoyed it. A couple times a year they have events on the grounds that the public can go to. The day I was there was one of them.This visit made more to the experience of a good visit read more

Nice place to visit and very informational. Very expensive though. Haven't gone on the wildlife tour yet. read more

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We were in the area for our daughters horse show so we decided to drive over to experience the caves. Sadly, it had flooded and the boat tour was out so we did the animal safari. I have to say, we absolutely loved it and our 8 year old son was so happy! Our tour guide was so informative and made our tour amazing! We all learned so much, worth every penny! We live 3 hours from the penns cave but will definitely be back for the caves! We also bought things in the gift shop, reasonably priced and clean! read more

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This cave was very cool! You have to explore it by boat and it was pretty fun despite the fear of people rocking the boat! We had fun in the timed maze, and the 1hr 30 minute animal expedition was much cooler than I thought it would be. Our tour guide Dakota was very knowledgeable and patient. We enjoyed learning some facts we didn't know about some of their animals. If you happen to purchase a bison burger from their food area just know the bison was one of theirs! My husband and daughter enjoyed panning for fossils and the grounds are beautiful and well maintained. I'm so glad we got to visit, it was a fun family experience! read more

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I am not usually a big fan of eco or cave related tours but my wife is so I had been meaning to take her for some time to Penn's Cave to witness and tour the only all water cave I believe in the entire US. As others have stated the place was super clean and well taken care of which says a lot about the place. The cave tour was great, very informative and fun. The wildlife add on tour was the one that really sealed what a great place this was. We had the pleasure to be on a tour led by Olivia. I have been on many tours all over the world from Mexico, Europe, Japan, the Sahara Desert to the North Korean border and Olivia was by the far the best guide I ever had the pleasure of being led by. Olivia got all the necessary safety information out in a calm, confident and and fun way and made the tour a real joy. She was funny and helpful, whip smart on her topics and made the 90 minutes a real pleasure. Obviously animal care is of great concern to folks these days and one member of the tour we were on made mention of an elk who seemed to be limping or slow to get up. She asked Olivia what the issue was and Olivia gave one of the clearest and best responses I have ever heard in a kind and informative way. She explained the elk while well cared for had hip dysplasia and that little could be done to fully correct the issue, only manage it. She explained the great lengths Penn's Cave makes to care well for this elk even while knowing this issue. She also pointed out that although she is slow she has and continues to raise young and as Olivia put it, "live her best elk life" which is wonderful way to sum it up. It was one of the most competent and sweet responses to a question I had every heard. It also showed how much love and care this person had for the animals in her care which made me feel really great. Penn's Cave should do whatever they need to keep such a valuable tour guide. She was simply great and I wanted to recognize her. read more

We had a group of 40 people they and tried to cram all of us on 2 were not able to fit could not go on the tour and paid. Two people were hanging off the seat for long hour tour and was not willing to accommodate us in any way the Tour guide and the manager could have cared less. They will try to squeeze 3 ppl per seat and and as an adult is not at all possible no matter how small you are. They could care less and do absolutely nothing about it. read more

I had such a fun time here. There is so much to do. The cave tour is amazing and the tour guide we had was so informative and nice. We got to learn and have fun. read more

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Very fun day at Penn's Cave! We did the super comb ticket and had time for everything. Wasn't crowded when we went. Started with the 10am cave tour. We did the maze between the cave and the wildlife tour. Everything is conveniently located. Great gift shop and little cafe as well. Jess ran our wildlife tour and she was great! So knowledgeable and friendly! read more

What a cool little adventure. My kids and I visited Penn's Cave at the suggestion of family members. The cave, located very close to State College, proved to be a hit. Upon arrival at Penn's Cave my family and I were directed towards the gift shop. Here one can purchase local foods, Penn's Cave souvenirs and various other items. It is also here where you purchase tickets. Penn's Cave offers a guided boat tour through the cave as well as a chance to explore the wildlife they've collected. We opted for just the cave tour. Our scheduled tour was about 30 minutes after we purchased tickets so we had some time to kill. We did so by exploring the gift shop, watching the miniature train that travels around the top of the souvenir shop and playing in the gem milling area out front. When our time was announced, we made our way down the paved path to the cave. It was a sweltering day, by PA standards, and the cave's 52 degree temperature felt amazing. The cave tour lasts about an hour. Halfway out you leave the cave, take a trek around some of the cages that house animals on site before returning to the cave and heading back to the entrance. This was perfect for my two year old as he was getting a bit antsy after half an hour in the dark. The dark to light back to dark was just the change of pace he needed. The tour itself was very informative. Our guide meshed the history of the cave with information about the minerals that make up the cave and some of the more unique rock designs. He used humor to keep people engaged and answered any questions that people had. Overall I enjoyed my experience at Penn's Cave. I'd definitely do it again if I am in the State College area during a hot summer day. read more

Fun place. Nice people on staff. The cave tour and wildlife tour were fun and informative. Really enjoyed it. read more

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It was always on my bucket list and lived up to all my expectations. The only exception was Mother Nature made the water look like Yahoo soda. Like all weather, you have to take what you get. It only makes me want to come back when it does not rain that week. read more

Would be 4.5 stars since customer service didn't tell us the correct bookings over the phone. Absolutely lovely cavern tour though (which I would schedule online in advance). The gift shop is almost identical from a decade ago, which I love. I purchased two hatching stone sea turtles, which are extremely adorable (I'm smiling as I type this!!). There is great AC, new bathrooms, and above-average prices for food for huge portions! Speaking of food, the beef hot dog is filling and huge! The hot dog is so big in fact, I actually put one ketchup packet on it and it only covered 1/5 of the dog! There is some ice cream in a freezer with interesting flavors (it is overpriced btw). Keep in mind there's low-to-no cellular data service, and employees will not fess up the wifi password, so I'd take a picture of the route you're planning on exiting. If not ask one of cashiers and they'll send you off the right way! read more

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This place was great. My four year old loved the boat tour! It was just the right amount of time and was super interesting and fun. No long winded video at the beginning like Crystal Cave. We're definitely heading back for the animal tour and maze soon. read more

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In terms of location to say that Penn's Cave is in the middle of nowhere is the ultimate understatement. Unless you're in State College already or are driving thru/by the area you really have to want to come here. For us it was five hours each way. Of course you can decide to only do part of the offerings here but if you go Full Monty things do get very expensive, very quick. All three main activities for a family of four equal well over a Benjamin which is a bit steep considering what you're getting in return. But, seeing as I doubted that we would be coming out this far again we decided to go all in. A few impressions: Cave Tour - The gimmick here of course is that you're going in a boat. But past that what you actually see on the tour is honestly not all that impressive. Just speaking in PA alone, if you've been to Crystal Cave or Indian Echo Caverns you've seen more than what you'll see here let alone something big boy like Luray. The most interesting part of the entire tour is when the boat goes outside on to Lake Nittany so that you can see part of the Elk enclosure from the water. Another thing I noticed is that the common sense from the staff here seems to be a bit lacking. Before the cave tour started the guide made a few references about not touching any part of the cave yet everytime we got near a wall the majority of the people in the boat (foreign group & a Larry the Cable Guy-esque family) were touching anything they could get their hands on yet while the guide clearly saw what was going on, nothing was said. Maze - This is honestly not all that interesting/bordering on a ripoff as it took us less than ten minutes to find all four punch stations. Worth noting as well is that we had to ask twice to have someone come outside to unlock the maze so that we along with another family could get inside. Wildlife Tour - This tour was probably the most interesting part of the afternoon. For this you drive around the property in a small school bus without windows and stop at various points to discuss the different animals you encounter while also getting out twice. You get to see a bear, wolves, elk, deer, bobcats, bison, longhorn cattle, and bighorn sheep. As an unintended bonus we also saw two Bald Eagles sitting in two different trees at the beginning of the tour. Our guide gave us a very nice explanation of the property, some history regarding the area along with some characteristics/facts/habits regarding the animals on the property. One part of the tour that was a bit cringe worthy to me was the guide was far too pushy/over eager at getting Oscar the bear to do a trick where for a cob of corn he needed to sit down then stand up on his back paws while putting his front paws on the fence. Oscar eventually did it but it took a very, very long time and seemed very, very forced. Also worth noting is that while I tried to avoid any food offerings here the children wanted something small so I ordered them two hot dogs from the Cave Cafe. Nice idea and all but we almost missed the start of the wildlife tour as while I ordered thirty minutes (was told by the woman who took the order that the food would be done in plenty of time) prior to the start of the tour the hot dogs took a full twenty minutes before our number was called. If you go: Penn's Cave is open in some form from February to December. There are several different pricing options/packages/combos that are too varied to list here so just follow the below link. pennscave.com/rates/ While I had been to PC once prior in the 80's having flown into the airstrip (airport seems a bit much) it was nice to have made the trip again this time as an adult. With that said, I've done my fair share of cave tours and at the core you don't really see all that much here and the prices for everything are on the high side plus the customer service was overall a bit lacking. It's unique and especially if you've never been to another cave so you have nothing to compare it to more than likely you'll find it interesting but for me the itch is scratched and I can't imagine a need to come back. read more

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Our tour guide Dylan was informative. Definitely for tourists. You have to purchase the tickets at the gift shop. Beware there's a lot of stuffed animals that were once alive. That cave itself was interesting. Try not to sit near the motor for the fumes can be overwhelming. The best part of the tour it was when Dylan covered the legend of the two crossed lovers. That lasted for about three seconds. Descriptive corny jokes are included on the tour. It was okay but nothing to write home about. Beware of stuffed animals. They were once live. read more

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I only took the cave tour, so l can't speak towards the wildlife tour, however we saw bison and deer during our drive up to the cave entrance. Our guide was informative, enthusiastic and a bit hokey. Not his fault, they have to stick to the script. The boat ride is about 1 mile round trip. The cave has lighting effects to show off the natural features of the cave. It's a little cool in there, 52-53 degrees year round. Be aware that there is a really steep walk to get down to the cave with no handicap accessibility that l could see. read more

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Great tourist spot! What makes this cave tour stick out over the others is the boat tour, no walking involved. Educational and fun experience for all ages. read more

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Today we had reservations for 4. First we took the cavers tour. The scenery was beautiful inside the cave. (I don't want to spoil the fun) but it's awesome. We hopped on a boat and the tour guided was very informative and answered everyones questions. FYI please take a sweater cuz it's 52° degrees in the cave no matter how hot it's on the outside. After that we went on a bus to the wild life tour we saw plenty of wild animals and that tour guide was funny and informative. I highly recommend you take both tours. Take a picnic basket and eat lunch on the tables or buy food there. read more

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