mid-atlantic caverns I jane and marvin bond
Head underground to explore fabulous fall colors year-round Mid-Atlantic caverns add to season with special autumn events There’s a permanent display of fall’s golds, reds, and browns in the Mid-Atlantic’s underground treasures of sparkling calcite, mirror-still lakes, and soaring passageways. The fall hues along the region’s byways are the same colors created by the ancient geological forces that first formed the region’s caverns. Today’s commercial show caves offer educational tours and a constant temperature in the mid-50s to cool you on an Indian Summer day or even warm you a bit from winter’s chill. Today’s caves have a host of additional entertainment options ranging from wildlife parks to museums to fishing, camping, and panning for gems. The caverns also offer gift shops that range from country chic to 1950s kitschy.
Halloween hauntings As Halloween nears, several caverns host special “haunted cave” events. In Huntingdon, Pa., Lincoln Caverns presents its 31st annual Ghosts and Goblins tour, haunted trail, and hayride, Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 4-Nov. 1, 6:00-10:00pm. There’s a new tour created each year. From 11:00am-5:00pm on Saturdays, families can enjoy a one-hour tour through two crystal caverns, one haunted and one natural. At Crystal Cave Park near Kutztown, Pa., you can take a lantern tour of the cave on which guides will entertain with ghostly tales and the history of the cave. The tours are Oct. 11-12, 18-19, and 25-
26, beginning at 5:30pm. The cave is open through November.
Grand Caverns, near Grottoes, Va., will feature an adventure in Fountain Cave, not normally open to the public, through Oct. 11. You bring a change of clothes and extra shoes and they provide helmets and other gear. Reservations required.
gemstones and take a walk on the nature trail as well. The cavern is open only weekends during December; hours in January and February are by appointment only. (lincolncaverns.com) Lost River Caverns’ tour is a walking one, but you do see a part of the Lost River in the cave. You also can enjoy the Gilman Museum with its minerals and rock shop and an indoor tropical garden. (lostcave.com)
Wine festival
Virginia
Adventure cave
Shenandoah Uncorked, on Nov. 8, 10:00am4:30pm, at Shenandoah Caverns, brings regional wineries together with food and craft vendors, live entertainment, and children’s activities for a day of family fun in the huge Yellow Barn.
Caves open all year Each cavern’s experience is unique and offers reasonably priced fun for the whole family. Tours generally last about an hour, but check websites for specific hours that may vary seasonally. Many caverns close or have limited hours during the winter. The caves listed below are open yearround, although most are closed on major holidays such as Christmas and New Year’s Day. Remember to take a jacket and good walking shoes!
Pennsylvania Indian Echo Caverns provides a tour complete with legends of the Susquehannock Indians and underground lakes. Outside, you can pan for gemstones, visit the petting zoo, and see real Texas longhorn cattle. (indianechocaverns.com) Lincoln Caverns offers a tour of its massive flowstone formations with calcite crystals and is popular with Scout groups and tourists. You can pan for
Dixie Caverns’ tour takes you up into the mountain, then down into its depths. Above ground, there is year-round camping, a rock and mineral shop, and an antiques mall. (dixiecaverns.com) Grand Caverns is said to be the oldest show cave in America. Cathedral Hall, 280 feet long and more than 70 feet high, is one of the largest rooms of any cavern in the East. The caverns include beautiful draperies, rippling flowstone, and rare “shield” formations. (grandcaverns.com) Luray Caverns is known as the largest cavern in the East. Its tour includes massive columns and music from the famous “stalacpipe” organ. Admission also includes the Car and Carriage Caravan Museum and the Luray Valley Museum. A garden maze and zip-line experience are available for an additional fee. (luraycaverns.com) Shenandoah Caverns is Virginia’s only cavern with elevator service and no stairs to climb on its tour. A combination ticket also gets you into an exhibit of holiday department store window displays, a parade float hall of fame, and the Yellow Barn’s country-themed exhibits. (shenandoahcaverns. com) Skyline Caverns at the north entrance to Skyline Drive reveals rare anthodites and three streams as well as the Painted Desert on its tour. You can take
Lincoln Caverns
Lincoln Caverns adds a Halloween flavor to its regular tours in October.
24 recreation news I october 2014 I recreationnews.com