Penn's Cave Boat Tour - Centre Hall, PA
Posted by: 
94RedRover
N 40° 52.886 W 077° 36.389
18T E 280387 N 4528865
The Seneca Indians discovered Penn's Cave centuries ago. This limestone cavern has immense springs flowing through it, making it an all water cavern, rich in local history and boundless natural beauty.
Waymark Code: WM5BTF
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 12/14/2008
Views: 15
Just off Route 192 in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania, Penn's Cave and Wildlife Park is a great family attraction. The limestone cavern is an all water cavern, and guided tours are conducted on flat bottom boats for an underground view of the cavern, and a tour through their 1,500 acre wildlife preserve.
The Seneca Indians found this cavern in the Valley of Karoondinha (Penn's Valley). There is a famous legend of an Indian maiden, named Nitanee, who fell in love with a French trapper, named Malachi Boyer. Their marriage was forbidden, so the lovers ran away. Unfortunately, they were captured, and were brought back to Chief O-Ko-Cho, Nitanee's father. Malachi was thrown into Penn's Cave to die. Swimming the springs that flood this cavern, searching for an entrance not guarded by Indians, Malachi died. Lengend speaks of the name "Nitanee" being echoed through the caverns on still summer nights. The Indian maiden of local history is honored today, offering her name to the famed Penn State Nittany Lion.
Penn's Cave was opened as a show cavern in 1885, when the 30 room Penn's Cave House also opened to the public. The hotel was used for overnight guests until 1919, and meals were served to cavern patrons until 1929. It was then used for visitors center and gift shop, until alterations in the 1960's, when a seperate Visitor Center was built.
Now, the historic Penn's Cave Hotel is used for administrative offices and special events. Penn's Cave and Hotel were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The third story of the building never underwent alteration and is maintained in it's original beauty.
Guests can take a 1 hour boat tour of the cavern and a 90 minute motor vehicle tour of the wildlife park. The flat bottom boats hold 20-22 people. The guides will take you past stalagmite and stalagtite formations, offering information about formation creation and names. The tour winds through passageways in the cavern, then out onto Lake Nitanee, for a small tour of the wildlife preserve on the surface. Saturdays and Sundays in November, December and February, they offer unique Bat Tours. This tour is a bout 1 hour of facts and folklore on this important, yet misunderstood animal.
Related Web Site: [Web Link]
Adult Ticket Price in local currency: 14
Period/Days/Hours of Operation:
February Weekends only - last tour at 4 11am to 5pm
March 1 to March 31 Daily - last tour at 4 9am to 5pm
April 1 to May 31 Daily - last tour at 5 9am to 5pm
June 1 to August 31 Daily - last tour at 7 9am to 7pm
September 1 to October 31 Daily - last tour at 5 9am to 5pm
November 1 to November 30 Daily - last tour at 4 9am to 5pm
December 1 to December 31 Weekends Only - last tour at 4 11am to 5pm
CLOSED THANKSGIVING DAY, CHRISTMAS DAY & JANUARY
Cave Temperatures 52° year round. Tours Depart on the Hour
Food/Drink available on board?: no
Restroom facilities on board?: no
Protection from the elements on board: Deck completely open to the elements
Address of the Ticket Counter:
222 Penn's Cave Road
Centre Hall, PA USA
16828
Required Photos Will be Uploaded: yes
Coordinates of the Ticket Counter: Not Listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Rule ammendment as of 03-July-2008, you must have ridden on the boat ride to log a visit. Non-compliant visits prior to this date may be grandfathered at the discretion of the waymyark owner.
Posting a photo of your experience is highly encouraged but not required. Please describe your experience and provide any tips for others who may be interested in following you.
Very brief logs with remarks such as "Visited" are discouraged. Such logs may be deleted.