Hard to find. Take directions. Interesting railroad car at driveway entrance. Note the hours, only open weekends. The visitors center is small as well as the parking area. Cost was $12 per adult in 2011. Really wasn't that crowded. My group had about eight people. Tour lasts about a half hour. The guide was decent. The fossils were well preserved and very interesting. Bring good solid shoes. As expected terrain inside was damp and uneven. Some areas were slick. You also have to be capable of going up and down wet stairs. just be careful. Overall, decent for a side trip.
My husband and I visited Coral Caverns Labor Day weekend. We were on vacation and stayed at the Bedford Springs resort, so this was a short easy trip! This was our first cave experience, and while it is not a large cave it is worth it! The owners are knowledgeable and friendly. It was great to learn a few new things and experience the cave up close.
I went on a Saturday and found the cavern with no problem, GPS directions work well. I liked that the caven stays true to a cavern feel without too much commercial upgrading. We actually got to walk on the cavern floor and right up to all of the sights inside without being corraled and blocked off with decksand ropes. It was nice to look around the gift shop that is set up more as a museum to stroll through at my leisure with no sales pressure.
Wanted a Memorial Day getaway with the kids, and the Pennsylvania Tourism site had this listed, just a few hours from me, but with no website, no way to contact by phone, I couldn't add this to our trip. Possibly closed? Found some reviews on other sites with less favorable reviews, so I skipped it - we went south instead to Smith Mountain lake (and totally skipped caverns).
My friend and I stopped here for the afternoon to check it out - It was a really cool place. The gentleman that works there takes you on a personal tour through the cavern and is very knowledgeable of the different types of formations within the cavern - There are cool lights that shine on the formations that he talks about in particular. He was very nice and there was a dog in the main office that's worth the trip in itself! Must see!
As my subject line suggests, a visit to Coral Caverns is a truly unique experience. When my mother found a couple pieces of rock that looked like coral in her yard in Shanksville, I did a quick online search and found Coral Caverns. We brought our samples and discovered that they were in fact coral fossils. As other reviewers have mentioned, the tour is relatively short compared to other cave tours; nonetheless, you won't miss any of the usual stunning formations that you see in bigger caves, AND you will see the fossilized coral wall, which you won't see anywhere else in the world. And the tour is very well designed with just the right mix of science, history, and personal anecdotes to keep things interesting.The cabin/museum where you buy the tour tickets also has a collection of fossilized corals and other marine creatures like trilobites, and a really fantastic (and realistic) three-dimensional floor to ceiling art display of a coral reef with an abundance of colorful prehistoric marine life. Great for kids!I loved this tour and would go back again.
We visited the caverns on sat. & were very impressed. It was a great find. You could actually walk through and see things up close.I would not recommend flip-flops,the floor is slippery due to the clay floor.That's what makes this place different,its very old time tourist stop. Will be going Back!
We went on the tour today. It is a family that owns the Cavern so they are only open weekends. They have five children who are amazingly well behaved and are extremely intelligent when it comes to the Cavern. One of their children lead the tour, I was worried at first because he was young, but there was no need. He knew more than most adults about any question you could ask about the Cavern ( he better get bonus points in Science class). The Cavern it self was beautiful an a great experience, there is an empty bat nest, fossils and formations. If you are from the area it is a shame to NOT go on the tour. It is $12 per adult and if you send a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope you can get free tickets for children. It is cash or check only. The gift shop didn't seem to actually have anything to purchase, but rather an museum and show grade pieces that are a real treat to view.
It's a smaller tour, usually a cave tour last about an hour. This one is about a half an hour. Its a nice little pit stop. This is something truly different. For it to be inland as far as it is, you wouldn't think there would be fossils of sea creatures and coral. Especially it being west of the Apps. This was sustained water built up over years. It's a cheap ( you can find coupons on the website if you send a sase you'll get child admissions free). One draw back is that it is in no way modern. It looks like a total hole in the wall, an old shack. Take cash, no phone (don't call for directions, no one answers--its a voicemail, get your directions ahead of time and follow them to a T!!!!) or computer on site for point of sale transactions. We had to write a check. Do take a jacket and comfortable shoes you don't mind getting dirty.
As of August 17, 2013, the caverns were closed for electrical repairs. My family has been going through the caverns for many years and it's a nice little attraction when open.