Howe Caverns with Kids: Is it worth it?

Yes, Howe Caverns is worth visiting with kids, especially ones that are curious, active, and love a bit of adventure.

My husband and I both came here as kids, and I remember thinking how cool it was. Now our kids have that memory too!

Our tweens still talk about the boat ride when our guide shut off all the lights at the edge of the cave. Spooky and fun!

And the tours are fast-paced and packed with stories. So our school-aged kids never got bored. We’d be on to the next stop before they even had a chance to pause.

As long as your kids can navigate stairs and sometimes narrow paths, this is a must-take day trip!

👉Jump to: Quick Facts | What to Expect | Gift Shop & Sweets | Is Howe Caverns Worth It? | Plan Your Visit

Quick Facts at a Glance

• What age is best for Howe Caverns?: Ages 6+, Younger kids can absolutely go but school-aged kids and tweens are able to keep up with the pace and the stories
• Location: 255 Discovery Drive, Howes Cave, NY 12092 (It’s part of Schoharie County)
• Tour length: 90 minutes start-to-finish
• Walking distance: 1.25 mile walk
• Number of stairs: 139 stairs (per their website, I never counted – ha!)
• Costs: For regular tours it’s $30 for adults, $20 for kids over 5, Kids under 4 are free
• Reservations required?: It’s not required, but early booking is strongly advised! Tickets are only sold online and sometimes dates sell out with larger groups or on holidays. Get tickets here: Cave Tours 
• Fun Fact: It’s the second most visited natural attraction in New York after Niagara Falls.
• Are strollers allowed? For younger siblings, unfortunately no, strollers are not allowed.

Thanks for stopping by! At Trip Idea Mom, our family takes day trips across NY so you don’t have to. We’ll find you a day trip that is fun and fits into real life, between the soccer games and laundry!

What to Expect on the Cave Tour

Arrival

You’ll start by driving up a long winding path to an old European-looking mountain lodge.

It’s easy, free parking in a big lot.

As you walk up to the building, it reminds me of old-school cartoons like Scooby Doo and Snoopy, where they’re going into an old-fashioned mansion to solve a mystery.

Once inside, you can walk around to a few rooms, then line up for your tour. (You have to buy tickets online ahead of time.)

The tours start on time and you’ll begin in the foyer. They’ll play a cool little video about how the cave was discovered. (It starts out like the beginning of a joke: In 1842, Lester Howe and a cow walk into a cave…)

Then you’ll ride an elevator down 156 feet, or about 13 stories, to the Cave entrance!

Down in the Cave

It’s so deep down there that it’s also chilly! A damp 52°F year-round. 

Bring winter coats! (On our first visit we only wore sweatshirts and I spent half the tour wishing I’d brought my winter coat instead. Bummer!)

The cave itself is lit up with colorful lights and has a walking path with railings. You’ll follow your guide and stop along the path as they point out really unique spots where stalactites and stalagmites grow. 

(Throwback to your middle school Earth Science days right there!)

There’s just enough time in between spots to stop and take photos and look around, then you’re on to the next. The pace moves at a pretty good clip.

You’ll walk up and down stairs and look out over the rushing water at the bottom of the cave. It’s a small river called the River Styx. Very cool!

The Boat Ride

Half-way through the tour, you’ll all get into a few boats.

You’ll basically float down a small lake (Lake of Venus) as the guide moves the boat by gripping handles sticking out from the edge of the cavern walls.

It’s calm and serene, and they explain about the part of the cave that’s beyond the tour.

The best part?

If you get the right guide, they’ll even shut off all the lights at the end of the boat ride, so you’re sitting in total darkness! Our kids loved it!

To finish out the tour, you’ll walk back the way you came.

The tail end is really fun, as you get to navigate through a twisty narrow maze built into the side of the cavern.

Claustrophobic? No worries, it’s totally optional.

The tour ends right on time and you’ll pop back up to the ground level in the same elevator you rode down in.

The Gift Shop

Once you’re back up on the surface, you have to visit the gift shop and sweets shoppe.

The gift shop is great – good prices, and a big variety of products.

If you’re into stuffed animals (and what kiddo isn’t?!), check out the Howe Caverns Lobsters!

Are there lobsters in the cave? Nope!
Do they sell 2x as many lobster stuffies as bat stuffies? Yep!

Who knew! This cracked me up when I first heard this fun fact.

The Sweet Shop

They also have a shop dedicated to candy and sweets!

This is every kids’ dream. (Also amazing for grown-ups like me who’ve got  a serious sweet tooth.)

I love it because it’s consumable, so that stuffie they bought isn’t kicking around for a year before we donate it (sorry Howe Caverns Lobsters!).

There’s tons of homemade items like fudge and cookies, plus prepackaged goodies that are typical of old-fashioned candy stores. It makes for a very sweet ending to a fun trip.

Is Howe Caverns Worth It with Kids?

100% yes. We’ve been here multiple times over the years. 

What impressed me the most was how much our tweens enjoyed it when we went.

(Not even one eyeroll in sight! Now that’s a feat!)

Plus it’s just such a unique spot. It’s a natural cave, but they’ve done such a nice job with the lights, pathways, and boats that it feels like a really safe adventure, instead of an Indiana Jones movie where giant boulders could come rolling down the path.

If a friend texted me tomorrow and asked whether it was worth the drive? I’d tell them yes in a heartbeat.

Looking to plan your trip soon?

Don’t forget to book your tickets in advance.

Pack jackets, because it’s chilly down in the cave.

And make sure you’ve got footwear that’s ok to get a little wet – there’s condensation and dripping going on in the cave constantly.

Leave your backpacks, large purses, and snacks in the car. They aren’t allowed.

And when you get ready to purchase tickets, check out all they’ve got to offer. Not only do they have regular tours, but you can even do yoga or take flashlight tours and go to different parts of the cave!

Interested in other adventures?

If you’re still pondering on what else to do with your kids, head over to my guide and check out Day Trips in Upstate NY for School Age Kids. It’s full of tested short-drive trips across NY that kids love (think waterfalls, hands-on museums, and other fun adventures).