Secret Caverns
Secret Caverns
4
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
207 reviews
Excellent
108
Very good
59
Average
25
Poor
9
Terrible
6
LondonAd
London, UK55 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
We were en route so wanted a stop off. Howe caverns needed a reservation so we came here for A pleasant stop. Cool little place with a good vibe. Nice back story to how it was discovered and place doesn’t take itself too seriously. Interesting that they have left system as it was found rather than blasting out chunks so felt authentic. The underground waterfall is really cool and not seen anything like that. Don’t expect intricate stalagmites and stalagmites or real spectacular formations. But overall a fun hour experience.
Written August 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
63impala
Stoneham, MA1,248 contributions
Sep 2021
He stumbles upon these caverns as Howes was sold out. We were not disappointed. The tour guide made things fun and seeing the waterfall in the caverns was pretty cool. I am glad that the other cavern was sold out as we had a good time at the Secret caverns
Written October 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mbhoakct76
Winsted, CT143 contributions
Apr 2021
Its a nice smaller cave, unique in its own way. Not far from the other cavern and definately worth the stop. It is more in its natural state than some others. Making it a bumpy walk and kinda cool in a way. I'm sure you seen all the billboards.
A nice stop but not really worth hours of driving to get just here.
A nice stop but not really worth hours of driving to get just here.
Written October 26, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Meredith N
United States30 contributions
Aug 2015 • Family
Who are we? We've been to Howe Caverns twice as full paying guests and as of today, the Secret Caverns. Our family was comprised of kids ages 9-12 and adults ages 49-72.
On our way to Howe Caverns (HC) we have always marveled at the funky, hand painted signs for the Secret Caverns.
According to some fellow tourists they ditched HC because the line was over 2 hours long. There was about a 10 minute wait for the next tour at SC when we arrived, and about 18 people in our tour group.
The price at SC was $16 for adults as we used the $2 coupon on their website. Kids were $8 and free under age 6. Not sure about the price at HC.
Ok, rapid fire comparison:
Beginning of tour: HC: a Disneylike animatronic of Mr. Howe, the founder of the caverns speaking about how the caverns came to be.
SC: Kevin, our human tour guide, explaining the founders story at SC. I must comment that Kevin was not only personable, funny and authentic...but I had a question from the back of the tour that I said under my breath, that he heard, and answered.
Tour guide: HC: memorized from a script. SC: comic!
Getting into cave: HC: Elevator. SC: 100 stairs with handrail (Kevin called them a "petrified escalator")
Lighting in the cave: HC: on all the time. SC: the tour guides turned them on and off as we toured through
Kid friendliness: HC: "don't touch", SC: "Please touch"...actually touching the cave is not exactly "leave no trace" since the human touch actually stops the cave's formations from growing further.
Also, the kids could walk thru the freezing cold, underground stream water at SC while there was no opportunity to do this HC. Though you don't have to get wet if you'd rather not.
HC has a small boat ride at the end while SC has an under ground waterfall. The water at the waterfall is much warmer and the kids waded in that area.
Drinking water avail underground? Yes! At SC they let you taste the underground spring water!
All in all, we enjoyed SC as a more authentic experience. It's likely that HC was once like this, before it became so popular and commercialized.
On our way to Howe Caverns (HC) we have always marveled at the funky, hand painted signs for the Secret Caverns.
According to some fellow tourists they ditched HC because the line was over 2 hours long. There was about a 10 minute wait for the next tour at SC when we arrived, and about 18 people in our tour group.
The price at SC was $16 for adults as we used the $2 coupon on their website. Kids were $8 and free under age 6. Not sure about the price at HC.
Ok, rapid fire comparison:
Beginning of tour: HC: a Disneylike animatronic of Mr. Howe, the founder of the caverns speaking about how the caverns came to be.
SC: Kevin, our human tour guide, explaining the founders story at SC. I must comment that Kevin was not only personable, funny and authentic...but I had a question from the back of the tour that I said under my breath, that he heard, and answered.
Tour guide: HC: memorized from a script. SC: comic!
Getting into cave: HC: Elevator. SC: 100 stairs with handrail (Kevin called them a "petrified escalator")
Lighting in the cave: HC: on all the time. SC: the tour guides turned them on and off as we toured through
Kid friendliness: HC: "don't touch", SC: "Please touch"...actually touching the cave is not exactly "leave no trace" since the human touch actually stops the cave's formations from growing further.
Also, the kids could walk thru the freezing cold, underground stream water at SC while there was no opportunity to do this HC. Though you don't have to get wet if you'd rather not.
HC has a small boat ride at the end while SC has an under ground waterfall. The water at the waterfall is much warmer and the kids waded in that area.
Drinking water avail underground? Yes! At SC they let you taste the underground spring water!
All in all, we enjoyed SC as a more authentic experience. It's likely that HC was once like this, before it became so popular and commercialized.
Written August 22, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Willy C
Clifton Park, NY10 contributions
Aug 2013 • Family
Stopped in for a laugh, and found it was just that! Such an odd place! The signs are pathetically dumb, strange and weird. Our guide, (forgot his name) whispered to us during the tour that the "waterfall" is actually "fake" and it is "turned on and off". Anyway, don't waste your hard earned money. The cave is very small, takes about 45 minutes to tour, and is quite a let down.
Written September 1, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mike c
Windham, NY115 contributions
Aug 2013 • Family
The reason for the "Real" in the title is that Howe Caverns is more of a tourist attraction in that there is an elevator, restaurant, and underground sidewalks.
The Secret Caverns is far more of a rustic adventure.
There's a long staircase to get you down there and, once underground, there are spots that are in no way for the claustrophobic or otherwise feint of heart.
There's one difference. Howe gives you a lovely underground boat ride, and Secret Caverns gives you a 100' high underground "waterfall".
I like them both.
If I'm visiting with older people or those with a fear of tight spaces, Howe is the place to go.
For everybody else, I like the Secret Caverns.
The Secret Caverns is far more of a rustic adventure.
There's a long staircase to get you down there and, once underground, there are spots that are in no way for the claustrophobic or otherwise feint of heart.
There's one difference. Howe gives you a lovely underground boat ride, and Secret Caverns gives you a 100' high underground "waterfall".
I like them both.
If I'm visiting with older people or those with a fear of tight spaces, Howe is the place to go.
For everybody else, I like the Secret Caverns.
Written October 14, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kian Chee G
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia5 contributions
Nov 2017 • Solo
Looks to me like a perfect tourist trap, followed one of the tour buses en route to Niagara. The entrance fee is $16 per person and I was not very impressed at all. There was very little historical information about the cave. The walk is short (return leg on the same path) and it seems like everyone was heading to one place which is the underground waterfall. No briefing, no guide. I have seen many spectacular cave formations and this is not one of it. Wouldn't recommend anyone to this place unless have nothing much to do.
Written January 10, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Matt Josephson
New York City, NY32 contributions
Oct 2019
There's a well-known spot down the road from here that you may have heard of, but if you go there instead, you're missing the forest through the trees brother. Think of that spot as like, Target. Yeah it's big, it's well know, they got frills and parade out all the gimmicks, but are you getting quality products? This spot here, this is your boutique shop. This is you quality product curated by the experts.
What's great about this cavern is that one can get some pretty dope pics down there, touch the various formations, and really take their time with all that there is to see. It's a very chill environment. The hosts are mad cool, they know their history (or maybe I fell for it) and seem to enjoy showing off the goods. The waterfall at the end of the cavern is a great climax to the tour.
The gift shop also has a wide variety of knickknacks and gimmicks, along with coffee, which one might need after a lengthy drive to this place from (possibly) a ways away.
What's great about this cavern is that one can get some pretty dope pics down there, touch the various formations, and really take their time with all that there is to see. It's a very chill environment. The hosts are mad cool, they know their history (or maybe I fell for it) and seem to enjoy showing off the goods. The waterfall at the end of the cavern is a great climax to the tour.
The gift shop also has a wide variety of knickknacks and gimmicks, along with coffee, which one might need after a lengthy drive to this place from (possibly) a ways away.
Written September 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RaceTrackHunter1970
Blandon, PA314 contributions
Jul 2018 • Family
I like caves. Whenever we are traveling we look for caves in the area. At $18 per adult, this was a bit on the high side for what you get. The cave itself does not offer many breathtaking formations, and is lacking the standard stalactites and stalagmites you come to expect in caves. Our tour guide, while friendly, seemed a bit rushed. The waterfall at the very end of the tour was was very cool, and made up for some of the other areas that were lacking. I'd put this in the middle of all the caves I have previously toured. Would probably not return since I have now seen it.
Written July 12, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stacey W
Somersworth, NH287 contributions
Sep 2017 • Friends
I was not impressed with this cavern at all. The staff was very discombobulated when we arrived. They charged me $16 for admission but then when my mom paid for hers they said she got a discount because a tour bus was in and only charged her $10. I had to tell them I had been charged $16 and they gave me six bucks back. Then they gave me a ticket to get in, but not my mom. Which didn't matter anyway since they never took the tickets. We were lumped in with a foreign speaking tour bus which was okay with me, but not for the people who worked there. Our tour guide said we were more than welcome to push the bus group around and tell them off since they didn't understand English anyway. We rushed through the caverns because our tour guide didn't see the point of talking about anything when the majority of the group didn't speak English and then told the English people in the group to go first to the waterfall and he would hold back the bus group because they would be pushy and annoying. There's also a fountain of youth down there that people can apparently drink from (not that I would have on any day) but were told not to because a foreign group had already been by earlier in the day. I was very offended by the treatment of our group and not at all impressed with the caverns themselves. You're allowed to touch anything in the caverns which actually stops growth of the formations, so everything down there was dirty and dying. If you want a nice group of employees who are not a bunch of bigots and gorgeous caverns, go to Howe Caverns instead.
Written September 6, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GaryGeorgia
Bainbridge, GA300 contributions
How difficult of a walk is the tour with someone with two bad knees?
Hamguinster
Johnson City, NY86 contributions
It would be VERY difficult! Many Many steps, not evenly spaced... Can be slippery. If you have 2 bad knees, you should probably pass on this.
The tickets price
Valerie H
86 contributions
$18 adults, $8 ages 6-12, under 6 free. Go to website and click on the "about" tab for prices and coupon.
Houda H
1 contribution
Si j'ai à choisir entre Howe caverns et secret caverns ,laquelle vous me conseillez et pourquoi ?
Et la température en °c.dans ces cavernes,puisque je compte y aller vers le mi-mars 2017?merci
Ashley845
Wallkill, NY16 contributions
hi, was wondering what the price is compared to howe caverns
dacranjel
West Park, NY27 contributions
it's about $18 for adults and if you go to their web site their is a $2 off coupon. the tour is 45 minutes but isn't as fancy as Howe's cavern. tours head down about every 20 minutes.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Secret Caverns
- Secret Caverns is open:
- Sun - Sat 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
- Hotels near Secret Caverns:
- (1.36 mi) Howe Caverns Motel
- (2.58 mi) Super 8 by Wyndham Cobleskill NY
- (3.12 mi) Twin Oaks Campground
- (3.86 mi) The Gables Bed & Breakfast Inn
- (3.56 mi) Charming Victorian located between Albany and Cooperstown
- Restaurants near Secret Caverns:
- (1.64 mi) Grapevine Farms
- (1.35 mi) Howe Caverns Cafe
- (1.02 mi) Rubbin Butts BBQ
- (5.90 mi) Apple Barrel
- (1.27 mi) Perrone's Farm Inc.
Secret Caverns Information
Excellent Reviews | 108 |
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Very Good Reviews | 59 |
Secret Caverns Photos | 213 |