seneca caverns

OK, the initial impression was humble upon my arrival compared to Smoke Hole's. It's also a little harder to find. But, the caverns (which is why you're there, right?) were amazing. It is a very large cavern and still very active. you can see where the stalactites and new geologic growth are coming in and altering the layout of the cave. It was well worth the trip. The restaurant was good, too (and reasonably priced) with nice views and a wide wrap around porch for a leisurely meal on a pleasant day.

Seneca Caverns was a very long and detailed tour. It was well worth the drive to find it (since WV signs are not accurate with mileage)! The gentleman doing the tour was Jared. He was incredibly knowledgeable and excited about talking about the tour. He was also extremely thoughtful to my 7 month pregnant wife by bringing a golf cart to pick her up afterwards due to a longer hike back to the main building.Very nice tour and very nice people!

Our visit to Seneca Caverns was a poor choice this year. We have two small girls one is 9 and the other is 5. Our guides name was Jim we will never forget that man. He reeked of marijuana to the point we thought we would get high just being around him. He would constantly get in our faces and try to be funny, didn't like that at all. even scared my 5 year old half to death. We was told the tour would only be about an hour, which would have been great because we was meeting with Ricks family after the tour. However the tour took an hour and a half witch we was to late to meet Ricks family The girl that sold us tickets said the tour would be between 45 mins to an hour not an hour and a half not to mention she was so high she would not have known if a bus or a bull was beside of her she could hardly keep her eyes open long enough to sell the tickets. When we finally did get back to the gift shop and tried to explain to the girl selling tickets how this took so much of our time and we requested to speak to the management we was told she had left for the day and was rarely there! We went over to the restraint where Rick called his family and explained to them what had happened and we ate there the food was wonderful however the cook Dave kind of threw us off but never the less the food was good. After coming to Seneca Caverns for the past 18 years I don't think me nor my family will ever visit it again, unless the get people in there that's not on the drugs! so sad this year! Sherry

I found these caverns by accident while driving through West Virgina. Since it was off season I was the only person on the tour. My guide was a young man who was very familiar with the cave and being a private tour I was able to see many things a large tour would not. The cave is worth the trip.

There were 7 of us in our group. Jim was our guide and he was very informative and entertaining. The caverns were neat to see and interesting to think of the history there. It was not a difficult walk but some stairs were involved. As with the other reviewer, I would recommend the restaurant. The food was good and portions were large. The drive to the caverns took us through a working (what I believe) was a limestone quarry - very dusty and made us wonder if we were headed the right way.

For a bit of perspective this was my 7 cave tour. The bad stuff first: I found too many people here because the cave itself barred me from either hearing or seeing the items the tour guide was speaking about during the entire tour. Being at the back shouldn't interfere with the quality. Also lighting I found to be sparse for a lit cave tour. They don't allow you to bring your own flashlight?? Walking back was not expected- its a good uphill hike especially for a couple that were older. The tour guide went back to get them with a golf cart. So far this is the only cave that has an exit that doesn't provide coverage that I know of. The good stuff: the cave itself has some incredible views of flowstone, calcium deposits and the like. Everyone at the front liked the tour as they could see specific things our tour guide was pointing out.. by the time we walked there he was way ahead and didn't stay behind to show the back of the crowd. (25 people in a tight space sucks) if you want a cool mix of space and views my recommendation is Grand Caverns. If you want really showy- Luray Caverns but go early...

This is our second time visiting the caverns, this time with our two young children (6 and 2). Our son absolutely loved it. The guides are very informative and they have fun with it. I love the fact that they have named all of the different formations. Will be going back again!

Though a lovely cave with interesting geology (flooding and sediment fill within a limestone cave) this was not a wild cave tour. It was simply a show cave with steps, wood chips, and 100% head clearance while they decked you out in pads, a helmet, and simple harness to "poke around" in 10 foot passages along the show route.I've led a variety off trail cave tours and was greatly disappointed and felt cheated by being misled into thinking this was an off trail "wild" cave tour. It should immediately be stopped as a legitimate offering and only the standard show cave tour should be offered.There are other off trail or wild cave tours in West Virginia - that are truly that. Without the false advertisement.

This tour was educational however the cavern is not as attractive as some other caverns. When you exit it is a quarter of a mile hike uphill to get back to the gift shop area, If it rains you would be soaked.

We arrived at the caverns with the rain giving us some grief. The friendly welcome dispelled the gloom and we were smiling before we even bought our tickets for the tour. The staff were cheerful and helpful. This is a long, walkthrough, cavern where you come out somewhere different to where you go in. There is plenty to see and, with informative guides, enjoy. We saw some unusual formations and colours. The walk back showed us some of the state park, and it seemed a good place to spend the day, in the good weather. We would recommend a visit here.

I gave Seneca Caverns a Very Good rating because the restaurant was excellent and the cave was average. If you visit Seneca Caverns make sure you eat in the restaurant. The cave is a wet cave with several formations but nothing very unique. Our Guide was okay but i wish she would of told more of the history of the cave. If you are in the area and wanting to visit a cave and you have to choose between Smoke Hole Caverns or Seneca Caverns definitely choose Seneca.

Our guide was Jared and he was very informative, answered all our questions, and we never felt rushed. Also, the other staff was very friendly and made us feel very welcome. I would definitely recommend seeing this cavern the formations are awesome.

I hadn't been to Seneca since my childhood. I remembered the "Leaning Tower of Pisa formation, however getting re-connected to the other natural formations was a pleasure. I once again realized what a great West Virginia natural wonder the caverns are. The gift shop and small restaurant facilities appeared to be recently upgraded. The path back across the top of the caverns also has been upgraded and improved.

My husband and I visited Seneca Caverns on April 27, 2014. We brought our 4 year old daughter along with us and had a very nice time. As we had some time before the tour and the weather was so nice, our daughter had fun playing at the water sluice mining for gemstones. She was also fascinated by the bin of hematite (magnetic) stones inside the gift shop.As other reviewers have stated, there are narrow passages to navigate as well as some (narrow at times) stairs to maneuver. There are a few low passages as well which make wearing hard hats a necessity. There were a few puddles along the paths so wear appropriate footwear. There is also a point during the tour in which your guide will turn out all lights, so if you're taking young children be aware of that. (My daughter says this was her favorite part, lol!) Also, there is a bit of a hill to climb when you exit the cavern. 4 yrs. old was an ok age to take our daughter to explore this cave; I probably wouldn't recommend trying it any younger (little fingers might want to reach out and touch the formations and they ask that you don't because the oils from our fingers can discolor and inhibit further formation.)Restrooms are located in the restaurant next door. We didn't have a chance to try out the food at the restaurant, but maybe we will on our next visit.Our guide, Jim, was very friendly and knowledgeable. Overall, we had a lot of fun and would recommend this tour to others!

My Fiance and I went here on a vacation. I loved being able to go thru the cavern and see all the formations. Make sure you take a jacket and wear good shoes.