Exploring Howe Caverns

We'd seen the fading yellow-and-blue billboard on I-87 for Howe Caverns so often that we finally decided to find out whether the caves were an endearing tourist trap or an authentic natural attraction.

Howe's many roadside billboards on the ride north to Schoharie County seem straight out of the 1950s, and the old diners, small towns, and mom-and-pop motels we passed on our scenic drive north gave us a small taste for the vacations Americans took before the Jet Age put Miami within easy reach.

But don't think for a moment that Howe Caverns is a forgotten piece of roadside American kitsch. The world that lurks beneath its obligatory gift shop and Tudor-style visitor center is truly breathtaking, and my friends and I were as captivated by our guided tour as the dozen tots whose harried parents were our partners in Saturday afternoon spelunking. For an ambitious day trip, this natural wonder pairs up nicely with a visit to the town of Sharon Springs, which like Howe Caverns has a natural attraction -- in this case, mineral waters.

Howe wow

The minute you step into the Howe Caverns visitors center, you get a whiff of the chilled, damp air emanating from the elevator shafts that descend to 156 feet below to the caverns. It's the same 52-degree breeze that drew Lester Howe's cows in 1842 to a hidden opening near his farm in Cobleskill, N.Y. His interest piqued, Howe began to make descents into the caverns and discovered the river that runs through it and the magnificent rock formations the water had carved over millions of years. The very next year, Howe began giving arduous, hours-long tours of his underground discovery. Elevators, hand-rails and a paved path have turned those adventures into 80-minute jaunts.

The stones have powerful forms, dramatically enhanced by bold lighting. The passages are awe-inspiring, with craggy, shadowy walls, cliffs, and other prehistoric limestone formations that evoke the grandeur of the geological treasures of the American Southwest. The caves are still forming, with water creating stalactites, stalagmites and flowstone at impossibly slow rates over millennia. Human interaction can do irreparable harm to this process, tour guides warn. The tour includes a boat ride down this once mighty river.

Howe is not the only such cavern in the area. Competing billboards with a hippie theme and a Jerry Garcia-like character tout Secret Caverns, an attraction that we didn't have time to visit. Two caverns in one day seemed a bit much, but some visitors swear by Secret Caverns, which we are told has a more "roughing it" feel, and includes a 100-foot waterfall.

Sulphur surprise

About the same time that Howe found his caverns, John Gardner was helping transform nearby Sharon Springs, just off Route 20, into a high-end resort where the wealthy could luxuriate in the town's curative white-sulphur and mineral spring waters. The evidence of the springs is found right away in the air: the unmistakable waft of sulphur (think rotten eggs), which is not as off-putting as you'd think. This one-time rival to Saratoga Springs declined dramatically in the 20th century, with visits from the Roosevelts replaced by Greyhound excursions full of day-trippers. But a turnaround premised on those spring waters and the town's history is under way. Dowager hotels are finding new life again, such as the American Hotel on Main Street, a town gem which also offers a wonderful restaurant.

The town's gorgeous ruins included the Imperial Baths and the spooky relic that is the Hotel Adler and its spa. Both are slated for makeovers in an ambitious plan to accelerate the town's revival and bring back spa baths, the last of which closed in 2005.

Off Main Street, a Victorian gazebo still provides access to the waters, where visitors can have a swig if they want to. While it may not cure what ails you, it will connect you to a tradition that has transfixed everyone from Oscar Wilde to Borsht Belt comedians.

Fast facts:

Getting there: Your best bet is to drive. We took a scenic route, taking I-87 to exit 21, and then Route 23 to Route 145, and Route 7 to Howe Caverns. From Howe, we took Route 88 to Route 10 and then Route 20 to Main Street in Sharon Springs.

Where to go: On the way, stop in East Durham in Greene County, an Irish enclave that puts the lie to the idea that Catskill ethnic enclaves are dead. Other small towns and interesting sights await along the way, with no shortage of green, stunning vistas. Make sure your camera's battery is fully charged.

What to eat: On Route 145, stop for lunch at the Middleburg Diner, complete with 1950s telephone booth outside. Grilled cheese and fries does the trick. On Route 20 near Sharon Springs, we stopped at Dairyland for a shake and generous servings of soft serve. The spot for dinner is the restored American Hotel, 192 Main Street, in Sharon Springs, 518-284-2105

What to buy: Small towns along the way have curio shops and the like; let serendipity be your guide. Howe Caverns has a souvenir shop as well as a store that sells geodes.

September highlight: Sharon Springs holds its eighth annual Garlic Festival Sept. 13 and 14.

For more information: A good guide book to upstate New York is essential. We recommend the Moon Travel Handbook by Christiane Bird. Useful sites include www.howecaverns.com and sharonspringschamber.com. Those with the upstate bug (it's easy to catch) would do well to explore the New York Traveler blog: http://newyorktraveler.blogspot.com/ (BY ROLANDO PUJOL)

We'd seen the fading yellow-and-blue billboard on I-87 for Howe Caverns so often that we finally decided to find out whether the caves were an endearing tourist trap or an authentic natural attraction.

Howe's many roadside billboards on the ride north to Schoharie County seem straight out of the 1950s, and the old diners, small towns, and mom-and-pop motels we passed on our scenic drive north gave us a small taste for the vacations Americans took before the Jet Age put Miami within easy reach.

But don't think for a moment that Howe Caverns is a forgotten piece of roadside American kitsch. The world that lurks beneath its obligatory gift shop and Tudor-style visitor center is truly breathtaking, and my friends and I were as captivated by our guided tour as the dozen tots whose harried parents were our partners in Saturday afternoon spelunking. For an ambitious day trip, this natural wonder pairs up nicely with a visit to the town of Sharon Springs, which like Howe Caverns has a natural attraction -- in this case, mineral waters.

Howe wow

The minute you step into the Howe Caverns visitors center, you get a whiff of the chilled, damp air emanating from the elevator shafts that descend to 156 feet below to the caverns. It's the same 52-degree breeze that drew Lester Howe's cows in 1842 to a hidden opening near his farm in Cobleskill, N.Y. His interest piqued, Howe began to make descents into the caverns and discovered the river that runs through it and the magnificent rock formations the water had carved over millions of years. The very next year, Howe began giving arduous, hours-long tours of his underground discovery. Elevators, hand-rails and a paved path have turned those adventures into 80-minute jaunts.

The stones have powerful forms, dramatically enhanced by bold lighting. The passages are awe-inspiring, with craggy, shadowy walls, cliffs, and other prehistoric limestone formations that evoke the grandeur of the geological treasures of the American Southwest. The caves are still forming, with water creating stalactites, stalagmites and flowstone at impossibly slow rates over millennia. Human interaction can do irreparable harm to this process, tour guides warn. The tour includes a boat ride down this once mighty river.

Howe is not the only such cavern in the area. Competing billboards with a hippie theme and a Jerry Garcia-like character tout Secret Caverns, an attraction that we didn't have time to visit. Two caverns in one day seemed a bit much, but some visitors swear by Secret Caverns, which we are told has a more "roughing it" feel, and includes a 100-foot waterfall.

Sulphur surprise

About the same time that Howe found his caverns, John Gardner was helping transform nearby Sharon Springs, just off Route 20, into a high-end resort where the wealthy could luxuriate in the town's curative white-sulphur and mineral spring waters. The evidence of the springs is found right away in the air: the unmistakable waft of sulphur (think rotten eggs), which is not as off-putting as you'd think. This one-time rival to Saratoga Springs declined dramatically in the 20th century, with visits from the Roosevelts replaced by Greyhound excursions full of day-trippers. But a turnaround premised on those spring waters and the town's history is under way. Dowager hotels are finding new life again, such as the American Hotel on Main Street, a town gem which also offers a wonderful restaurant.

The town's gorgeous ruins included the Imperial Baths and the spooky relic that is the Hotel Adler and its spa. Both are slated for makeovers in an ambitious plan to accelerate the town's revival and bring back spa baths, the last of which closed in 2005.

Off Main Street, a Victorian gazebo still provides access to the waters, where visitors can have a swig if they want to. While it may not cure what ails you, it will connect you to a tradition that has transfixed everyone from Oscar Wilde to Borsht Belt comedians.

Fast facts:

Getting there: Your best bet is to drive. We took a scenic route, taking I-87 to exit 21, and then Route 23 to Route 145, and Route 7 to Howe Caverns. From Howe, we took Route 88 to Route 10 and then Route 20 to Main Street in Sharon Springs.

Where to go: On the way, stop in East Durham in Greene County, an Irish enclave that puts the lie to the idea that Catskill ethnic enclaves are dead. Other small towns and interesting sights await along the way, with no shortage of green, stunning vistas. Make sure your camera's battery is fully charged.

What to eat: On Route 145, stop for lunch at the Middleburg Diner, complete with 1950s telephone booth outside. Grilled cheese and fries does the trick. On Route 20 near Sharon Springs, we stopped at Dairyland for a shake and generous servings of soft serve. The spot for dinner is the restored American Hotel, 192 Main Street, in Sharon Springs, 518-284-2105

What to buy: Small towns along the way have curio shops and the like; let serendipity be your guide. Howe Caverns has a souvenir shop as well as a store that sells geodes.

September highlight: Sharon Springs holds its eighth annual Garlic Festival Sept. 13 and 14.

For more information: A good guide book to upstate New York is essential. We recommend the Moon Travel Handbook by Christiane Bird. Useful sites include www.howecaverns.com and sharonspringschamber.com. Those with the upstate bug (it's easy to catch) would do well to explore the New York Traveler blog: http://newyorktraveler.blogspot.com/

Related topic galleries: Caves and Caverns, Landforms, Hotels and Accommodations, Hotel and Accommodation Industry, Personal Service, Restaurant and Catering Industry, Tourism and Leisure