Howe Caverns

Our main roadside destination on our way to Buffalo recently was Howe Caverns, located near Albany and Schenectady in upstate NY. Howe Caverns is the second most visited natural attraction in the state, with Niagara Falls being the first.

Before we went on the tour, we had our fortunes told by Ol' Abner and squished some pennies, so my roadside attraction dreams were already coming true. The didn't have floaty pens in the gift shop, which was unfortunate, but Ol' Abner was a style of fortune-telling machine that I hadn't seen before so I was very happy.

The 90-minute tour takes you 156 feet below ground into a six-million-year old cave system. It's mainly a walking tour, although it does include a short boat ride that felt like a nice bonus. The cave comprises mainly two types of limestone and water in the form of streams, rivers and lakes. Unlike Mammoth Cave, which is basically just a big, gray hole in the ground, there is a huge variety in the type of formations to be found. Howe Caverns looks like what I envision when I think of a cave—stalactites, stalagmites, huge boulders, water deposits that look like glass and even a rock formation called the "Two Witches" (last photo above—can you see them?).

I'm continually in awe at the bizzare things that nature comes up with on its own, and Howe Caverns is filled with them. Formations that take thousands of years to form and couldn't possibly be made any other way but over time are so fascinating to me. Although it might seem cheesy, I loved the rainbow-colored lighting and kitschy "destinations" along the tour (the Chinese Pagoda, the River Styx, the Lake of Venus, Titan’s Temple, the Bridal Altar and the Winding Way).

Speaking of the Bridal Altar, more than 650 weddings have been performed at the cave alongside the glowing calcite heart, and I can't help but love anyone who loves a classic roadside attraction enough to make it a wedding destination.