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Cards on the table: I feel like the amount of coal burned in SW PA is a real problem, for climate change reasons but especially for the effects air pollution has on people (notably kids). I never really thought about coal mining much, except as a part of those environmental effects. So honestly I was a little bit surprised by how much I liked this tour!
My kids loved the ride down into the mine, which was wonderfully cool on a hot day. The guy at the desk and our guide Joe (both experienced miners) were friendly and informative. Once you're in the mine, you walk a loop of 5 or 6 setups showing how coal mining worked during different eras separated by about 20 years or so.
I came away with a grim appreciation for just how unforgiving a job mining was 100+ years ago, but also impressed at how much that work improved over a century or so. I'm not from the area and don't have any miners in my family. But I felt like I could imagine that progress taking place over a couple generations of relatives, to the point where you've got efficient Pennsylvania-built equipment with advanced safety technology, and hard-won worker protections, in a job that's still tough and loud and dirty, but also skilled and full of (necessary) comradery. It's impressive. So I'm glad that this important museum exists!
Anyway, kids will be into the cart ride and the fun loud machines and the novelty of being deep underground, but I think it is well worth it for adults who want to gain some understanding and appreciation for coal mining. Google still lists this as "temporarily closed", but they opened up again after...
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Do NOT visit this place unless you don’t support the needs of the country’s disabled veterans either.
The staff and particularly the owner, Bob Black, were discriminatory against my husband who is a veteran with a service-related disability. First, we were harassed at the ticket counter regarding my husband’s service animal. After I threatened to report the business to the state for discrimination, Marianne sold us tickets. After waiting in line, we got to speak with owner Bob. This man does not know the ADA protections afforded to people with disabilities, nor does Bob care about anything but his feelings, which he voiced profusely. According to Bob, my husband’s service animal was going to get lost in the mine and then bite someone. Meanwhile, the service animal was in a book bag wearing noise canceling headphones and is highly trained to attend to the needs of her person. After owner Bob put aside his feelings and “let” us enter the attraction, we were then harassed by an additional two workers about “the dog.”
(We attended the haunted attraction but same...
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Today, we took the local Cub Scout Pack to tour the mine. What an excellent tour! Our in mine guide, Joe, was so patient with the little cubs. He kept the kids' attention the entire time.
I absolutely would recommend this tour for everyone from kindergarten age to adult. The men who ran the today were just outstanding and welcoming. Make sure to make a reservation and head over. You really cannot be disappointed!
We had 24 people (adults and kids) from the Pack and two other couples joined our group. Our elementary aged kids had so much fun and really enjoyed the tour. One of the other people on the tour seemed to not enjoy the fact that we had a bunch of kids on the tour, but that wasn't a problem for me. As we were told at the very beginning of our tour- the age of the children mining was 9. This was great to have a group of kids, with an average age of 9, to see.
Make sure to bring a light jacket and wear closed toe shoes! Crocs and sandals are a...
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