Lost River Caverns — Attraction in Hellertown

Rock shop/lapidary supply and jewelry making shop is awesome!!! This was the BEST part and a great surprise! There are some really beautiful mineral specimens for purchase and they have a wide faceted gemstone selection that I've never seen outside one of the big gem shows. They had some oddball specimens for purchase that are hard to find. Love the variety of local specimens! Specimen pricing is hit or miss, some things are a really great price, and some things are kind of overpriced, but I guess that's just how it goes with stuff like that. Great selection of jewelery findings, and some cool gemstone bead strands for purchase. HUGE selection of lapidary and jewelry making tools!

The cavern itself isn't very big, a few interesting spots in it, very short walk/tour for the price (15 - 20 min for $13). I was expecting a lot more cavern based on the cost, but it is a little local gem which is great, and I recognize it can be expensive to maintain facilities like this. I'm not really complaining, moreso setting expectations, and I'm glad to pay a little more just to keep it open. But still some lovely, unique spots, the wedding altar was a cool setup, and the lost river running through is neat. Loved the fluorescent specimens in the cavern. The "museum" display before you go in has some cool display specimens, but desperately needs to be cleaned. Very dusty! You can't even see some of them.

Just a personal pet peeve (and public service announcement to the business), but the cashier at the end of the tour was bizarrely strict about credit cards being signed even though that doesn't prevent fraud in any way, shape or form. I didn't have this problem because mine was already signed, but I watched other customers deal with it. The US desperately needs to catch up with the rest of the world and stop having customers hand over their cards in the first place (other countries have reduced credit card fraud by not allowing anyone other than the owner to handle it, NOT by enforcing meaningless signatures. The first works, the second doesn't - because the VAST majority of people using fraudulent cards are making fake ones that match their name anyway). The payment system interface should be placed so a customer is the only one handling their card. Based on the machine being used here, there's no reason why the cashier should be handling someone's card at all. A lot of places in the US have gotten on board with this already (do you hand your card over at the grocery store anymore?) , but it needs to be encouraged across the board.

I doubt I'll tour the cavern again, but I'll definitely be back for...

Didn't get to go through the tour as we arrived 7 minutes late (we traveled 2 and a half hours to get there). There is nothing obvious on the website that states if you do not arrive on time that you will miss your tour. I understand needing to miss it, as there were other people scheduled for the same time. I don't understand though why there is no refund offered when there were no services/products lost because we did not arrive on time.

Us missing the tour was our fault, and though I was very upset when I left, I was upset with myself. They were only able to move our tour to four hours later in the day. The woman checking people in did not seem very interested in our situation and was pretty blasé - however, the place was packed, and she was definitely busy. I can understand that, and that she or others have likely dealt with people getting angry for missing their tours. Our mishap isn't their responsibility to fix, I get that.

But - there should be a notice on the website that clearly indicates that people should arrive early or ensure that they are precisely on time or else they will miss the tour, especially those traveling from a ways away. Most other places/activities you are able to arrive a few minutes late, so I think it's important that it's clear. It should also be indicated that there are NO refunds if you do miss your tour, if that's the policy.

Not upset with the staff, just frustrated that things weren't more clear and that we drove so far just to turn around and drive back home (we could not wait to do the later tour as it would have put us back home too late).

We plan on setting up another tour in the near future, and will make sure we arrive with plenty of...

My family recently visited Lost River Cavern (ages 34, 33, 15 and 3), and our experience was a blend of awe and slight disappointment. The highlight of our visit was undoubtedly the tour itself. The cavern tour was an absolute delight, largely due to our guide’s exceptional knowledge and friendliness. Their enthusiasm for the cavern’s history and geology was contagious, making our exploration of the underground marvels both educational and exciting. The natural beauty and the fascinating formations within the cavern were a testament to nature’s artistry, leaving us with lasting memories.

However, our initial impression upon entering the lobby area was less favorable. The lobby seemed to have been neglected, with a noticeable layer of dust covering the decorations displayed behind glass. This lack of attention to cleanliness detracted from the site’s welcoming atmosphere. Moreover, the small pond, which could have been a charming prelude to the wonders below, was disappointingly low on water, and the sight of what appeared to be a deceased fish was disheartening.

Despite these drawbacks, the core of our visit, the cavern tour, was an exceptional experience. It’s clear that with a little care and updating of the lobby area, and some attention to the pond, Lost River Cavern would shine even brighter as a must-visit destination. Our guide’s passion and the cavern’s natural splendor were more than enough to make this trip memorable. We would recommend it to others for the tour alone, with the hope that future visitors will see improvements in the...