Coal Mine Tour

Repairs to the mine car have been completed. Coal Mine tours have resumed.            

                                             


Descend slowly into the earth in a mine car as you enter the old Slope #190.  Watch the sky slowly disappear. Soon you’ve reached “the foot”.  Then explore 300 feet beneath the earth through an anthracite coal mine originally opened in 1860.  Accompany a miner in the winding underground gangways and rock tunnel past three different veins of hard coal, past the mule boy and the nipper, past the monkey vein and the dead chute. Listen as he explains the fascinating methods used, and the heroic efforts involved, in deep mining’s history.

The Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour is open from April 1 through November 30 on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. The tour is closed on Easter Sunday.  The box office opens at 10:00 a.m. While waiting for your tour you can watch our introductory video about mining in our theater that is located in the interpretive center where the tickets for the tour are sold.

Northeastern Pennsylvania would not be what it is today if not for the resilient men and women who worked in the coal mines and textile factories dotting the local valleys from the late-19th to the mid-20th centuries. It was on the backs of these men and women, most of them immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe, that this region was built.

See them. Hear their stories. Enter the mine yourself and learn firsthand what it was like to work in the damp darkness 300 feet underground. Stand at the controls of the lace machine or imagine yourself cooking on an old stove in your tiny company house kitchen.


Phone numbers: 1-800-238-7245 and 1-570-963-6463 | Email: coalmine@lackawannacounty.org

Just ask at the box office for the next available tour. The last tour leaves begins at 2:45 p.m. and you must arrive no later than 2:00 p.m. to be scheduled for the final tour of the day. Check out the official website for more information.

Admission Fees:

ADULT (13-64) $10.00
SENIOR (65+) $9.50
MILITARY   $9.00
CHILDREN (3-12) $7.50
  UNDER 3 FREE

Group Rates are available for schools, motor coaches and civic groups of 20 or more (based on advance reservations).

“A wonderful, informative experience.”
Sister Mary Helen
Philadelphia, PA

“Fantastic tour, best in the U.S.”
Jim & Vera Hays
Pittsburgh, PACoal_Mine_2014_30_Sweda_LCVB (1) - Copy

“Exciting, good, great”
Sayaka Shirai
Osaka Japan

Quick Facts

The temperature in the mine is 53° year round.  Comfortable shoes and clothing are recommended.  A light jacket can be borrowed for anyone who has not brought their own.

The descent down the slope takes 3-4 minutes. The walking portion of the tour is approximately a 1/2 mile and lasts one hour.

The mine is handicapped accessible with some restrictions.  A handout has been prepared for the hearing impaired who are not accompanied by an interpreter. Please call or e-mail for specific limitations on accessibility.

Coal Mine

Directions
FROM NORTH (CANADA & BINGHAMTON):
Take Rt 81 S to Exit 191B (formerly 57B) then take the McDade Expressway to the Keyser Avenue exit.  Take right onto Keyser Ave., go 3 miles and follow the signs.

FROM SOUTHWEST (HARRISBURG/YORK/Rt 80):
Take Rt. 81 N to Exit 182 (formerly 51), then left at first traffic light to next light on Davis St. Left onto Davis St. and continue 3 miles (Davis turns into Union St. after the river) and at Keyser Avenue take a right and go 2 miles. The Coal Mine Tour and McDade Park are on the left.

FROM SOUTHEAST (PHILADELPHIA, SO. JERSEY):
Take PA Turnpike (Northeast Extension) #476 N to Exit 122. Take left off exit ramp to the traffic light.  Then right onto Keyser Ave., 2 miles. The Coal Mine Tour and McDade Park are on the left.

FROM NORTHEAST (NY STATE, NEW ENGLAND):
Take 84 W to Rt. 380 W to  Rt 81 N.  Take Exit 191B (formerly 57B) then take the McDade Expressway to the Keyser Avenue exit.  Take right onto Keyser Ave., go 3 miles and follow the signs.

FROM EAST (NYC, NO JERSEY):
Take Rt 80 W to Rt. 380 W to  Rt 81 N.  Take Exit 191B (formerly 57B) then take the McDade Expressway to the Keyser Avenue exit.  Take right onto Keyser Ave., go 3 miles and follow the signs.

Parking is free at the Coal Mine Tour in lots adjacent to the Shifting Shanty (our main building).  Handicapped and motorcoach parking is also provided.  Follow the signs.
Gift Shop
While you’re waiting for your tour to begin, you’ll most certainly want to check out our unusual gift shop offering an assortment of hard to find souvenirs and gift items.

Of course, there are anthracite coal souvenirs in a variety of sizes, but also coal artifacts – glazed anthracite coal shaped to everything from an owl to pen sets to a miner’s figure. If you’re a collector, you’ll want one of these rare and attractive items.

There’s also jewelry made of coal; earrings, bracelets, rings and pendants. We are an exclusive supplier of “coal trees”, but you can also find birthstones, and shell trees on a coal base.

Rock enthusiasts will find a treasure trove; from geodes with pewter mine scenes to amethyst with pewter figurines. We carry over 50 varieties of rocks and minerals, including all sizes of fossils, trilobites and jasper arrowheads. There are collector sets of Rocks and Minerals of the U.S. (with pamphlet) and Gems and Minerals of the Bible. We even have Totem Power Stones and worry stones.

If you’re looking for genuine slate coasters or coal refrigerator magnets, look no farther.

We also carry a range of books, pamphlets, cassettes and videotapes relating to miners and the history of mining as well as miner’s “scrip”, the company-issued money that so many men broke their backs for.
Of course there are also children’s miner helmets (with light) and railroad lanterns. And don’t forget to check out our souvenir T-shirts and sweatshirts, including the official Coal Breakers of Lackawanna County series.
Group Tours
The Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour strives to be both an exciting and convenient destination for groups of all sizes.  It has been used as an educational tool for school districts for more than 25 years.

 The Mine Tour Group Rate   Price:
 Adult:  $8.00
 Student: (13 and under)  $5.50

When calling for a reservation, (1-800-238-7245) please have a date and time chosen as well as an alternative date in the event your first preference is already booked.  You need only give an estimate of the number you expect to bring.  We will do the rest.

Deposits are required only when booking outside our regular hours, and are applied to your payment on the day of the tour.  Deposits are non-refundable if your reservation isn’t canceled within 24 hours of your tour time, or if you do not arrive within the time frame agreed upon.

Please ask about the inexpensive souvenir package available in our gift shop or the affordable box lunch that can be prepared by our snack shop.

“Excellent tour” – Boy Scout Troop 123, Sewell, NJ  June 2, 2001