Seneca Caverns are located on Route 33; 35 miles west of Elkins. These are West Virginia’s largest caverns. The caverns were discovered in 1760. During the 1600 and 1700’s the Seneca Indians used the caverns as refuge and we can still see the smoke stained walls. The tour lasts about 45 minutes. There are a lot of steps and it’s slippery walking in many areas. There are stalactites and stalagmites and flowstone. There’s a beautiful underground water pool called Mirror Lake and the Grand Ballroom is great. There are a lot of interesting formations. It’s a constant 54 degrees, so you might want to bring your jacket. The tour guide did a nice job explaining the history of the caverns.
There is gemstone mining on site. You purchase a bag of sand with "gems" or arrowheads for $4 to $9 per bag and sift through the sand for your treasure. My nieces loved this and were pleasantly surprised with the large amount of arrowheads and nice stones they received.
There is a gift shop with the usual assortment of souvenirs. A log cabin restaurant is next to the caverns. We purchased ice cream cones and sat on the rocking chairs and enjoyed the view.