Coral Caverns in Bedford County is a “show cave” like no other in PA!
There is no website, no advertising, no “gem mine”, no concessions, and no souvenirs for sale!
What you will find inside Coral Caverns are the remains of a 420 million year old coral reef that formed off the coast of modern-day Virginia and migrated (via plate tectonics and continental drift) to Bedford County over the eons.
Directions | Hours | Admission Fees
Coral Caverns is located 2 miles south of Shawnee State Park, just off Route 31 in the small town of Manns Choice.
If navigating by GPS, use coordinates 40.006946, -78.587166 to find the Coral Caverns Visitor Center.
Tours of Coral Caverns are given by appointment only.
Tours are given on the hour, starting at 10 am.
The phone number to call/text to reserve a tour spot is 814-977-9570.
If you call, you’ll get a voicemail prompting you to leave a message with the day/time you are interested in visiting.
If you text, you’ll get the auto response pictured below.
As you can see above, admission fees as of 2025 are: Ages 12 and up: $22 | Ages 3-11: $11 | Ages 2 and under: free.
What You’ll See at Coral Caverns
The Visitor Center at Coral Caverns is a single room, filled with an assortment of fossils, dioramas, and caving-related artifacts and memorabilia.
The first time I visited Coral Caverns was as a kid in the 1970s (when it was still called Wonderland Caverns), and it was neat to see photos of that era on display in the Visitor Center as well.
The entrance to the caverns is off the back of the Visitor Center, via a 50 foot-long tunnel.
As this is a “show cave” (albeit without many of the frills associated with a show cave), you’ll see lots of stalactites and stalagmites with whimsical names, illuminated with colorful lights.
One of the highlights for me was seeing the original entrance, a precarious set of stairs sealed off for safety reasons in 1985, but which I vaguely remember descending as a kid on my first visit in the 1970s.
There are more modern stairs inside Coral Caverns now, which take you down to a lower level of the the caverns.
Coral Caverns is not the largest cavern you’ll ever explore (the tour takes about 30 minutes), and it’s far from the flashiest, but I very much enjoyed the low-key atmosphere the owners have created here, and look forward to visiting again in the future.
Related Attractions
The 10 Best Cave Tours in Pennsylvania is your guide to the all the best underground attractions in the Keystone State.
Nearby Attractions
28 Must-See Attractions in Bedford County is your guide to even more great attractions near Coral Caverns.
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