Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour, Scranton

There was nothing we did not like. The tour guide (Tom) was fantastic and really was professional--answered everyone's questions. We were lucky to have two elderly men on the tour whose great granfathers had worked in the mine. Very informative and interesting.

We were just passing through Scranton on the way to Philly from Canada and thought this would be a neat thing to do on a stop. Boy are we glad we did so. The only way this could have been a more authentic experience would be for the excellent and informative tour guide to have handed us shovels and asked us to fill a rail car with coal. You go deep into the mine which is largely in the condition it was in when the mine closed in 1966. You can see the geology and coal seams right up close. The guide was excellent and answered lots of questions from the tour. Highly recommend this for all ages. Our boys 9 and 6 loved it and paid attention for the full 1.5 hour underground walking tour.

This place was awesome! The people were very friendly and knowledgable. A great way to travel back in time. Certainly makes you appreciate being able to go school and working conditions today.

I've been there twice and looking forward to visiting again this year. Truly a must see for everyone ... every parent that has a child between the ages of 8 - 18 should bring them so they learn what the definition of HARD WORK is all about and how "easy" they got it today. You will NEVER think of coal the same again ..... about an one hour tour at a very inexpensive price .... mark this as an experience to see off your bucket list !!! Then after you're done go visit Steamtown and unravel yourself with steam engines from the days of the old wild West to today's modern trains ....

Go see it! A real adventure! I had never been in a coal mine in my life. It was something I will never forget, especially riding down so deep into the mine.

Our Girl Scout troop visited the mine as part of a Coal Legends patch we were working on while camping in the area. We had 7 girls, ages 11-17, and all of them were absolutely amazed by what they learned by being in the mine. The tour guide (Nick) was absolutely fantastic. He managed to keep the entire group occupied with all of the interesting facts and stories of being a mine worker. He patiently answered all of our questions and really captured the girls attentions. It was a worthwhile experience and the girls learned so much!

We went for railcamp and it was a lot of fun. I liked it not only because I never went to a coal mine before but it was just cool in general. I learned a lot and our tour guide Nick was really cool. It was fun I liked it a lot. I would go back.

I was blown away at the extremely difficult circumstances coal miners are subjected to. Years ago children as young as 10 years old were working in the mines to help put food on the table. To think that the circumstances aren't that much better in today's day and age is amazing. Every person that sees the difficulties people face in order to work and live should help put a new perspective and appreciation for what we have today.

We took our 8 year old and 6 year old on this tour. We all loved it! It was a fascinating piece of American history. Our 8 year old was particularly interested in it, as there were quite a few jobs that he could have had at his age had he been born in 1890. It really showed him how lucky he is that these men struggled to make America the country it is today. I think it helps us all appreciate what our forefathers did for us. The tour guide was very knowledgable and funny as well. The tour was very informative. Highly recommended!

We read three books about coal mines before we left for this trip. The books could not explain how dark, wet, small a real coal mine is. Our family of four got into the small tram with 18 other people. We went 250 feet underground (wear a waterproof jacker). Our guide was wonderful, informative and funny (Tony?). It was very educational to hear how the mine worked and how the miners and their families lived (and died). The book Kids at Work gave a view into the life of children in the mine, but hearing that if the father dies in the mine his family had to provide another mine worker or be evicted from their home (in three days) made us realize why so many parents allowed their very young boys to work in dangerous conditions. Very educational for kids and adults. Be prepared to walk once you are in the mine and wear a jacket with a hood. The water kept dripping on my head, but I wouldn't have missed it. jo