Entry No. 71 — the New York City file — filed under: roadside-oddity

Secret Caverns

This limestone cave is famous less for geology than for its gleefully deranged hand-painted folk-art billboards, scattered across Schoharie County by a muralist and a tour guide who were fired from the slicker Howe Caverns nearby. The tour itself descends 103 steps (the 'petrified escalator') to a 100-foot underground waterfall. It runs cash-only and leans hard into its psychedelic, kitschy, anti-corporate roadside identity.

The move: Take the hourly guided walk down to the 100-foot underground waterfall, then hunt the back roads for the cave's deranged hand-painted billboards on the way out.

📍 Before you go Cash only, no ATM on site. Seasonal operation; tours leave hourly on the hour with no reservation. Cool and damp underground, wear closed shoes.

• 📍 Howes Cave / Cobleskill
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: 671 Caverns Rd, Howes Cave, NY 12092

Hours: Added 2026-06-23 — confirm current hours before you go.

⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

last checked: 2026-06-23