On July 4th, we visited the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour in McDade Park, Scranton, PA with our 5-year-old daughter and her 7-year friend. We started our Independence Day 300 feet underground in a real anthracite coal mine, a memorable way to experience a piece of American history that once fueled the Industrial Revolution.

A bit of history

The mine originally opened in 1860 as the Continental Mine, operated by the Continental Coal Company, and stayed in production until 1966. After a restoration funded by the federal government, it reopened as a tourist attraction in 1985. Visitors now ride a mine car down Slope #190 into the Clark Vein, about 300 feet / 91 m below the surface.

Our tour guide was friendly and knowledgable, his grandfather worked in this very mine for 27 years as an engineer. He told us the engineer was one of the few well-paid jobs in the mine; most other workers earned very little. Breaker boys, children as young as 8 who picked impurities out of coal by hand, made only about 70–80 cents for a 10-hour day. That gap between brutal work and meager pay fueled union discontent, culminating in the Great Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902, when the United Mine Workers of America struck for over 160 days for higher wages, shorter workdays, and union recognition.

The tour experience

The tour started in a theater room with an introductory video. We then signed a waiver and each got a hard hat with a hair net (optional), which the girls found amusing. From there, we boarded the mine car — the descent down the slope takes only 3-4 minutes, followed by a guided walk of about half a mile through winding gangways and rock tunnels, around an hour in total.

Down in the mine, life-size model miners are posed at work throughout the tunnels, showing jobs like the mule boy and the nipper. Our daughter was scared at a few points – the models look realistic in the dim light, and the guide’s booming re-enactment of the blasting warning “Fire! Fire! Fire in the hole!” (shouted three times before detonating explosives) followed by loud sounds startled both girls. Perhaps some heads-up beforehand would help.

One of the coolest demonstrations I saw was the flame safety lamp, which miners used to detect the two invisible killer gases underground: methane and carbon dioxide. The flame dims or goes out when oxygen is being displaced.

The mine cart ride

The mine car ride was certainly the highlight for all of us – especially the ride back up sitting in the front row seat, emerging from darkness into daylight, from cold to warm. Fun fact with a slightly nervous edge: in June 2024, a mine car lost power underground and more than 50 visitors had to be evacuated, hoisted to the surface in small emergency escape cages through the ventilation (fan) shaft, three or four people at a time over about two hours. No one was injured, and the tour reopened after repairs.

Visiting with kids

The mine stays a cool 53°F (about 12°C) year-round, which felt shockingly cold coming from a hot July day. I’d dress appropriately: long pants, proper closed-toe shoes, and jackets are recommended (light jackets are also available for rent). We just asked the kids to stay quiet while the guide was talking, though we could probably have prepped them more for the dark tunnels, realistic miner models, and loud blasting sound effects. Adult tickets were $12 and kids under 12 at $9 when we visited, with free parking right outside with two lots. The lackawanna county website has the current rates and hours, as the tour is seasonal (roughly April through November). The earliest tour departs 10:45AM and the last tour leaves mid-afternoon; we arrived by 10AM to beat the crowds and grab a spot on the first tour — this is a popular stop with tourists, and the crowd only grew as the morning went on.

Bringing a baby

Our 7-month-old son stayed home with the in-laws for this one. Strollers are allowed but have to be folded up on the mine cart, and the underground walk itself isn’t stroller-friendly – the ground can be wet and slippery in the dim tunnels, and the walk is about an hour long in 53°F / 12°C. If you do bring a baby, the bathroom has a diaper changing table, and warm layers for the little one would go a long way in the chill.

Wrap

Between the real mining history, the guide’s family stories, and the thrill of the mine car, this was one of the most educational and memorable outings we’ve done in Pennsylvania. Our daughter’s own takeaway was simply “too cold,” not quite yet grasping the harsh working conditions back then, like how my husband’s own great-grandfather used to work in the coal mine. We happen to live a 10-minute drive away, so we didn’t try to see everything this trip – the Anthracite Heritage Museum is in the same park, and McDade Park itself has a nice playground, picnic spots, and a few memorable pizza places nearby, enough to make a full day of.