Secret Caverns

After stopping at Howe Caverns and before checking out the Tepee, we had to stop at Secret Caverns. I say "had to" because Secret Caverns is definitely the most well- and cleverly-advertised roadside attraction I've ever seen. The cave, including a 100-foot waterfall, was discovered in 1928, developed in 1929 and is just down the road from Howe Caverns, in upstate NY.

Once you start seeing the billboards for Secret Caverns, you don't stop seeing them until you're in the parking lot. They've been famous for their handpainted signs pretty much from the start, and they've been lovingly maintained and replaced/repainted over the years. The billboards—with lines like "4 out of 5 dentists prefer our cavity"—are the main attraction, in my opinion. Everything that comes after them is just a bonus. 

We didn't take the tour because we were all caved out from our 90-minute Howe tour, but the gift shop was worth a stop. The artwork is not limited to the billboards and covers nearly every surface, including the bathrooms—which we were instructed to check out by the guy behind the counter. I felt bad telling him we didn't have time to take a tour, but he was very generous allowing us to poke around and even gave me two floaty pens for the price of one (totally worth the detour).

They have what they claim to be the "world's only mummified wishing well," centered around a mustachioed mummy identified as their first tour guide, and an ice cave that you can visit without taking the main tour. Secret Caverns feels like the weird, outsider cousin to the more polished and famous Howe Caverns and I feel so lucky to live in a world where I can still see both.