Service Animals
PENN’S CAVE SERVICE ANIMAL POLICY
Penn's Cave cares very deeply about all of its guests including those guests that are accompanied by Service Animals.
These policies represent careful consideration of federal and state law in the context of our inherent limiting natural attraction, and were developed in part based upon consultation with staff at the Institute on Disability Awareness at Niagara University in New York. In 2026, Penn's Cave senior staff successfully attended training with two of the amazing leaders at the Institute on Disability Awareness at Niagara University.
While the below policies detail our current capabilities, Penn's Cave continues to plan for ongoing improvements in its offerings to guests that are accompanied by Emotional Support Animals and Service Animals. To provide feedback on these policies, please email us at caveinfo@pennscave.com.
SERVICE ANIMALS:
Pennsylvania case law appears to utilize the same considerations under The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA) as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for all service animals, which are recognized primarily as dogs, but can include and miniature ponies.
Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, Penn’s Cave employees may ask: (1) if the animal is required because of a disability; and (2) what work or task the animal has been trained to perform.
While Penn's Cave permits Service Animals in its Visitors Center, Cafe and on the immediate grounds of the Penn's Cave Hotel and Visitors Center, due to the nature of our tours, we are unable to accommodate Service Animals on the cavern tour or the farm-nature-wildlife tour.
Penn’s Cave Grounds:
With the foregoing in mind, Service Animals are welcome on our grounds around the Visitors Center and historic Penn’s Cave Hotel if they are kept on a leash or harness, and to the extent their owners are cleaning up after them and have them under proper control around other tourists. While Service Animals are welcome on the grounds around the historic Penn’s Cave Hotel so long as they are kept on a leash or harness, for the safety and enjoyment of all of our visitors, and for the safety of our staff and the protection of our wildlife park animals as well as the Service Animals themselves, Service Animals are strictly prohibited from being taken to the Penn’s Cave barn and/or near any of the wildlife enclosures (bison, long horn cattle, deer and elk and/or wild horses and burros) that are located near the Penn’s Cave Hotel.
Penn’s Cave Café:
Service Animals are permitted in the Penn’s Cave Café so long as they are kept on a leash or harness, however such animals are not permitted to sit directly at or on the tables (e.g., on the chairs, table surface, etc.), and may not be fed at the tables. Service Animals are permitted to lay down, sit or stand near their owners at the table where the owner eats. Penn’s Cave will ask the individual with disabilities to remove the Service Animal if such animal defecates, urinates, or is otherwise uncontrollable inside the Café; in such cases, the individual with the disability will have the option to remain in the Café without having the Service Animal on the premises.
Penn’s Cave Gift Shop, Miner's Maze and Gemstone Panning Sluices:
Service Animals are permitted in the Penn’s Cave gift shop, the Miner's Maze and at the gemstone panning sluices so long as they are kept on a leash or harness. Penn’s Cave will ask the individual with disabilities to remove the Service Animal if such animal defecates, urinates, or is otherwise uncontrollable in these spaces; in such cases, the individual with the disability will have the option to remain in these spaces without having the Service Animal on the premises.
Cavern Tours:
Penn's Cave is a natural attraction. Penn's Cave takes great care to protect the cave's natural terrain and ecosystem. Unlike other walk-through caverns, Penn's Cave is an all-water cavern. Because of the natural barriers within the cave itself, Penn's Cave boats are custom made boats - limited by both width and length in order to safely navigate the cavern. Penn's Cave's air temperature is 52 degrees year-round, and the water within Penn's Cave is, on average, 38 degrees year-round. Given the air and water temperatures, a person submerged into the water within the cave will likely experience life-threatening hypothermia in under 10 minutes. Penn’s Cave cavern tours are given entirely by boat, and, for the safety of everyone on board, all visitors to the cave are required to stay seated on the boat, with their hands within the boat, for the entire tour and, also for the safety of everyone on board, the center isle of the boat must remain fully clear for the entire tour. Penn's Cave is unable to safely protect the cave's natural terrain and ecosystem and/or is unable to safely provide tours by any other means without fundamental structural alterations to the natural cavern. Accordingly, given the all-water cave's natural terrain and ecosystem and the only means by which cavern tours are safely available, the cave is not a safe accessible attraction for Service Animals and therefore Service Animals are not permitted on the Penn’s Cave cavern tours.
Farm-Nature-Wildlife Tours:
For the safety and protection of the Penn’s Cave Wildlife Park animals, the Penn’s Cave Animal Care Team, and for the safety and protection of all of our visitors and our visitors' Service Animals themselves, Service Animals are not permitted on the Farm-Nature-Wildlife Tour. The Penn’s Cave Wildlife Park houses wild animals and natural predators that are extremely sensitive to other animals, and, therefore, any outside animals could evoke territorial and/or predatory aggressive behaviors in the Wildlife Park animals. In addition to the safety risks, some of the Penn’s Cave Wildlife Park animals will not come into view for the tour buses when they sense an outside animal on such tour bus.
