Put on your miner’s helmet and journey into the Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mines beneath Mahanoy Mountain in Ashland, PA.
Begin with a classic, steam locomotive train ride along the side of the mountain. See the Bootleg Mine and perpetual Centralia mine fire, a fire that just won’t go out.
Then, go beneath the mountain and into the mine! Ride in an open mine car manned by your miner-guide, who narrates the trip with stories of the mine, points out the coal seams and describes the labyrinth of underground passageways. See it through the eyes of the early coal miners of the 1800s.
The day starts with a three-course lunch at the Dutch Kitchen Restaurant, a nostalgic, roadside country restaurant.