Penn’s Cave opened to visitors in 1885 and has been run by the same Pennsylvania family since 1908; after four generations, its owners want the 1,500-acre property to become a state park rather than be developed

Long before tourists arrived by boat, Penn’s Cave was simply a dark opening in the Pennsylvania countryside. In 1795, an Irish pastor descended into the hole and found a vast underground world of stalactites, stalagmites and icy water. More than two centuries later, the cave remains much as nature made it. Visitors now enter through a gift shop before boarding boats for a journey along the cold subterranean waters of Penns Creek, states an online report by The Philadelphia Inquirer. Above ground, the surrounding wildlife park stretches across hundreds of acres and is home to bison, wolves, elk and a particularly imposing black bear, adds the report. Today, the attraction draws thousands of visitors each year from its location just east of State College in Centre County. Now, however, its future may take an unexpected turn. Wondering why? Scroll down to find out.From family business to state parkPenn’s Cave and Wildlife Park opened to tourists in 1885 and has been operated by the same Pennsylvania family since 1908. After four generations, the owners are seeking to transfer the roughly 1,500-acre property to the state, potentially making it Pennsylvania’s 126th state park, states the online report. The proposal has emerged from years of discussions with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, or DCNR. Centre County commissioners and State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff have backed the idea, with preservation at the heart of the proposal. For the Schleiden family, which currently owns and operates the attraction, the question is what happens to the property when the family is no longer in a position to run it? Keeping the land and cave protected would prevent the site from eventually being carved up for development.DCNR has already inspected the property and held discussions about potentially assuming stewardship of the cave and its surrounding natural and cultural resources. Any acquisition could require approval from the state legislature.A different kind of state parkPenn’s Cave would not fit neatly into the traditional state-park model. Pennsylvania’s newest state park, Laurel Caverns in Fayette County, also began as a privately operated cave attraction before being donated to the state. But the similarities largely end there. Visitors explore Laurel Caverns on foot, while Penn’s Cave is experienced from boats navigating an underground waterway filled with rainbow trout. The property above Penn’s Cave also presents a bigger management question. Its rolling farmland and wildlife enclosures cover a much larger area than Laurel Caverns. Whether the state would continue operating the existing animal exhibits, which include elk, Texas longhorns and mountain lions, remains uncertain. Camping could eventually become another possibility if the property enters the state park system, although that too would have to be determined, adds the report.Preserving more than a tourist attractionA state takeover would also raise practical questions about staffing, maintenance and operating costs. Penn’s Cave currently employs both seasonal and full-time workers and operates visitor facilities including a gift shop and snack stand. Yet the central issue is bigger than the future of a tourism business.Inside the cave, the formations have taken thousands of years to develop. Its underground waterways and geology are part of Pennsylvania’s natural heritage, while the surrounding landscape provides habitat and recreational space. For a family that has cared for the property for four generations, turning Penn’s Cave into a state park could be a way of ensuring that its next chapter is defined not by development, but by preservation.For now, the boats still leave from the dock, visitors still descend into the darkness, and Penn’s Cave remains a family-run attraction waiting to learn whether its future will ultimately belong to the state.Image Courtesy: The Philadelphia InquirerCatch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.