Going Below the Surface in Worcester

What to write about Worcester, a town in eastern upstate New York?  Geography is a possibility; we could state that Worcester is about 100 miles east of Syracuse and the Finger Lakes Region or that it is 60 or so miles southwest of Sacandaga Lake; this means that a day trip to either is possible, but you would hardly want to choose as your home base a vacation rental that is three hours away from your chief destination.

Cooperstown and Otsego Lake are a bit nearer Worcester - 16 miles to the northwest, to be precise.  As noted in an earlier post, Cooperstown has it all, literally from opera to baseball, or art museum to classic car. 

However, a quick read through any upstate New York tour guide will inform you that lakes, mountains, and spectacular scenery are common throughout.  What does Worcester have that’s different?  It has caverns.

Technically, the caverns are 23 miles away, in Howe’s Cave.  They are, not surprisingly, called Howe’s Caverns, discovered by Lester Howe in 1842, reportedly while he was out looking after his cows.  Rather than scenery above ground, here you’ll descend more than 150 feet into the earth, encountering subterranean lake and river, plus a cavescape said to rival Mammoth Caves in Kentucky.  That’s a good enough reason to book a nearby vacation rental any day.