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We were so excited to be hosted by The Luray Caverns this weekend, and are thrilled to share our experience with you!
The Luray Caverns are awesome, in the literal sense of the word! The tour lasts only an hour but seems to go by much more quickly. You begin with a descent into the cave via a staircase (plenty of strollers went down with us, the rest of the tour is paved) that leads you into a grand “entrance hall” of sorts. The tour guides lead you through the fascinating caves, stopping along the way to explain all of the magnificent formations, share interesting facts, and answer any questions you may have. My kids were absolutely astounded, and therefore dwadled through the tour, stopping to gape at our astonishing surroundings quite often, but we never felt rushed. The tour guides are obviously very educated on the history of the caverns and were able to answer everyone’s questions with much detail.
It is absolutely incredible to be walking through these breathtaking caverns, knowing they formed millions of years ago. For those of us who live in DC (and even those who don’t) this day trip is an absolute must.
And as if the caverns were not phenomenal enough, after you are finished with your tour, you can head down the highway only 15 miles to one of the four entrances to Skyline Drive and take a stunning ride through the Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park. Skyline Drive is 105 miles long with 75 overlooks. After experiencing the caverns, we entered Skyline Drive via Thornton Gap and headed towards Front Royal (which is headed back towards DC.) The views are indescribable, especially this time of year with all the foliage. We make the trip out to Skyline Drive every year because it is absolutely worth it. If you are interested in hiking, camping, etc., I encourage you to click on the link below for more information.
Know before you go:
(I will cover the basics here, but since there is SO much information for lots of different types of adventures, I encourage you to check out the official websites for Luray Caverns and Skyline Drive.)
Luray Caverns:
Get there early!!! Lines start to form at 11am
Stroller friendly to an extent. (manageable steps, but some parts of the tour will not allow double strollers to fit through).
Snacks and drink are available for purchase in the gift shop, and there is a restaurant in the same parking lot.
There are many, many nearby attractions in addition to the caverns. There are multiple museums included in the purchase price of your cavern ticket located in the same parking lot.
For those of you coming from out of town, there are many hotel, motel, RV, and camping accommodations close by.
Just under a two hour drive from DC
Children 5 and under are free
Skyline Drive:
Get there early!! We entered the park around noon with no problem, but by the time we left at 3 p.m. the line to get in was miles long
$25/car entrance fee unless you have a federal state park pass, a fourth grader, or a senior park pass holder with you (prices differ if you are on bicycle, hiking, camping, etc)
There are restaurants and gas stations along Skyline Drive, but double check your route to make sure you will hit one
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