The billboards along the interstate advertising Luray Caverns begin miles from the attraction. Surrounded by the fields and farms of Virginia’s peaceful Shenandoah Valley, the kid-friendly destination offers more than a cave tour. Plan to spend the day visiting on-site museums and enjoying outdoor activities. Bring your camera to capture the soaring underground rooms draped with stone formations.
The caverns, open year-round, were discovered in 1878. Well lit, paved walkways lead past formations such as the Giant’s Hall, a large chamber with pools and a 47-foot-tall column, and Dream Lake, a clear body of water that reflects the formations around and above it. The Great Stalacpipe Organ, purportedly the world’s largest musical instrument, uses stalactites scattered across 3 acres to make music. All of the cavern’s features are made of calcite, a form of limestone that, when unadulterated, is white.
Tours depart the building atop the caverns about every 20 minutes and last a little over an hour. The general admission fee includes the cave tour and entrance to both the Car and Carriage Caravan and the Luray Valley Museum. Tours of the museums take about half an hour. High humidity in the caverns makes the constant 54-degree temperature feel more like 65, so consider taking a light jacket or sweater. Small pets are allowed, but must be carried throughout the entire tour.
Among the multiple attractions at Luray Caverns are the Car and Carriage Caravan, a transportation museum, and the Luray Valley Museum, a 7-acre re-creation of frontier life. Children enjoy touring Toy Town Junction, a collection of toys and trains, or wandering the Garden Maze. A gem sluice lets you try your hand at finding gold nuggets, and the Rope Adventure Park has three courses, including one that’s suitable for smaller children. Free concerts at the 47-bell carillon are offered April through September. If you have time after visiting the attractions, play a round on Luray Caverns' 6,499-yard golf course.
Shenandoah Caverns, about 18 miles northwest of Luray Caverns, is the only cavern system in Virginia with elevator service. Visitors walk past drapery formations, flowstones and an underground lake. Endless Caverns, named because no one has found the outer limits of the cave system, is 18 miles southwest of Luray. Endless Caverns has a campground, but the entire attraction closes for the winter months. Less than 25 miles northeast of Luray, Skyline Caverns has a mirror maze and a kid-friendly miniature train ride as well as a cave system.
