Luray Caverns in Luray, Virginia

My adventure partner/niece Megan and I spent the weekend in Luray, Virginia. We wanted to visit the Shanendoah National Forest and Luray Caverns.

Luray is a quiet town.

To be honest, when we made the plans, I thought it was going to be a small cave with a few stalagmites. I was unprepared. It is an actual tourist attraction.

As we drove into the parking lot, there were a few buildings, a small Rope Adventure Park and a Garden Maze. This was not what I expected.

The larger building held the ticket counter and gift shop. As we walked to the counter to buy our entry tickets, we decided to try the Garden Maze, too. I had never been in one and they look fun in movies.

I asked the woman behind the desk how long does it typically take people to complete the maze. She replied, “It depends on how smart you are.”

Megan and I looked at each other and smiled. Challenge accepted.

We decided to see the caverns first, knowing we would be hitting up the gift shop for a trinket to memorialize our adventure, as we do.

We walked through gift shop and out the doors to the caverns. There was a winding pathway down to another building. We walked through the doors and started the tour.

Oh. My. Goodness. This was a lovely surprise.

This place was huge! As they mention on their website, they are proud to offer tours along well-lighted, paved walkways that lead visitors through cathedral-sized rooms with ceilings 10-stories high, towering stone formations, and natural wonders at every turn. This world renowned, US natural landmark is more than 4 million centuries in the making.

It was gorgeous. At a balmy 54 degrees fahrenheit, with very high humidity, which makes it feel more like 65 degrees. I started with a jacket, but took it off when we began walking. It is a paved walkway, but know that there are hills, so keep that in mind. They were accurate when they stated that it was well lit.

The self guided tour took about an hour. We visited three areas, the Totems, Saracen’s Tent and Giant’s Hall.

The Totem’s is a group of stagmites that resemble the sculptured art of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. Saracen’s Tent is full of beautiful drapery structures. Giant’s Hall is the largest room in the caverns, with the tallest formation of a cavern measuring 47 feet tall.

The next stop on the tour is in the Cathedral, home to the world’s largest musical instrument - The Great Stalagpipe Organ. You could hear the music through the speakers. They would not allow me to play a rousing version of Mary Had a Little Lamb on it, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

We walked out of the caverns and back up the winding walkway to the gift shop where we bought our souvenir magnets and other trinkets before heading over to the Garden Maze.

The words of the cashier still in our minds, I put on the stopwatch before we entered the maze. There were clues throughout the maze to guide us along. We giggled and laughed and thought it would be easier than it was. No need to go into details, but there was some backtracking and turning around, but we made it out. It took us 26 minutes. I feel confident that the two nine-year boys definitely walked through that thing twice, in less than our time.

I would recommend this attraction if you are in the area. The town of Luray is small and quaint, so if you are looking for a bustling nightlife, you may want to set your expectations. The town went very quiet, very early. We did eat at a Mexican Restaurant which was delicious.

Here are the important details for Luray Caverns:

Luray Caverns

101 Cave Hill Road

Luray, Virginia 22835

540-743-6551

www.luraycaverns.com