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Luray Caverns

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Adelaide
Adelaide
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
10
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22
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Luray caverns part 2

  • July 31, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Ujjay2 from dssd, Maine
Luray Part 2:

But wait it’s not over!



Once you’ve finished viewing the caverns you’ve just started. After you exit the cave you can enter the gift shop or go and view antique cars. The gift shop is OK, everything’s not too expensive. You should get some gift cards and send them to friends. The gift cards have pictures of the cave scenery so you can show everyone how much you liked the place.


The antique cars are interesting. There is a lot to see, and many different cars there from buses to mailman buggies, so you won’t be disappointed. I must’ve spent at least half and hour scanning the place.



Afterwards you can enter the hedge maze. This place is huge. You’ll be getting lost over and over again (but it’s fun so no worries). I loved the placed and to find the exit of the maze you’ll have to search for clues. It’s great to try to see who can find the exit last!


Luray Caverns is more than just a cave. It’s a great place to visit, that’ll last you for hours!

From journal ~Luray caverns baby!~

Editor Pick

Luray Caverns

  • July 31, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Ujjay2 from dssd, Maine
I drove about 4 hours to reach this place. When I finally arrived, I first viewed a enormous area, with a huge hedge maze, a large entrance where all the cars where parked, and a sign that said (of course) LURRAY CAVERNS. I came in with a smile, despite the long line. I finally entered the caverns with a tour guide accompanying me. The first thing I noticed was I entered a dark cold and moist place. I became adjusted to the temperature of the caverns quickly.



So the tour guide directs us down the steps of the caverns. I see signs that of hollowed areas that say “DO NOT ENTER”. The tour guide explains, the history of the caverns, that is was formed millions of years in the past, and was just recently discovered in the 1800s.



I learned all sorts of things at this place, things stalactites, stalagmites, and tons of Geology. I would absolutely recommend this place to a teacher, for a field trip. It is both a learning experience, and a thrilling fun trip to begin with.



As I navigated around, I view many different sights in the cave. There were tons on dark scary pits (don’t fall into them!). Huge stalagmites holding the cave together, many different shapes sizes, and colors. There was an area where the pond of the cave mirrored all the Stalactites on the top of the cave. Quite intriguing if I do say so myself.



I also viewed a sight called the fried eggs. This was a rock formation that mimicked two frying eggs on a pan. A smooth shining rock looked like a yolk, and the hard rough material around the “yolk” looked like the egg whites. It’s really cute and strange at the same time.



My favorite part of the trip was the huge hollow area with one piano in the corner. The tour guide explained that this area was where they played piano. I was shocked to find you could play musical instruments in such an area. The cords of the piano were hooked up to stalactites, and someone started playing it. The cave area really helped the piano’s music. The hollowness of the cave added an abundance of reverberation. I have never heard something like this before. You just have to see this for yourself.



Recommended to anyone who enjoys exploring, or visiting new scenery.


From journal ~Luray caverns baby!~

Editor Pick

Luray Caverns

  • March 24, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by brianestadt from McKeesport, Pennsylvania
Luray Caverns

A venerable roadside attraction, Luray Caverns is a true piece of Americana. Few of my travel experiences have seemed so, well, American as standing in line for 15 to 20 minutes in a gift shop that exists only to sell you any and every kitschy items that can fit the words "Luray Caverns" on it.

I loved it. Even before we descended into the caves below, I was digging the feel of this place. I could imagine people in the 1950s standing in line waiting to get a peak at the wonders below. Of course, I imagined this scene in black-and-white, like an episode of "The Andy Griffin Show." I may be a sentimentalist, but only in gray scale.

Anyway, I loved that the stairs were well worn by a century's worth of feet shuffling through here. I found the straightforward "we want you to buy a postcard and your child to leave with a Luray Caves T-shirt" feel of the place to be honest and refreshing, unlike the slick, scripted pitch that was intended to get us to buy a timeshare at Massanutten Resort about 40 minutes south of here.

Keeping with the roadside attraction nature of the place, the caverns aren't the only thing to do at this place. A car museum and a garden labyrinth also are on premises. We had no desire to take in either.

Now, on to the star of the show—the caverns. They're pretty awesome. Dramatic lighting maximizes these subterranean scenes and the play of light and shadow on the mineral formations is well orchestrated. The walk is not physically difficult—as is the case with the road to hell, these slopes are gradual and the path is paved. Your guide, if he's anything like ours, will be competent and will pass along interest tidbits about the formations and how they were discovered.

The highlight of the caverns is a mirror-smooth underground pond. No more than 2 feet at its deepest, the pond, thanks to the lighting, offers an incredible optical illusion, as it perfectly reflects the stalactite above it. Linger here as long as possible to take in this site; it will dazzle your mind as you look at it from different angles.

The rest of the caverns are impressive as well. Billed as the most popular caverns in the eastern U.S., they are an impressive and massive network of tall-roofed caves.

PHOTO ADVICE: Point-and-click cameras (even digitals) will automatically shoot at flash mode, which ruins the dramatic lighting. If you can, turn off your flash, set your aperture as wide as possible, and slow your shutter as much as you dare. If shooting with film, use 800 speed. If you're shooting digital, set your ISO high. If you have a large-capacity memory card, shoot at several settings to ensure you get some keepers.

If near the northern tip of Virginia, this is definitely worth the admission ($19 for adults, $16 for seniors, $9 for children).

From journal Fun in Virginia... Despite the Timeshare Pitch

Luray Caverns

  • February 2, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Bev'sTravels from Wyomissing, Pennsylvania
Luray Caverns

The Luray Caverns of Virginia are the largest and most popular caves in the Eastern United states, and are a National Landmark. There are cathedral sized rooms with ceilings 10 stories high, pools of clear and reflecting water, and a wide variety of beautiful and colored formations. I loved it as a child, and it lived up to my childhood memories. There are huge, fabulous stalagmites and stalactites, columns, curtains, the famous Fried Egg, and an organ that is actually played in the largest room. It is a great activity for a rainy day, and everyone in the family or group will love it. The walk through the cave is very well paved and gradual.

From journal Virginia

Editor Pick

Luray Caverns

  • July 25, 2004
  • Rated 4 of 5 by dcgrrl from Arlington, Virginia
Luray Caverns

I'm putting this in my collection of must-see Americana. This is one of the privately owned roadside attractions advertised on billboards and in visitor's center brochures that is worth getting the kids out of the car for.

Luray Caverns features a 1.5-mile underground pathway featuring drip formations - stalactites and stalagmites, some still actively dripping. The pathway has been paved smooth and handrails added to keep folks safely on the path and away from the formations. As a result, the path is fairly easily navigable for most anyone. Note that the temperature is constantly around 54 degrees (F) - so if you're bringing grandma, bring her sweater!

Some of the formations are quite stunning, some begin to seem rather passé, just because of the sheer quantity the hour-long tour provides. But the guides posted along your walk are fairly knowledgeable, and keep things interesting with the stories behind the various creative names for different formations. And you may end up learning something about geology if you're not careful.

A big highlight is the organ, which uses stalactites and stalagmites as pipes. Pretty amazing. Also the most tampering that the caverns' owners seem to have done with the natural formations, outside of lighting them.

Take all the pictures you like - but as you'll see from my photos, the dramatic lighting requires some special photographic care. This is also why it's worth going, since it's very hard to reproduce some of the effects, like the big reflective underground lake, via film.

Now, the Americana part of it means that you will pay $18 per adult ($8 children 7-13, $16 seniors, group rates available) to walk through this cave. And you will be joined by two or three dozen folks, a random sampling of tourists who may or may not have showered, trained their children to listen quietly, or care at all if anyone else gets to enjoy the caverns while they are there. Gratefully, the tour is rather free-form, so you can always rush ahead or hang back to join a group that better fits your standards of etiquette.

The Luray Caverns crew has also provided a number of other ways for you to spend your money while you're here:
- Car & Carriage Caravan Museum
- Stalactite Cafe and Restaurant
- The Garden Maze
- Luray Singing Tower carillon
- Caverns Country Club Resort
- Luray Caverns Motels (East and West)

We took advantage of the picnic tables on the edge of the parking lot, for a free lunch of our own design before we descended into the caverns.

Open every day, tours depart approximately every 20 minutes, approximately 9am-4pm. 540/743-6551 http://www.luraycaverns.com

From journal Day Trip to Luray Caverns

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