The Natural Wonders of Virginia

Shenandoah Valley has many commercial caverns to visit. There is nothing like visiting a cavern in summer when the outside temperatures are too hot to enjoy many other activities. All of the caverns have different things to offer: Grand Caverns are majestic and have many different structures, Luray Caverns have a really nice lighting, and a magical dreamlake which will take your breath away and the Endless Caverns that simply doesn't end (for those of us who are not into caving it has an end).

When we visited the caverns we wondered if the ancient sculpturers in the ancient Greece and Rome saw the stalactites and stalagmites and inspited by them to create their columns and structures as the underground formations are as delicate and detailed.

Quick Tips:

For us it was a little bit expensive to pay -16 per person to see the caverns. You should have your AAA card handy if you want to take advantage of the discounts in the caverns. If you are not a member of AAA, get coupons from the internet which are available for some caves. (I added links in my entries for discount coupons). If not simply ask for a discount. We learned that our Kroger card gave a discount for Luray Caverns. (Who would have guessed). When I questioned about the availibility of discounts in Grand Caverns, the tour guide offered a off.

Take a light jacket with you as it is nice and cool in the cave. Wear sensible shoes, the grounds may be wet or you may need to climb steep stairs.

Most importantly, try to take the last or first tour of the day. Especially in the weekends the groups may be large in size and you would be rushed.

Best Way To Get Around:

You need a car to visit the caverns as they are scattered in the Shenandoah Valley. Also, we saw groups of people arriving with tour buses. I guess tour companies may be arranging tours for some of the caverns.

Grand Caverns, also called Weyer's Cave, is designated a Regional Park unlike the other caverns which are owned by private citizens.

Grand Caverns were rated by a magazine as number 2 caverns in the US. Our guide told us that Grand Caverns were special for three reasons: The size of the caverns, the vertical earth structure caused by an earthquake before the caverns were formed and more than 200 "sword structures." He said that the geologists did not really know how this sword structures were formed.

Grand Caverns is the oldest showcase caverns in the US. In 2006 it is going to be its 200 anniversary of public touring. On our tour we were able to see how the early people traveled using ladders, and at the Dante's Inferno how their candle was blown out. At one point on our right side we saw lots of names carved to the wall. The signatures belonged to the civil war soldiers. Stonewall Jackson did not enter the caverns and said "No, I think not. I fear I shall be underground soon enough, and I have no desire to speed the process!"

The kids would love the rainbow room, where they used different color for lighting. You can also get married in the Cathedral for only $100. Our tour guide told us that his grandmother, mother, and brother all get married in the Cathedral. They used to knock on the stalacmites to play them as an organ.

The entrance fee was $13.50 for adults. $1 off for triple AAA members, seniors and active military. There is a discount coupon for $1 in their website. We got a $1 off, thanks to our tour guide, when I question about what types of discounts they have.

We did not take our own advice and take a late tour. Our tour group was more than 30 which made the tour rushed. The tour half an hour later had only 8 people. Take the tour after 3:30 PM on a weekend at summertime. I definitely would like to revisit the Grand Caverns with a smaller group. The state park also has a swimming pool, picnic areas, and hiking trails.

On one rainy day we decided to visit the Endless Caverns , that we read much about. We visited Staunton first and when we reached the caverns it was 5:00 PM on a Sunday afternoon. We didn't know how lucky we were. There were only 5 of us for the tour, 3 adults and 2 kids. It was like our own private tour.

Compared to the Luray Caverns, the Endless Caverns were less elegant, and have fewer stalactites and stalamites. Our tour guide said that there were three known layers of the caverns and the tour only includes the first two layers. Some of the path was paved, soem was carved limestone and it was not as easy walk as the Luray Caverns. However, the Endless Caverns looked more realistic, as they didn't have as much lighting and improvement as the Luray Caverns. The main lighting system in the Endless Caverns dates back to 1920s.

We saw some brown bats hanging to the ceiling, and our tour told us that a shrimp-like crustacean species also existed on the third floor where there was an underground creek. Before we started climbing back in the trail, our tour guide turned the lights off to make us see how dark the caverns are. She also demonstrated how it would be with a candle light. Right before exiting there was a special show which is called "The sunrise in the Cave," where first all the lights were off, then they were turned incrementally with the accompliment of a soft music, which was really nice.

Our tour guide has told that the mapped part of the caverns is 5 miles long, but nobody knows exactly where it ends.

The entry fee is $12 for the adults, $6 for the kids, and they only have discounts for AAA members ($1 off). On their website , there are discount coupons. The tour is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes long.

We were camping in the Shenandoah National Park and we drove to the Luray Caverns, which is very close to one of the park entrances. It was a hot and humid Virginia summer day so we were happy to be in the caverns with an average temperature of 54 degrees. We took some sweaters with us but we didn't really need it as the humidity even in the cave was near 85%.

The tour was nearly an hour long. The ground was paved and there were handrails.

My husband who thought it was a waste of our time to visit this cavern was appalled by the beauty of the formations. Dream Lake was one of the most impressive sights we had during our tour. At first I did not realize that there was water which reflected the stactites hanging from the ceiling.

Saracen's Tent was another fascinating formation. It looked like drapery. Our tour guide stated that National Geographics in 1960s had chosen this formation as one of the best formed drapery structures.

Near the end of our tour we stopped at a cavern called the Cathedral as nearly 400 couples married there. We saw the great stalacpipe organ which used the stalactites as pipes. It was invented by a scientist who was into music. We listened to Oh Shenandoah which was programmed in the organ. My heart felt a little sadness as the inventor of the organ had cut and wired the stactites.

I wished it was less crowded and we had more time to observe the caverns in our own pace. Perhaps going there in winter where there are less tourists would be a better option. Who knows....

The entry tickets are $16 for adults. There is a $4 discount for AAA members, and the holders of Kroger and Ukrops store cards. We were really happy to have a Kroger store card, as that meant out of 4 of us one went in free.

Natural Bridge is owned privately so it is very commercilized. However, despite all the man-made buildings and pavements it is still stunning. Jefferson loved it so much he paid 20 shillings to buy the bridge and the surrounding 157 acres. After his death due to his huge debt it was sold. One can see why Jefferson called it "the most sublime of nature's works." It is not that it is 215 feet by 90 feet giant rock bridge. It is that with a small creek, Cedar Creek, running under it and through the woods you feel like it is not a part of this world. It is a fairy land or Eden.

It is said that George Washington surveyed it first and carved his initials on the left leg of the bridge, 20 feet above the ground.

There is Monocan Indian Village on the trail, as well as Saltpeter Cave, which was mined for nitrates to make gunpowder during the Civil War (they used mostly bat droppings for it). The trail ends with the Lace Falls, which you can observe at a distance. We saw two different kinds of snakes, and wild turkeys on our hike.

I suggest if you can, go there on a weekday. We went there on an April Sunday and to our suprise it was packed. It is handicapped accessible. There is a shuttle from the visitors center or you can take the stairs. Admission is $10 for adults and for students and kids it is $5.