Fall in McGaheysville, VA

If you enjoy nature and do not mind driving an hour or so to get to destinations, then McGaheysville is a good base of operations. Some of the things to do and see are as follows:

Luray Caverns - a very beautiful cavern
Skyline Caverns - a nice cavern which contains a rare formation called a "cave flower"
Dinosaurland - a park with lifesize models of dinosaurs. Each dinosaur has its' name and info about it.
Natural Bridge of Virginia - a stone arch that has a road going over it
Shenandoah National Park - beautiful scenery
New Market Battlefield - a civil war battlefield

The above destinations are within one and a half hours of McGaheysville. We also went on a five hour steam train ride in Cass, West Virginia - a two and a half hour drive. I highly recommend this train (especially during the fall) if you are a train enthusiast. Monticello (Thomas Jeffersons' estate) is two hours away and Washington DC is two and a half hours from McGaheysville.

Quick Tips:

If you only have a week and trade into a McGaheysville timeshare, and desire to see many of the above, then it would be a good idea to pre-plan your days as much as possible.

If want to ride the Cass, West Virginia, train during the fall color runs, you should get there at least two hours before the train departs or make reservations. The five hour train trip frequently sells out. There is also lodging in Cass if you prefer to stay there.

If you go to the Natural Bridge of Virginia, go towards the evening time. They conduct a light show (The Drama of Creation) on the bridge at nighttime.

Best Way To Get Around:

A car is a necessity for this area.

Best Things Nearby:
Some of the sightseeing and outdoors type of attractions within an hour or two of the resort are Shenandoah National Park; the Luray Caverns, Skyline Caverns, New Market Battlefield, The Natural Bridge of Virginia, and three or more other caverns which we did not visit.

Best Things About the Resort:
The Massanutten Resort has so many onsite activities that our next visit to the resort will be for two weeks - one for sightseeing and one for taking advantage of the activities.

Resort Experience:
Our unit was a two bedroom unit at Woodstone, which is a new complex at the resort. The kitchen was modern, spacious, and very well designed. The unit has TV's in the living room (a 32 or 35 inch screen) and both bedrooms, which was very nice. The master bedroom has a queen size bed (we prefer King), and a very large bath with a large shower and a jacuzzi tub. We were very pleased with the master bath. The second bedroom has two twin beds. The unit also features a gas fireplace. We did not get to use this because it was off for the season. The pilot lights were being lit for the winter on Oct. 11 - the day we checked out. Overall the unit was very pleasing.

The resort features two clubhouses. One is near the Woodstone units (a five minute or so walk for us) and the other is two or three miles away from these units. Both clubhouses feature indoor and outdoor pools, hot tubs, exercise rooms, and more. If we had the time to participate in the numerous activities, we would have bought "activity cards" for $99 per person. I believe they were selling kids cards for $49. These cards allow you free golf, and free skiing in winter (according to the staff). You also get reduced price and free activities. Some examples are as follows:

1. Couples golf tourney, prizes awarded, $10 or free with card.
2. Virginia winemakers dinner, $45 pp or 25 percent off with card.
3. Kid- Rec AM, Craft marathon 8:30am-2:30pm, $32 per child or $16 w/card. Kid rec programs were held every day, with something different each time.
4. Couples Massage class, 1 hr, $32/couple or $16/w card.
5. Cooking class $25 or $5 with card.

There were also activities which are free with the activity card; and some free such as indoor volleyball and water aerobics. The resort also has golf (mentioned above) and tennis courts, children's playgrounds, and much more.

The resort also features a very good restaurant (Fareways), a deli/pizzeria, and a market. Overall, this is a fantastic resort.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

Fareways serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We ate dinner, arriving at 8:30 pm on a Thursday night. The restaurant was fairly busy at this time and we waited about 10 minutes to be seated.

The restaurant has a casual atmosphere, which was nice because we have two children, and our server was pleasant. We ordered a chicken quesadilla appetizer, which was very good. It came with sour cream, salsa, and a spicy barbeque type sauce on the side. The salsa and sauce were both very good. We ordered wine as a beverage and couldn't decide between a Virginia cabernet (by the glass) or a California Zinfandel (by the bottle only). The waitress let us have a good sized taste of the Cabernet, which we thought was a nice touch. We ended up ordering the Zinfandel. The wine list was decent sized and the prices were reasonable. We paid about twice retail for our wine.

We ordered a Honey Whiskey Marinated Pork Chop ($16.95), New York Strip Steak ($16.95), and a children's Chicken Tenders and Fries ($4.95) for dinner. The pork chop was cooked to my liking and the sauce was very good. My entree came with mashed potatoes (very light and fluffy) and veggies (neither under or over cooked). My husband's steak was overcooked. He told the waitress and she gladly took it back and ordered another. When the new steak arrived, the restaurant manager came to our table to make sure that the steak was cooked to my husband's liking, which it was. The children's entree was also good and a large portion for a five year old.

The restaurant offers chicken, steak, veal, seafood, and pasta dishes as entrees. Soup/salad is extra ($2.95/soup, $3.95/french onion soup, and $2.50/house salad). The menu also offers Casear, Chicken, Greek, Spinich, and a Southwestern Cobb salad. They had four or five desserts to choose from. We passed on this because our dinners were plentiful. Overall, the atmosphere, service, and food were very good.

The Natural Bridge of Virginia is an arch which is 215 ft tall and 90 ft wide. The natural bridge itself is quite spectacular - if you enjoy the beauty of natural arches. The cost to view the Natural Bridge is $10/adults and $5/children 5 and older. There are also other attractions at this location and nearby which can be viewed either separately or by purchasing a combination ticket. The attractions are as follows: Toy Museum, Wax Museum, and Caverns. A combination ticket to all 4 attractions is $22.50(adult)/$11.25(child). The toy museum and wax museum are at the same general location (same parking lot) as the Natural Bridge and the Caverns are a 5-10 minute drive from the Natural Bridge.

We only had time to view the Natural Bridge and it's surroundings; but we would like to visit the other attractions also. The entrance fee also is good for viewing a Monacan Indian Living History Village and a light and sound show called the "Drama of Creation". The walk to the Natural Bridge (from the gift shop where fees are paid) is approximately 1/4 mile. After admiring the arch and taking many photos of it (attempting, as always to get the perfect picture), we continued down the trail until we came upon the Monacan Village. This particular day the "indians" were giving a talk on the construction of their living quarters and a cooking demonstration. After viewing the village and listening to the talks; we meandered down the trail (alongside a river) until it came to an end (approximately 1 mile from where we began). At this point there is a small waterfall to view. When we were here in early October, the falls were only a trickle. There had been no recent rain and this area was experiencing a drought.

Overall the walk to the nonexistent falls was very pleasing and pretty and the Monacan Village was interesting. We also did not choose to stay for the Drama of Creation; which I now regret. This event takes place at dusk and is the story of creation told with a light and sound show which is projected onto the Natural Bridge.

The Natural Bridge is appoximately a 1 1/4 hour drive south of McGaheysville. It is located on Route 11, between exits 175 and 180 from Interstate 81. There is also lodging next to the Natural Bridge if you choose to visit the area overnight. More information can be obtained at www.naturalbridgeva.com

One of our tourist stops while in McGaheysville was a visit to Dinosaurland. Dinosaurland consists of over 40 life-size dinosaur re-creations in a forest-like setting. Our 5-year-old son is a dinosaur enthusiast, so it was a "must see" for him.

After paying our entrance fees in the gift shop, we walked out the rear door to a "dinosaur delight." The dinosaurs were well spaced throughout the park (a gravel pathway leads past all of them), and each one had a sign with its species name and proper pronunciation, along with some general information such as size, physical attributes, and diet. Dinosaurland was like walking through a lifelike childrens' book. It was both entertaining and educational. Also, whoever re-created these dinosaurs had quite a bit of artistic ability. The park is fairly small, so it only takes 30 minutes or so to view all the dinosaurs and read the signs.

The gift shop is very nice and features a fairly large selection of Fenton glassware. There are also many dinosaur gifts (of course), silver jewelry, rocks and minerals, and many other knickknacks to spend your money on.

Overall, Dinosaurland is both interesting and educational for people of all ages, and a worthwhile stop if you happen to be in the area. It is located at the intersection of U.S. 277, 522, and 340 between Winchester and Front Royal, Virginia, which is near (within 15 to 20 minutes) the location of the Skyline Caverns. The phone number for further info is (540) 869-2222. It is closed from January 1 to February 28.

Skyline Caverns is one of only a few places in the world where you will find a formation known as Anthodites. These formations are made of calcite and are white in color, and have spikes which spread in all directions from their position on the cave ceiling. If you enjoy visiting caverns and viewing uncommon formations, then Skyline Caverns is a must.

With the exception of the "Orchids of the Mineral Kingdom", as they are so-called, there are not many other formations in this cave. Our tour lasted about one hour, and the guide explained the history of the cave, the different types of formations (stalagmite, stalagtite, column, etc), and also showed us total darkness by turning off the lights. The tour was typical in that formations are given names such as The Shrine, The Capitol Dome, etc., to represent objects they resemble. This cavern also features a very small "lake" and an underground waterfall, of which we were only able to view the top portion.

There is also a one-fifth scale miniature train, on property at the caverns park, that you can ride on for one dollar per person. The train area covered on this train is not much - a small loop which we went around twice, for a total of about an eight minute ride.

Overall the Skyline Caverns are worth visiting mostly to see the Anthodites formations. If you want to just view formations, and many spectacular ones, then the Luray Caverns are a better choice. There are also several other caverns in the area.

One of our favorite activities when travelling is to visit caverns and the Luray Caverns did not disappoint. Our 1hr tour (Cost $16/adult, kids under 5 free) was both informative and spectacular. We shot two rolls of a film on our tour and would have taken more had the camera''s battery not died. Our tour consisted of the cave''s history; an explanation of cave formations, including the usual stalagmites, stalactites, colums, etc., and, as we have encountered on all cave tours, the guide pointed out certain formations that looked like dogs, turtles, and so forth.

This cavern has some underground lakes (small) which beautifully reflect the formations above them. There is also a "Great Stalagpipe Organ" in the cavern which I believe is unique. The music is played by each key being connected to formations throughout the cavern (each of which plays a different note). The guides do not play the organ, however, but a computer. The guides point out some of the formations used to play the instrument.

Also included in the cave admission is a Car and Carriage Caravan Museum; which has over 140 transportation-related items dating back to 1725. This collection of cars, buggies, etc., is worth seeing. There is also a large maze, and a pretty bell tower near the cavern.