Luray Caverns

Luray Caverns is a large cave system located in Luray, Virginia. The drive from Maryland to the caverns can take between two and three hours total. You will drive for an hour through the Shenandoah Valley, so you will have a beautiful view of the Appalachian mountains. I recommend making the trip in the Autumn months so that you can see the mountains in fall colors. Once you get to Luray Caverns you can take the tour of the Caverns, a tour of the Car and Carriage Caravan museum, and then a tour of the Luray Valley museum. There are a few gift shops and a restaurant next to the museums. There is also a hedge maze next to the parking lot.

The Luray Caverns tour lasts one hour. During the tour you will see many different formations. One of the most famous is called Pluto’s Ghost. Pluto’s Ghost is a column with a spooky white color. The cave discoverers named it after the roman god of the underworld. Saracen’s Tent is one of the best drapary formations in the cave. It looks like curtains made of limestone just hanging from the ceiling. The formation is so thin that it is translucent.

There are two famous mirrored pools in the cave. Dream Lake shows a mirror image of the stalactites above the pool. The mirrored image makes the pool look much deeper than it really is. The other mirrored pool is called the Wishing Well. Instead of looking deeper, the Wishing Well looks much more shallow than it really is. It is actually about six feet deep. The money that is thrown in the the Wishing Well is donated to charity every other year.

Luray Caverns is also home to the Great Stalacpipe Organ. The organ uses thirty-seven stalactites located throughout the cave in order to make sound. You can hear the organ anywhere because the music echoes throughout the cave. During the tour you will have a chance to hear the organ automatically play a song.

Once you take the tour of the caverns, your admission also allows you to tour the other museums. The Car and Carriage Caravan Museum contains a large collection of antique vehicles including different Ford Model T cars. People in the area donated a lot of these cars, including a one-of-a-kind 1941 Lincoln which was made for Edsel Ford, the son of Henry Ford. There are also engines on display that were used in the different car models.

The Luray Valley museum was opened this year. The museum depicts the Luray Valley and Shenandoah Valley area since it was first settled. There are many artifacts including furniture, books, clothing, and even instruments of the times. Mining and iron production were important for the area. Outside of the museum kids have the chance to sift through rocks in order to find fossils and polished stones.

I recommend setting aside a whole day for your visit to Luray Caverns. There is a lot to see, learn, and experience. The caverns have an amazing variety of formations, you’ll find something new every time you come.

Address: 101 Cave Hill Road, Luray, VA 22835
Phone: 540-743-6551