Visiting Virginia Luray Caverns

[dimurrrw]

Luray is located in Page County, VA and is famous far and wide for the beautiful Luray Caverns. Don’t pass them up if you are coming through the area. Do allow for at least a one night stay at a local campground. I promise that seeing the caverns is something you will always remember. Do bring a jacket. At a constant 54 degrees, “down under” can be a bit on the chilly side. Also bring your camera. It has been a number of years since I last toured the caverns but I seem to remember that doing so might not be appropriate for folks who are in need of a hip or knee replacement, or otherwise have trouble walking. You might want to call ahead if you fall into that category.

Two other attractions of note in Luray are the Car and Carriage Caravan Museum and the Singing Tower. The car museum is adjacent to the entrance to the caverns and the Singing Tower is not far away. As major attractions they don’t even come close, in my opinion, to seeing the Caverns, but… There is information on both venues (and more) at the links at the end of this post.

Camping sites should not be a problem if you plan in advance. As in any tourist area, I strongly suggest making reservations . Here is some information on nearby campgrounds. http://luraypage.com/cgi-bin/bizdire...ingcampgrounds

What’s nearby? The answer is simply, “To much to tell you about.” I will give you a couple of hints though. You may well pass through a part of the Shenandoah National Park and/or the Skyline Drive while getting there. I recommend a jaunt on the Drive in your TV, but not in a motor home or with a trailer in tow. Charlottesville is not far away. In that general area you have Monticello (Thomas Jefferson) and Ash Lawn (James Monroe). More on Charlottesville at a later date.

Access to Luray is good. I-81 and US-29 run parallel to the mountains. However, do remember that once you turn off of either of those roads to get to Luray you are going to be in the mountains. Check your mapping program.

The above hyperlinks came from the following two sites. Please see both for lots more information.
http://www.luraycaverns.com/index.html
http://luraypage.com/index.shtml

[MtnGuy]

Richard, this thread and the others that you just did are great. I can see that you are proud of what we have in Virginia just like I am.

I was fortunate to grow up in Page County, and to have access to all of the attractions that you have listed in this tread.

We spent the weekend at Big Meadows Campground on the Skyline Drive. The bears were out in force. We never got to see the boar tracking the sow that the rangers warned us about in the campground, but did encounter a momma and 2 cubs nearby. And we stopped at Naked Creek overlook on the way back down the moutain for a bite to eat on Sunday, and we spotted a bear in the field there while having our lunch in the camper......can't complain at all about the lunch time entertainment right outside our window.

After a lifetime of experiencing the mountains and valleys of western Virginia, I have never gotten tired of this area.

[PattiPatti]

Where do you guys camp out there? My friend and i are trying to plan a Luray trip with our families, and we really only found the Yogi Bear near there. What are some other nice places, preferably with full hook ups? (or at least water and electric, with a dump station)

Thanks!

[dimurrrw]

Originally Posted by PattiPatti

Where do you guys camp out there? My friend and i are trying to plan a Luray trip with our families, and we really only found the Yogi Bear near there. What are some other nice places, preferably with full hook ups? (or at least water and electric, with a dump station)

Thanks!

You are probably best off sticking with the Yogi Bear campground. Chap camps at Big Meadows, which is not too far. Maybe he can give you some information on that. See his post in this thread. Otherwise, this might help you some:
http://luraypage.com/cgi-bin/bizdire...ingcampgrounds

[MtnGuy]

PattiPatti, the link that Richard posted is pretty much all that I think is available for camping in the immediate area.

Luray RV Resort looks interresting.

Yogi Bear has been around for awhile.

Riverside Camping is between the river and Rt. 340, with only about 100 yds. seperating the 2. In other words, a small campground. There are a lot of seasonal campers there.

The other campground on the link is for tents only.

So Luray RV Resort and Yogi Bear are probably your best bets for a destination campground. But I had no idea that camping rates were that high......in Page County, VA., non the less......geez.

Big Meadows that Richard mentioned where I like to camp does not have electric and on-site water or sewer. Since you mentioned that you want full hookups, and since it is probably close to an hour away from the caverns, that might not be an option for y'all. The campgrounds on the Drive, and also in the George Washington Forest are more for experiencing the mountains, and because of the lack of hookups is a little more difficult to stay for more than a couple of days without some preplanning.....generator, and a portable dump tank.