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Shenandoah Caverns "Cascade Hall"
While staying in Warrenton you can take many day trips to nearby attractions, fun for the whole family.
CAVERNS
LURAY CAVERNS (Near Skyline Drive ~ (540) 743-4531): Since their discovery in 1878 by a tinsmith and a local photographer, visitors by the millions have made Luray Caverns the most popular cave in Eastern America and an internationally acclaimed destination. 4,000,000 centuries in the making beneath Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, this landmark features one hour guided tours from well lighted, paved walkways through cathedral sized rooms with ceiling 10 stories high. Enormous chambers are filled with towering stone columns, shimmering draperies and crystal clear pools. Hear rocks sing as you experience the haunting sounds of the world's largest musical instrument, The Great Stalacpipe Organ. Completely unique are the beautiful tones created by this one of a kind instrument, which makes music of concert quality from the surrounding stalactite formations covering more than three acres. Open every day in the year!
SKYLINE CAVERNS (Front Royal, VA ~ 1-800-296-4545): One of the few places in the world where you will find unique formations known as Anthodites, called "Orchids of the Mineral Kingdom", the Anthodites seem to defy gravity. Their delicate white spikes spread in all directions, including upwards, from their position on the cave ceiling. Their growth rate is estimated to be only one inch every seven thousand years! The Caverns were discovered in 1937 by geologist Walter S. Amos, exposing a secret that had lain beneath the earth's surface for 60 million years. Knowledgeable guides escort you through the Caverns explaining the geological history while challenging your imagination (the temperature in the Caverns is 54 degrees, year round, so you may want to bring your jacket...as well as your camera). Kids of all ages enjoy a ride on the Skyline Arrow, a 10 minute ride on the Caverns' one-fifth scale miniature train. Weather permitting, the train ride is open every day. There is a gift shop containing collectibles, local handcrafts, native Virginia foods and jewelery. Also on the grounds is a Rock Shop, snack bar and outdoor picnic facilities. Caverns are open every day.
SHENANDOAH CAVERNS (540) 477-3115: Located on the western ridge of the Shenandoah Valley, these are the closest major caverns to Interstate Highway 81, just two minutes from Exit 269. There's a good deal of legend attached to the early history of the caverns. The name "Shenandoah", given to the valley, is of Indian origin and means "Daughter of the Stars." Tradition has it that the Caverns were known to, and used by the Indians that inhabited the region long before the white man arrived. Discovered in 1884 during the building of the Valley division of the Southern Railway, they were first opened to the public in May of 1922. The beginning of the hour long tour contains the world famous Bacon Formations, once featured in National Geographic Magazine. The internal lighting was designed and engineered to illuminate the far reaches of darkness and the vaulting heights above. The temperature in the Caverns year round is 56 degrees (bring that sweater), is open year round, has ample free parking for any type of vehicle and picnic grounds with a splendid view of the Shenandoah Valley. Inside the lodge is a gift shop of antiques and memorabilia, a real U.S. Post Office and a coffee shop offering quick, delectable home-cooked food at reasonable prices (seasonal). This is the only Caverns in Virginia with an elevator.
HUPPS CRYSTAL CAVERNS (Strasburg, VA ~ (540) 465-8660: In the 1750's the Hupps were among the many "Dutch" (German) emigres moving south along the Great Valley of the Shenandoah. They eventually settled just north of what is now Straburg, VA. While exploring their property, they discovered a large cavern lying on the crest of what would become known as "Hupps Hill". For this reason, the caverns are considered the oldest documented in Virginia. The Hupps took advantage of the cavern's constant 54 degree temperature to store food. Periodically their friends and neighbors would visit the beautifully decorated cavern rooms and corridors,lit with scores of candles and lanterns. From 1861 - 1865 Hupps Hill was in the center of several of the great battles of the Civil War, including Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek (Fall of 1864). The caverns saw the passage of thousands of soldiers of both the northern and southern armies. After World War 1 paths were built, electrical lights installed and the Caverns were opened for tours in 1922. More recently, psychic Jeanne Dixon, who loved the Shenandoah Valley, often visited Crystal Caverns to mediate and rejuvenate her psychic abilities. Hundreds of calcite crystals glitter and sparkle from the cave's crystalline rimstone formations, one of the finest displays of this natural treasure in the Appalachian region. Courteous and knowledgable guides are available to help interpret the natural and historical significance of the caverns. Educational and group programs are available as well as Civil War lantern tours with guides dressed in period clothing. The Caverns are open Monday - Saturday from 10:00 am. - 5:00 p.m., Sunday 12:00 noon - 5:00 p.m. (Closed Christmas Day, New Years Day, Easter Sunday and Thanksgiving Day). In the same area as the Caverns is The Stonewall Jackson Museum at Hupp's Hill and The Museum of American Presidents in Strasbugh.
ENDLESS CAVERNS (New Market, VA ~ (540) 896-2283): On October 1, 1879 two boys and their dog went rabbit hunting on Ruben Zirkel's mountainside farm. The boys soon cornered their prey beneath an outcropping of limestone boulders. With the excitement of the hunt they moved the rocks aside only to discover that they had lost their prey. They found instead a dark hole in the ground with a cool breeze blowing out. Candles and rope were gathered and soon the boys found themselves inside a mysteriously beautiful cave known today as the Endless Caverns. Through the years there have been many expeditions into the Endless Caverns to try and find an end to the complex network of underground passageways. The process of scientific discovery and exploration is an Endless journey that continues to this day with over five miles of cave passage mapped and no end in sight. The Caverns are presented with white lighting only, allowing you to enjoy the natural beauty of the cave. The pathways are maintained safely with hand rails and steps where necessary. All you need to enjoy the one hour and fifteen minute guided tour is a light jacket or sweatshirt and your sneakers. There is a rustic, wooded campground adjacent to the Caverns perfect for tents or vans. For years visitors have remarked on the delicious taste of Massanutten Mountain spring water which is bottled, right here at the source. Water from these springs have been at work forming the Caverns for many thousands of years.
THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY
The Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway is ranked "America's most scenic drive" by leading travel writers. Following mountain crests from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee, the Parkway is the gateway to an Appalachian empire where one can escape the speed and crowding of modern life.
The Parkway's 469 toll-free miles combine awesome natural beauty with the pioneer history of grist-mills, weathered cabins and split rail fences to create the country's most popular National Park. This sanctuary of high places encompasses a world of mountain forests, wildlife, and wildflowers thousands of feet above a patchwork of villages, fields and farms.
The Blue Ridge Parkway Association is comprised of 700 business members located along the 470 mile Parkway and the Greater Parkway area. A free 40-page directory of members is available at Parkway Information Stations, area Chambers of Commerce and Visitor Information Centers, or by writing: The Blue Ridge Parkway Association, P. O. Box 453, Asheville, NC 28802.
Here is a proximity map of Warrenton and the surrounding areas of interest:
What's the Weather Like in Warrenton Today? Click Here to Find Out!
Need Directions to Warrenton? Click Here!
Return to Top of Page
SKYLINE CAVERNS (Front Royal, VA ~ 1-800-296-4545): One of the few places in the world where you will find unique formations known as Anthodites, called "Orchids of the Mineral Kingdom", the Anthodites seem to defy gravity. Their delicate white spikes spread in all directions, including upwards, from their position on the cave ceiling. Their growth rate is estimated to be only one inch every seven thousand years! The Caverns were discovered in 1937 by geologist Walter S. Amos, exposing a secret that had lain beneath the earth's surface for 60 million years. Knowledgeable guides escort you through the Caverns explaining the geological history while challenging your imagination (the temperature in the Caverns is 54 degrees, year round, so you may want to bring your jacket...as well as your camera). Kids of all ages enjoy a ride on the Skyline Arrow, a 10 minute ride on the Caverns' one-fifth scale miniature train. Weather permitting, the train ride is open every day. There is a gift shop containing collectibles, local handcrafts, native Virginia foods and jewelery. Also on the grounds is a Rock Shop, snack bar and outdoor picnic facilities. Caverns are open every day.
SHENANDOAH CAVERNS (540) 477-3115: Located on the western ridge of the Shenandoah Valley, these are the closest major caverns to Interstate Highway 81, just two minutes from Exit 269. There's a good deal of legend attached to the early history of the caverns. The name "Shenandoah", given to the valley, is of Indian origin and means "Daughter of the Stars." Tradition has it that the Caverns were known to, and used by the Indians that inhabited the region long before the white man arrived. Discovered in 1884 during the building of the Valley division of the Southern Railway, they were first opened to the public in May of 1922. The beginning of the hour long tour contains the world famous Bacon Formations, once featured in National Geographic Magazine. The internal lighting was designed and engineered to illuminate the far reaches of darkness and the vaulting heights above. The temperature in the Caverns year round is 56 degrees (bring that sweater), is open year round, has ample free parking for any type of vehicle and picnic grounds with a splendid view of the Shenandoah Valley. Inside the lodge is a gift shop of antiques and memorabilia, a real U.S. Post Office and a coffee shop offering quick, delectable home-cooked food at reasonable prices (seasonal). This is the only Caverns in Virginia with an elevator.
HUPPS CRYSTAL CAVERNS (Strasburg, VA ~ (540) 465-8660: In the 1750's the Hupps were among the many "Dutch" (German) emigres moving south along the Great Valley of the Shenandoah. They eventually settled just north of what is now Straburg, VA. While exploring their property, they discovered a large cavern lying on the crest of what would become known as "Hupps Hill". For this reason, the caverns are considered the oldest documented in Virginia. The Hupps took advantage of the cavern's constant 54 degree temperature to store food. Periodically their friends and neighbors would visit the beautifully decorated cavern rooms and corridors,lit with scores of candles and lanterns. From 1861 - 1865 Hupps Hill was in the center of several of the great battles of the Civil War, including Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek (Fall of 1864). The caverns saw the passage of thousands of soldiers of both the northern and southern armies. After World War 1 paths were built, electrical lights installed and the Caverns were opened for tours in 1922. More recently, psychic Jeanne Dixon, who loved the Shenandoah Valley, often visited Crystal Caverns to mediate and rejuvenate her psychic abilities. Hundreds of calcite crystals glitter and sparkle from the cave's crystalline rimstone formations, one of the finest displays of this natural treasure in the Appalachian region. Courteous and knowledgable guides are available to help interpret the natural and historical significance of the caverns. Educational and group programs are available as well as Civil War lantern tours with guides dressed in period clothing. The Caverns are open Monday - Saturday from 10:00 am. - 5:00 p.m., Sunday 12:00 noon - 5:00 p.m. (Closed Christmas Day, New Years Day, Easter Sunday and Thanksgiving Day). In the same area as the Caverns is The Stonewall Jackson Museum at Hupp's Hill and The Museum of American Presidents in Strasbugh.
ENDLESS CAVERNS (New Market, VA ~ (540) 896-2283): On October 1, 1879 two boys and their dog went rabbit hunting on Ruben Zirkel's mountainside farm. The boys soon cornered their prey beneath an outcropping of limestone boulders. With the excitement of the hunt they moved the rocks aside only to discover that they had lost their prey. They found instead a dark hole in the ground with a cool breeze blowing out. Candles and rope were gathered and soon the boys found themselves inside a mysteriously beautiful cave known today as the Endless Caverns. Through the years there have been many expeditions into the Endless Caverns to try and find an end to the complex network of underground passageways. The process of scientific discovery and exploration is an Endless journey that continues to this day with over five miles of cave passage mapped and no end in sight. The Caverns are presented with white lighting only, allowing you to enjoy the natural beauty of the cave. The pathways are maintained safely with hand rails and steps where necessary. All you need to enjoy the one hour and fifteen minute guided tour is a light jacket or sweatshirt and your sneakers. There is a rustic, wooded campground adjacent to the Caverns perfect for tents or vans. For years visitors have remarked on the delicious taste of Massanutten Mountain spring water which is bottled, right here at the source. Water from these springs have been at work forming the Caverns for many thousands of years.
THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY
The Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway is ranked "America's most scenic drive" by leading travel writers. Following mountain crests from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee, the Parkway is the gateway to an Appalachian empire where one can escape the speed and crowding of modern life.
The Parkway's 469 toll-free miles combine awesome natural beauty with the pioneer history of grist-mills, weathered cabins and split rail fences to create the country's most popular National Park. This sanctuary of high places encompasses a world of mountain forests, wildlife, and wildflowers thousands of feet above a patchwork of villages, fields and farms.
The Blue Ridge Parkway Association is comprised of 700 business members located along the 470 mile Parkway and the Greater Parkway area. A free 40-page directory of members is available at Parkway Information Stations, area Chambers of Commerce and Visitor Information Centers, or by writing: The Blue Ridge Parkway Association, P. O. Box 453, Asheville, NC 28802.
Here is a proximity map of Warrenton and the surrounding areas of interest:
What's the Weather Like in Warrenton Today? Click Here to Find Out!
Need Directions to Warrenton? Click Here!
Return to Top of Page
HUPPS CRYSTAL CAVERNS (Strasburg, VA ~ (540) 465-8660: In the 1750's the Hupps were among the many "Dutch" (German) emigres moving south along the Great Valley of the Shenandoah. They eventually settled just north of what is now Straburg, VA. While exploring their property, they discovered a large cavern lying on the crest of what would become known as "Hupps Hill". For this reason, the caverns are considered the oldest documented in Virginia. The Hupps took advantage of the cavern's constant 54 degree temperature to store food. Periodically their friends and neighbors would visit the beautifully decorated cavern rooms and corridors,lit with scores of candles and lanterns. From 1861 - 1865 Hupps Hill was in the center of several of the great battles of the Civil War, including Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek (Fall of 1864). The caverns saw the passage of thousands of soldiers of both the northern and southern armies. After World War 1 paths were built, electrical lights installed and the Caverns were opened for tours in 1922. More recently, psychic Jeanne Dixon, who loved the Shenandoah Valley, often visited Crystal Caverns to mediate and rejuvenate her psychic abilities. Hundreds of calcite crystals glitter and sparkle from the cave's crystalline rimstone formations, one of the finest displays of this natural treasure in the Appalachian region. Courteous and knowledgable guides are available to help interpret the natural and historical significance of the caverns. Educational and group programs are available as well as Civil War lantern tours with guides dressed in period clothing. The Caverns are open Monday - Saturday from 10:00 am. - 5:00 p.m., Sunday 12:00 noon - 5:00 p.m. (Closed Christmas Day, New Years Day, Easter Sunday and Thanksgiving Day). In the same area as the Caverns is The Stonewall Jackson Museum at Hupp's Hill and The Museum of American Presidents in Strasbugh.
ENDLESS CAVERNS (New Market, VA ~ (540) 896-2283): On October 1, 1879 two boys and their dog went rabbit hunting on Ruben Zirkel's mountainside farm. The boys soon cornered their prey beneath an outcropping of limestone boulders. With the excitement of the hunt they moved the rocks aside only to discover that they had lost their prey. They found instead a dark hole in the ground with a cool breeze blowing out. Candles and rope were gathered and soon the boys found themselves inside a mysteriously beautiful cave known today as the Endless Caverns. Through the years there have been many expeditions into the Endless Caverns to try and find an end to the complex network of underground passageways. The process of scientific discovery and exploration is an Endless journey that continues to this day with over five miles of cave passage mapped and no end in sight. The Caverns are presented with white lighting only, allowing you to enjoy the natural beauty of the cave. The pathways are maintained safely with hand rails and steps where necessary. All you need to enjoy the one hour and fifteen minute guided tour is a light jacket or sweatshirt and your sneakers. There is a rustic, wooded campground adjacent to the Caverns perfect for tents or vans. For years visitors have remarked on the delicious taste of Massanutten Mountain spring water which is bottled, right here at the source. Water from these springs have been at work forming the Caverns for many thousands of years.
THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY
The Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway is ranked "America's most scenic drive" by leading travel writers. Following mountain crests from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee, the Parkway is the gateway to an Appalachian empire where one can escape the speed and crowding of modern life.
The Parkway's 469 toll-free miles combine awesome natural beauty with the pioneer history of grist-mills, weathered cabins and split rail fences to create the country's most popular National Park. This sanctuary of high places encompasses a world of mountain forests, wildlife, and wildflowers thousands of feet above a patchwork of villages, fields and farms.
The Blue Ridge Parkway Association is comprised of 700 business members located along the 470 mile Parkway and the Greater Parkway area. A free 40-page directory of members is available at Parkway Information Stations, area Chambers of Commerce and Visitor Information Centers, or by writing: The Blue Ridge Parkway Association, P. O. Box 453, Asheville, NC 28802.
Here is a proximity map of Warrenton and the surrounding areas of interest:
What's the Weather Like in Warrenton Today? Click Here to Find Out!
Need Directions to Warrenton? Click Here!
Return to Top of Page
THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY
The Blue Ridge Parkway is ranked "America's most scenic drive" by leading travel writers. Following mountain crests from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee, the Parkway is the gateway to an Appalachian empire where one can escape the speed and crowding of modern life.
The Parkway's 469 toll-free miles combine awesome natural beauty with the pioneer history of grist-mills, weathered cabins and split rail fences to create the country's most popular National Park. This sanctuary of high places encompasses a world of mountain forests, wildlife, and wildflowers thousands of feet above a patchwork of villages, fields and farms.
The Blue Ridge Parkway Association is comprised of 700 business members located along the 470 mile Parkway and the Greater Parkway area. A free 40-page directory of members is available at Parkway Information Stations, area Chambers of Commerce and Visitor Information Centers, or by writing: The Blue Ridge Parkway Association, P. O. Box 453, Asheville, NC 28802.
Here is a proximity map of Warrenton and the surrounding areas of interest:
What's the Weather Like in Warrenton Today? Click Here to Find Out!
Need Directions to Warrenton? Click Here!