We were packed and ready to go early in the morning, because we wanted to visit Lurray Caverns today. Luray Caverns and Skyline Drive were a little out of the way of where we were headed, so we figured that visiting on our drive to Lake Anna would be the best time to visit. Driving through Shenandoah National Park certainly wasn't the most straight forward way to Luray Caverns from Chippokes Plantation (the speed limit is 35mph), nor was it the cheapest way to go (you had to pay to enter the park) but we were glad we did it (sort of - I'll explain that in a bit).
The drive through Shenandoah was nothing short of BEAUTIFUL. Mid May is when many of the trees are in bloom, the colors everywhere are vivid and bright, and some spring flowers are making their appearance. The only other time that I could imagine it being equally as beautiful would be during Autumn.
Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park
The higher we drove, the more spectacular the views became. We pulled over at several overlooks along the way. It didn't matter if we driving or pulled over. The views were more beautiful than we could have imagined!
Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park
The higher we drove, the more foggy it became. It wasn't a rainy or cloudy day at the moment, it was just that we were so high! Make sure you bring gum or something to alleviate those popping ears!
The higher we went, the more foggy it became.
The drive was very fun and relaxing, until we had reached the top. Once we hit the top, we had to go down. And our van's breaks did NOT like that at all. While I am sure the drive down was just as beautiful as the ride up, I couldn't tell you if it was or was not. I spent most of that ride with my eyes shut in desperate prayer that He would allow us to make it down the mountain in one piece. Our brakes were smoking and making a burning smell, and all I could think was that our breaks would give out, and we would be hurtling over the side of the mountain at any moment. Thankfully, God protected us, and we made it down the mountain safely! But, needless to say, I'm not so sure we'd try that again unless we had a lighter load in our van and the breaks were brand new!!
Luray Singing Tower
We made it down to Luray around 1:30, and since the Luray Singing Tower would be singing at 2, we decided to set up our picnic lunch on the picnic tables there and enjoy the songs. I had seen a Singing Tower in New Olm, Minnesota when I was a girl and loved it. I was eager to see this one! If you are curious what to expect here, this video will give you a good idea.
Unfortunately for us, a thunderstorm rolled it's way into Luray in the middle of the show, so we packed up our cooler and went back to Luray Caverns before the rain started.
Luray Singing Tower
You can't safely walk to the tower and back with kids, but the drive is super short. If the road wasn't so busy, you wouldn't even need to drive. You can see the singing tower from the cavern's parking lot.
Luray Caverns
We made it inside Luray Caverns to buy tickets just in time. We walked through the door, and the skies opened up!
Luray Caverns
The caverns were mind blowing. The are so large and so beautiful that you can barely comprehend it! I have a million pictures from inside the caverns, but I'll only post a few.
Wishing Well
Wishing Well in Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns
Listening to the recordings about history of the caverns
Enjoying our time in the caverns
Dream Lake
Luray Cavern
Luray Cavern
Ephraim
We decided to get one adult audio tour and 2 children's audio tours. Ken and I shared one, and the 3 kids (Felix could care less) shared the 2 children's audio tour. It took a little bit longer to go through the area that way, but it was cheaper, and I don't think we would have been finished looking at each area when the tour on the section was finished. So for us it worked well.
You can see in the pictures above that it came with headphones so that you could listen without disturbing other people (or so that people couldn't get a guided tour without paying, depending on how you look at it). There was a device that was similar to a large remote control that you put around your neck. When you got to a certain part of the cave, there would be a sign telling you what number to dial on your device so you could listen to the correct portion of the tour. The adult tour was interesting, but I listened to the children's tour most of the way. I found it more interesting than the adult tour! :)
It was cool in the caverns, but no one in our group found it cold. We brought light jackets in case, but it wasn't needed. Also, the cavern is cavern friendly, but there are a few parts that are VERY steep. The kids and I almost went for a ride downhill in the caverns at one point because my foot slipped on a wet spot!!
The stalacpipe organ was also something that was very neat in the caverns.
Stalacpipe Organ
The organ plays "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" by having mallets hit different stalactites and stalagmites in the caverns. Each one makes a different note. We all loved this section. We had been studying "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" for hymn study, so we all familiar with the hymn. It was very interesting to hear it played in such a different way! It was the first time any of us had heard music played on stones!
If you haven't heard the hymn before, here are 2 of our favorite versions:
Yes, that's right. "A Might Fortress" is the theme song to Davey and Goliath.
When we finished with the caverns, we walked along and explored the shops. There were many cute novielty stores between the caverns and the garden maze. And of course, when the last store was an ice cream shop with some of our favorite ice cream bars, could we say no? Of course not!
After our ice cream break, we went over the the garden maze.
Luray Garden Maze
We had a blast here. We let the kids lead the way, and it took us about an hour to find our way through.
Ready to escape the maze
Found a robbin's egg on the ground
Looking down from the lookout tower
Everyone got a ticket - you had to find the 4 hidden spots in the garden
Found the "secret garden"
The kids REALLY wanted to take a 2nd run through the maze, but it was getting late, so we said no. It was an hour and a half to Lake Anna, and we knew we would need to stop along the way for dinner. We stopped by at a KFC along the way and ate dinner there. They happened to be having a Sunday Family Meal Deal where you got a bucket of chicken, a few sides, some drinks and a cake for a very decent price. I LOVE KFC, but we don't eat here often, so getting to have dinner here was a special treat for all of us.
By the time we made it to Lake Anna, it was dark out. Exploring the outside would need to wait until tomorrow, but for now we could explore our new home away from home!
We were spoiled by Chippokes, and while Lake Anna was nice, we preferred the Chippokes house over the Lake Anna house. The Living Room, Dining Room, and Kitchen were all open concept, and that made it extremely echo-y. Also, the furniture was not nearly as comfortable. The dining table had 2 chairs and 2 benches. There was no TV in the family area at all, nor was the cabin stocked with books and games like Chippokes had been. It felt very cold as opposed to the "welcome home" feeling of Chippokes. We were glad that we had spent a week in Chippokes instead of at Lake Anna.
The one thing that Lake Anna had that Chippokes did not have was a fire place. That was nice to have.
Living Room/Dining Room
Living Room with Fireplace and fold out bed/couch
Kitchen - not as well stocked as Chippokes
The children's room was nicely set up, and had 2 twin beds in it.
Kids room - 2 twin beds
The master bedroom had a queen sized bed, and it was quiet comfortable. Each bedroom had a dresser along with a closest.
Queen bed in Master Bedroom
We pulled in all our suitcases and food from the car, threw the kids in PJ's and called it a night! We were tired after a long day!
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