Luray Cavern
My parents came to visit me after almost 6 years of me having lived in the States. I was very excited to see them after long time. We did this long road trip along the east coast starting from Dallas, where my younger brother goes to school. After visiting my school, we were driving to Washington DC for our four-day stay. My brother was in charge of the wheels as I was in a deep sleep. I woke up to find out that we needed to pay the entrance fee for Luray Cavern. I wasn’t too excited about $23 entrance fee.
I found out that my parents were lured by multiple billboards along the highway –that’s what you call successful advertisement. I personally had no idea what Caverns are, when I heard this word I could only think of two words “Tavern” and “Cave.” In other words, a bar or pub built inside a natural underground space where they serve drinks and food. Pretty logical right!?!
I had no idea what I was in for. As we entered the cavern, a ranger handed us an audio device and headphones, which was filled with a detailed description of the cavern and interesting fun facts. The cave had well-lit walkways; we could see clean pools of water, towering columns and rock of different colors, shapes and sizes. I realized that a camera that takes good pictures in a low lit environment is essential for this a visit to the caverns.
Although we went in the off-season, the cavern was fairly crowded. It is a nice hour-long walk and it is essential to have good walking shoes. The site was crowed by families and their screaming kids running all over the place. There were instances when I wanted to take them to most secluded and darkest area of the cave and leave them there. Just a thought!! Anyway, right outside the cavern was a miniature version of the” Tower of Mordor” from Lord of the Rings. It’s called Luray Singing Tower with 47 bells. More information can be found about Luray Cavern at http://www.luraycaverns.com
Due to our time constraints, we did not get chance to explore other close by attractions, like the car and carriage museums and the outdoor Garden Maze. Overall it was worthwhile experience; but I think if you are visiting Luray Cavern you should take advantage of nearby attractions. Click here for more photos…
Here are some of the main attractions:
Dream Lake: This was my favorite part of the cavern. It is a large body of water in the cavern and creates a mirror image of the stalactites hanging from the ceiling.
Dream Lake
Titania’s Veil: This shimmering white formation looks like ice formations hanging from the cliffs
Giant’s Hall: Chamber filled with towering stone columns
Saracen’s Tent: Looks like folded curtain
Pluto’s Chasm: You can see this fascinating pillar from multiple spots throughout the cavern
Stalacpipe Organ: The Great Stalacpipe Organ- the world’s largest musical instrument is one of most crowded sites of the cavern. Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures.
Fried Eggs: This interesting shaped object looks like fried eggs. According to the audio device, back in the day, people used to rub this rock to make a wish.
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Outdoors 