Pulled off I‑81 expecting a quick stretch‑your‑legs stop and ended up in one of the coolest caverns I've seen. Shenandoah Caverns goes way deeper than you'd think, with great lighting and a totally different feel from Luray Caverns. Not as big of a grand opening room, but the descent is awesome -- and yes, the elevator still works, which my knees appreciated. Inside the main building, you get an old‑school flat‑top diner vibe with burgers, grilled cheese, BLTs, hot dogs, and hand‑spun milkshakes made from Walmart ice cream. Simple, nostalgic, and exactly what you want after climbing around underground. Then there's the surprise museum of antique animatronic storefront displays and parade float bears. They still move. They're cool. They're creepy. They're unforgettable. If you're driving by, stop. Seriously. read more

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I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this little tour. The caverns are beautiful and gorgeously lit. We also were with a very small group of five including the guide so we had time to leisurely stroll. Pls note, the Main Street of Yesteryear was very disappointing and honestly, kinda creepy. Those animatronics defintely move around at night when the place is closed. It's a very small exhibit, took all of five minutes to walk through. read more

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I visited on Christmas Eve 2025. I wasn't the only one who had this idea because my tour was pretty full. The cafe was closed today as was the American Celebration exhibit. They also didn't have gem mining-it was the bare bones available today. I enjoyed my visit overall. I've been to Luray and Skyline, but it's been several years, so I will need to revisit to give a true comparison. The tour guide was very knowledgeable. We had a couple guys on the tour that were grilling him like crazy and he definitely handled it better than I would have. I also visited the Mainstreet of yesteryear portion and found the talking bear super cute. I enjoyed it despite the brief visit. I spent some time in the gift shop choosing items for my kids who were not with me on this trip. Fun note: this is the only Caverns in VA with an elevator! You still have to walk the tour but getting down those steep steps can be resolved with the elevator. Also, a family brought their stroller so that's an option but it had to be left on some paths. Ticket was $34, I think 5 and under are free. read more

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I haven't been here in years, since I was a teenager and im in my 30s now. I brought my kids and it was my daughter's first time in a cave (she's 2). Another cave we went to last year, she wasn't allowed to go, so this was exciting. The staff is so friendly. They have a little eating area. Cool gift shop with lots of random finds. There's an elevator to take down or stairs if you want to use those. read more

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Original Coke ! And their burgers are pretty good Love their lotion products (Lavendar) and bug repellent read more

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This is a neat cave and was the most expensive of the 3 we visited. Has some lit caverns with colors like skyline - good for pics. Has some natural massive area like Luray. Has a special thing called cave bacon that is very cool. Has the best example in the world. Cafe here closes at 4. Couple other event areas they had were closed when I visited. Staff here is nice. Tour was cool. We enjoyed this cave. Only 15 minutes from Luray Caverns. I suggest taking elevator out - those stairs tuckered me out. Guided tour and got great pictures. $82 for 2 adults and 1 child. read more

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What a cool place! I don't know why I thought to enter the caverns would be different. You take a long flight of stairs right inside the general store. Our tour guide Tanjia was very knowledgeable and adorable, she reminded me of my daughter. The tour takes about an hour and there is a good bit of walking. This is a great way to see all the cool things that may just be right in your backyard. This is kid and family friendly, go check it out! read more

Shenandoah Caverns - Cavern - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Quicksburg, Virginia

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Really enjoyable time exploring the caverns. Our tour guide was a local young lady who just graduated. High school was extremely knowledgeable and enjoyable to spend a few hours with. Have recently visited Grand cavern. It was interesting to see the differences between the two. Not only in the geological differences, but in the presentation. Worth a stop on 81 read more

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Fantastic! This is the place is way better than Lurary Caverns. Luray is a tourist trap, but, Shenandoah Caverns is 100000% better. We purchased our tickets with a military discount. The staff was so kind, and friendly.we waited about 15 minutes until our tour started. We were in a group of 16. I felt that was the perfect amount, no more than 20. McKayla was a great tour guide. It is all easily accessible if you had a stroller or wheel chair. You will still get to see things. There were other groups down there but, we never ran into them, except for when we started. There is an elevator as well. The caverns were so clean. Y oh can tell that Shenandoah Caverns really cares for the preservation of the caverns and keeps it clean. I did get a little hot down there in the 50 degreee temp. But, to be expected when you're walking around. Overall, FANTASTIC! Take the drive and come out to see these caverns! read more

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Purchased tickets on Groupon- prices were still a bit steep but seeing the caverns was a cool experience!! I do wish our tour guide was a bit more interactive and educated guests on the formation of the caverns instead of the script it seemed that she was reciting. We also stopped by the cavern cafe located inside the gift shop and to be honest, I wasn't expecting much-- but man was I happily surprised! The cavern burger was made to order, fresh, hot, seasoned perfectly -- && just delicious! It was simple and no frills but exactly what you'd want from a homemade quality burger, and the strawberry milkshake was sooo good! 5 stars for the cafe! read more

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Teneisha was our guide through caverns she wished us luck on spelling her name, she led us through the caverns and is was stunning and the window displays were absolutely amazing and full of whimsy that reminded me of the feeling of being a kid watching a parade I loved the nutcracker display so much if you visit the caverns you must see Main Street too read more

Shenandoah Caverns - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Quicksburg, Virginia

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Shenandoah Caverns is a beautiful, unique experience that is approximately 1.5 hours away from Chantilly, VA. The closer you get to Shenandoah Caverns, the more signs you will see that will direct you to the right location. Upon arrival to the destination, you will see a parking lot that offers abundant, free parking. Upon entry into the building, we were quickly greeted and offered the opportunity to take the next tour that was commencing in five minutes. Please note that the tours last for about an hour for a cost of $33, which I think is a adequate time period for a decent price. To begin the tour, we had to walk down some stairs to gain entry into the cavern, which was absolutely beautiful. (As a heads up, there is also an elevator option to get down to the caverns.) Different areas of the cavern magnified so much beauty in different formation. For the most part, each stopping area depicted a varying aspect of the cavern's beauty. The tour guide was engaging, knowledgeable, and patient as my friend and I took the opportunity to capture many, emphasis on many, moments. At the end of the tour you have the option of seeing a free "exhibit" to the left of the staircase when exiting the cavern. There is also a souvenir area for one to shop for items of interest. Overall, we had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed our first cavern! read more

The whole experience was amazing, would recommend a visit to Shenandoah Caverns, such a cool experience! read more

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Review from 2011. Visited this cavern a while back. But it is a good tourist spot for the Shenandoah region. If it is not obvious, it is kinda chilly no matter time of year down there so dress accordingly. The tour guide was informative and did a good job pointing out special formations in addition to the classic stalactites and stalagmites (see pics). For the most part you are not supposed to be touching the formations because the oils from our skin will prevent the formations from growing in the future. Certain areas are more well lit than others. They do try to keep the lighting at a minimum so do watch your step. Overall: a very cool spot to see if you have never visited an underground cavern before. read more

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Very cool cave tour. The upstairs is a bit creepy, but in a very fun way. Take the tour, you won't regret it.

Guide was mean to a 6 year old who showed him something and he said "I don't care" to her. About 20 minutes later he also told an elderly man with a cane he was handicapped and that they were wrong for coming in from out of town. He told us to go ahead then yelled at us for doing what he said. Never seen a guide act like this before. Really awful guide and just a mean and insecure person clearly. Go to any other caves but this one. read more

Since we have visited Luray Caverns several times in the past, we decided to try Shenandoah Caverns this trip. We were a bit shocked that even with a military discount the tickets were $25 each. We shopped and browsed for 15 minutes waiting on the next tour. Turns out it was the last tour of the day, just the two if us and two guides, one who was leaving and another trainee. Elevator down to caverns was great rather than two flights of stairs. And probably 90% of the tour area was easily accessible by my wife and her walker. Just one area at the very bottom had a steep incline so my wife stayed back. The guides were great. A relaxed and comfortable pace, perfect for us. The trainee led the tour, aided by the trainer when asked or he corrected when needed. It was a great tour, great tour guides and beautiful sights. We weren't even aware we walked over a mile. read more

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This experience blew me away! This was my first time exploring a cavern and Shenandoah did not disappoint. Our tour guide Rachel was excellent at not just giving info but offering an actual experience. The use of lights and passageways and twists and turns makes the experience feel like you're at a guided adventure at a theme park, and it's easy to forget that nature created it all. Bottom line: experience this if you've never had the pleasure. read more

Shenandoah Caverns - One of the many incredible formations inside Shenandoah Caverns. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Quicksburg, Virginia

This was a great experience. Our guide Brandon did a good job and the staff was all friendly. Cave Bacon was a first for us. We've been caving for a lot of years but never have seen this phenomenon before. The exhibits are also a first. Floats from around the nation from a bygone era make up the exhibit rooms. It's not my thing but my wife found them fascinating. After doing Grand Caverns, Luray Caverns and Shenandoah Caverns, I can honestly say this was the most enjoyable tour yet. read more

Shenandoah Caverns - Water and colored lights - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Quicksburg, Virginia

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We had a really great time here, the cavern was gorgeous and the tour guide was very knowledgeable. The only reason we are taking off a star is because we felt they shoved too many people into one tour. It was really hard to hear the guide and fit into the rooms because they just had too many people crammed into our slot. We definitely preferred coming here to some of the local caverns but we expected the tour size to be smaller. read more

Shenandoah Caverns - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Quicksburg, Virginia

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Awesome!! Must see! We brought a groupon for entry for two for 27 bucks which included an additional 2 attractions which was a bonus! The tour lasted approximately an hour and was 1mile. The caves are breath taking! read more

If you're on the fence about visiting this unique attraction, look no further! This is the place for you! Went with my husband and 2 kids - 7 and 13. The cave tour was about an hour long and we had a very nice tour guide. She explained everything, answered questions and took pictures. The caves were really awesome. The cafe was a good spot to have a quick bite. Nice sandwiches and a really good side salad. Kids had grilled cheese and loved it. Quality ingredients. Don't miss the yesteryear museum upstairs, some very unique puppets that both creeped us out and entertained us. The American museum was a must see and all part of the ticket price. The floats are not to be missed, very large and historical. The kids loved it! This place was worth the visit. We ended by watching the kids play on the playground in the grassy area around the site. Spent about 3 hours and I recommend! read more

The only thing I have to say is about the cafe. the place is extremely clean. The only problem there is no breakfast menu. Also the lady that runs it is not very friendly. A smile and a good morning would be nice. Especially when you are visiting. Other then that the Shenandoah Caverns are definitely worth a visit. read more

Review of my visit on 2/18/2022. Easy to get to if you're traveling I-81. Plenty of parking at the time of my visit. A good amount of history, and you'll be provided with the details during the tour. Very interesting, a great walk for almost everyone! Good sized cavern rooms, with very beautiful formations! A massive cavern boulder, teetering on very few points, and you can walk under! A crown jewel! About the elevator... great attraction; however, there are stairs, lots of them! Stretch them legs and use the stairs! The smallest USPS post office is here as well. My only issue was waiting 10 minutes for a representative to take my money and issue me the entry ticket. It wasn't busy. Overall, this cavern beats Skyline; however, it's a tie with Lost World in Lewisburg, WV. Might update as I visit another popular cavern... we shall see! Worth the stop! A must visit! read more

There are several beautiful caverns to visit in Shenandoah, but this is the only one with an elevator to do down, instead of a long line of stairs. The sights were awesome and the staff were very knowledgeable. The gift shop had some great souvenirs as well! read more

Shenandoah Caverns - Caves - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Quicksburg, Virginia

Stopped here on Tuesday afternoon. I ended up purchasing a Groupon and finally had time to check it out. One of the cool things about this place is that they have an elevator to take you down into the caverns. This can be really helpful if you have a family member in a wheelchair Etc, however there still is about 1 mile of walking total but it seemed like majority of it you could push someone ( some areas though are too small or could be hard to push through rocks) but overall I'd say kind of accessible. The caverns are nice and chilly so bring a light jacket. Absolutely refreshing on a hot day though. Tour guide was informative and the tour lasts about an hour! Also if your looking for something creepy to do, when you go inside the building go towards the right , they have some sort of museum with dolls and such, it was soooooo creepy and felt like something out of my nightmares LOL. read more

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I hadn't visited a caverns since I was a kid (many, many years ago). My good friend invited me to tour Shenandoah Caverns. It was simply INCREDIBLE and AMAZING. These caverns take your breath away. First, the history behind the caverns and the current owner is such a great story. The Caverns were discovered in the late 1800's when a railway was being built in the area, and two young boys on the property noticed cold air coming from a hole in the ground. They grabbed ropes and candles and went down to explore - and they found this amazing twisting and turning caverns. A railroad exec saw an opportunity for a new attraction along the railway and the caverns were opened with a new hotel in 1922. Can you imagine the work it took to develop this space to allow for an elevator into a caverns (with a stairway as well), with gravel walking paths and lighting along the way?! Then in 1966, a gentleman named Earl Hargrove Jr. purchased the caverns and property. His business was building giant parade floats for major events like presidential inaugurations, the annual Mardi Gras, and rose parades; and special decorating for inaugural balls, the lighting of the National Christmas tree, and the like. And he had a hobby of collecting animated figures. So in addition to sprucing up the caverns allowing us to see these incredible natural formations, he renovated the second floor of the main building to create "Main Street of Yesteryear" which displays these animated characters that we used to see in department store windows many years ago. And he also built two adjacent buildings to house some of his favorite historical floats, historic automobiles, and other displays - the American Celebration, and the Yellow Barn. So now you can see these historic displays AND take a guided tour through these GORGEOUS caverns in a day. You can see bacon formations, natural cave popcorn, draperies, Capitol dome, castles, angel wings, a bishop, crystals, wedding couple (you can even have wedding photos taken here), Grotto of the Gods, and so much more. One of my favorites was Beyond the Veil where the still water pond captures the reflection of the stalactites in a variety of colors. So peaceful and beautiful. The guide shared so much detail and history - there's so much to learn. We took so many photos, but they can't come close to capturing the natural beauty of these formations. I've attached a few. So when you plan to tour the caverns, I recommend Shenandoah; and plan to have time to walk through the animated areas and float displays. You'll be glad you did. There's so much history there. read more

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My family and I were in the area and were looking for something to do for the day. My mom and I had been to Luray cavern so we decided to go to Shenandoah cavern instead. There was 10 minute wait until the tour guide was available to take us on the elevator down to the cavern. The tour guide lady gathered about 30 of us for the exploration tour. She spoke clearly on the history of the cavern and took us through many landmarks of the cave from the bacon lime rock to the sparkling diamond lime rock. The last landmark was the reflection pond inside the cave. The pace was just right. The tour guide lady let us take many pictures as our heart content. She wasn't rushing at all. Once we hit the last landmark we turned around and exited the way the came in. I was told it's 1 mile walking total in the cave. Overall, it's a beautiful cave with many shapes and sides. I would recommend you take a tour of the place when you are in the area. It's $25 per person. They have senior and kids rate as well. read more

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Locating this place was not hard at all. Get there walk in and pay, we had a Groupon so pricing was not bad at all. Take the elevator down 60ft to the cave and join the tour group. Your guide was very informative. Your did not feel like it was a hour long/ mile walk. The views you will see are incredible and I don't want to give away the magic inside. Check it out I believe it was worth the money read more

Shenandoah Caverns - The Family Enjoying our visit - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Quicksburg, Virginia

My daughter had a lacrosse clinic at EMU college in Virginia. She wanted to do something quick in the area. So we settle with this cavern because it's on the way and not too expensive. It was a good choice. The caverns awesome. So many wonder there. The tour guide is ok. It was only her 3rd day so she kind of stumbled and not flow well. I recommend people to check it out when in the area. read more

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Excellent all around! There is an elevator to use, so you don't have to descend or ascend the 81 steps to begin the tour. The stone formations are beautiful and interesting. Our very knowledgeable guide, Kirk, was outstanding! read more

Tour guide vs signs. I wasn't sure about going to these caverns and having a tour guide, but after our visit, I'm glad we went! The group size was manageable, our guide was excellent and we had a wonderful time. read more

Bored on a Sunday, my friend and I decided to check out the Shenandoah Caverns. About an hour or so away from Fairfax, the caverns are a fun day trip adventure with friends or family. They organize the people in groups of about 15 people to go down the elevator to the caverns. It's about 54-55 degrees down there, so make sure you're dressed appropriately. Also wear comfortable shoes. The tour is about an hour and our tour guide, Hannah, was super nice. She made sure to point the different types of rock formations, as well as give us a bit of a background on when and how the caverns were discovered. She was also pretty funny. The tour moves along rather slowly, but that's just because they want to make sure noone's left behind for they turn off the lights that expose the formations. I enjoyed my experience and would definitely recommend visiting the caverns, especially to someone with kids. Try to arrive early - that way your group will be small and you'll have plenty of time to take pictures :) read more

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We have never visited any other Caverns before. We also toured the Main Street of Yesteryear Museum, the Yellow Barn and The American Parade. The tour guide at the caverns was great! Was nice and cool down in the caverns and learned a lot! I highly recommend. read more

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Cool and quirky place! Pictures don't do it justice. It's well worth visiting. My group took a 1pm tour with Brandon, who was knowledgeable and skilled at telling people the stories of the caverns. read more

Beautiful formations in this caverns and the tour is a bit longer than others in the area (thus the $32 price tag, at least of this writing). The admission fee also covers the interesting Americana display on the second floor of the shop - where you are greeted by two very large stuffed bears, including one that "talks." The caverns has a more commercial and kitschy vibe than Grand, Natural Bridge, and Melrose Caverns and is more similar to Skyline and Luray in that regard, but that makes sense as this is probably the third most famous (and third most popular) caverns in Virginia, after Luray and Skyline. The Capitol dome and "diamond" falls are awesome, and installing colored lights to change the appearance of these formations was a great addition. Our tour guide was not as amusing and informative as other cavern guides have been - sort of just going through the motions. But he probably had a lot of responsibility as there were many on my tour, including a lot of little kids (what I get for touring caverns on a holiday weekend, I guess). The "state's smallest post office" in the gift shop is a humorous addition to the location. read more

We have been wanting to go to the caverns for a couple of months now , so when we saw this on GROUPON ( $27 for 2 people : Monday - Friday ) , we had to make the 2 hour drive ! And we are so glad we did ! The caverns themselves were beautiful and our tour guide shared a lot of useful information and was open to any questions that we had. At the end of the trip we gave us the tip of driving the storybook trail VS skyline... forever grateful for that road trip , it was breathtaking ! We came on a rainy day , so we didn't explore the grounds too much - unfortunately. Although we hung out in the little cafe where they had so many eclectic items and retro antiques. All of the staff member , the girl who gave us our tickets , the lady who took us down 65 feet in the elevator , the girl behind the counter of the restaurant and the gentleman who shared so many fun facts about the decor ; each and every one seemed as if they actually enjoy coming to their job and treated each guest so well! Hopefully we will be back in the summer for another visit ! :) read more

One of the best tourist caves in the country. Took my girlfriend Amy to see this cave as she's never been be I'm an avid caver and would recommend this to anyone that wants to take a peak into this lifestyle. Just a walking tour, but plenty to see here read more

Excellent tour! Totally worth heading over on a weekday afternoon to get the small-group experience.

Yet another cute little retro Route 66 style attraction off this stretch of road. We had a ball taking the kids here to the Caverns, which had an hour-long tour with a very nice guide and some really spectacular views inside. I am told by other people who have been to some other caverns like Luray that Shenandoah Caverns are small in comparison, but honestly it was so close off of the highway that for a little stretch break in our long road trip down to visit VA family, it was the perfect amount of time to spend there. So! The price. It is not cheap. For two adults and two kids it was $66, BUT! Admission also gets you into a couple other small, sorta hokey in a fun retro way attractions. Upstairs from the caverns is the craziest animatronic display room ever. All neon colored lights and creepy bears playing instruments... worth the stop for that alone. There is also two other buildings that are seasonally open that we didn't have time to walk through this time but are included in the admission price. read more