this place was absolutely amazing! my mom and i went here yesterday and it was probably my favorite thing i've ever done. our guide was named patty i believe and she was very nice and knowledgeable on the caverns. we found a groupon for this place and we were just so glad we went here and experienced the caverns. definitely recommend coming if you never have. it was absolutely amazing and i'll always remember it read more

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Very nice one day trip.I am always amazed at natures beauty. About a mile and an eighth cavern total. Some spots were narrow and low. Very humid and damp naturally. You will get humidity hair lol. There are two other attractions on the property. Don't waste your time in the yellow barn but the building with the statue of liberty is full of huge parade floats from popular parades. This was different and pretty cool. read more

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Very beautiful! Enjoyed it a lot but to crowded of groups of up 35 people in a small pathway! read more

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I recently visited the caverns while staying in Luray. The cavern is located only a few minutes from route 81 which makes it a nice place for a rest stop while on a road trip. The guided tour is about an hour long and it takes you through the caverns. A small cafe is on site to get a quick bite or a few snacks. There is a picnic area available and a few other small exhibits on site. I would recommend allowing about 2 hours for exploring. read more

Pros: the rocks are pretty, you learn a bit about the formation of these caverns, you get to walk around in a cave, the gift shop prices are reasonable Cons: the tickets are unreasonable at $24, the rocks all look similar, and the light effects aren't as realistic as the brochure made them seem. read more

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

This place is breathtaking. An absolute gem! My companion and I arrived 30 minutes before the last tour of the day at 6pm. We ended up getting a private tour (us two and the tour guide)! No crying children throwing rocks at the formations... yes! The guide stuck to her script which was a bit cheesy but answered our questions and was very friendly. She moved through the cavern at our desired pace. She was very knowledgeable and didn't BS us when she didn't know the answer to something. I've been to Howe's Cavern in NY and to Luray's Cavern. Shenandoah Cavern is hands down the best one out of these. The pixies/elves are kind of weird. read more

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Our first thought was to go to Luray Caverns because of all of the commercials that we have seen for it. I then saw the flyer for Shenandoah Caverns at the hotel that we stayed at and the clerk told us that all of the caverns are different but the Shenandoah Caverns has an elevator. Since I have MS, this was very important for me. When we got there we were amazed by the beauty of the caverns and what made it even better was the tour guide (I think) Analese? She was very knowledgeable and friendly. So glad I visited Shenandoah Caverns! FYI: The elevators are not ADA compliant so wheelchairs would not be a good idea, plus its hard to get wheelchairs and strollers through the caves. But the elevators made this visit even better for me instead of having to do stairs. read more

I had a fantastic experience here. My friend boy and I came here yesterday (Friday day) to enjoy the sites. He has been previously a few times, but not in recent years. He decided we would go here on a whim. Oh how I love his spontaneity. We arrived around 4pm. We got our tickets for $23 a piece. He generously picked that up since I got our lunch earlier in DC. Our tickets include entry to the caverns, the American Celebration exhibit and the Yellow Barn. American Celebration exhibit holds old parade floats and random stuff. The contents of this exhibit really didn't entice me so much as it would for children. What got me was the Yellow Barn where it had old bicycles, old cars, Virginia wine tasting, and a honey bee exhibit. All again sort of random. Consider these huge tourist traps that do not really contribute to any point of the actual caverns. The caverns are what I wanted to see, and that is what I was there to do. I guess these extra add ons are for the kids probably more so than the adults minus the wine sampling. CAVERNS I loved the caverns. Our tour guide did exactly what the other reviews say -- he pointed out rock formations that looked like bacon and carrots. Though I appreciate the obvious gestures of him repeatedly pointing these out, I feel the actual tour guide was lacking information on the caverns. It was not very scientific or historical. Yeah, he gave us some info, but mainly it seemed like he was pointing out the obvious. Ever seen that dog treat commercial where they say 'LOOK! IT'S BACOOOOOOOOOOON!' I felt like that every time he pointed to another rock formation that looked like...well... bacon. Regardless of the tour guide, the caverns themselves are absolutely stunning. It is worth the whole hour down there. They're beautifully intact and well preserved. I sure hope that $23 admission fee goes to maintaining that place! As previously mentioned, the lights are shut on and off by tour guide as you progress from one area to another. He was making sure everyone was out of the place before moving on -- but if you bring your kids here, make sure you keep them in tow because it would take no effort to losing one of them in the pitch darkness when they have hide and seek on their mind. One of the kids on the tour attempted this and failed. It was funny seeing the parents giving him hell when he was at the age and knew better. He was probably 7. Bring a light jacket for those of you who get cold easily. I wore mine at first, but ditched it half way through the tour. Some people went with and some went without. It is worth carrying even if you shed it for a just in case purpose. Overall experience was great! I would totally recommend coming here. Even if you don't like corny tourist traps, you should still check out the Yellow Barn and such. Get your full money's worth of your visit by checking out the whole place, not just the caverns. read more

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The $23/person admission gets you into the Caverns, the "Main Street of Yesteryear," the Yellow Barn and American Celebration. It's a guided tour that departs whenever they think they have a big enough group, a little over a mile and about an even 53 degrees or so. The facility has a small cafe, elevator (to caverns), restrooms, gift shop and admissions counter. Plenty of parking out in the lot. Yellow Barn and American Celebration are located on the same grounds (you'll pass them on the way in). Overall: The caverns are worth seeing - the rest was okay but nothing spectacular. Yellow Barn is worth it if you have kids. Family-friendly, but a bit pricey. read more

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

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Let me start by saying that I love visiting caves and have visited many across the U.S. and Europe. This was, hands down, the most overpriced and disappointing. I feel so ripped off. $25 each for a maybe 40 minute long tour. They started us off by rushing us through the first part of the cave to dump us with a tour that had already started. We weren't in a rush or anything ourselves, so this was very annoying. Our tour guide that we ended up with (Olivia) had zero personality. A pre recorded tape would've had more personality. Sorry if that's harsh, but it was that bad. She said the absolute bare minimum. We had to ask tons of questions to pull any good info out of her. The vast majority of the time was spent with the guide in silence or her directing us to stand in the next room. There's really nothing more you could tell us?? We actually spoke with the manager afterwards, and he merely thanked us for the feedback. Another quick thing about the caves - I was not a fan of the fake colored lights. Seemed cheesy to me. It's much more fascinating to see everything in a more natural light to get a better idea of how these formations truly look. The cavern itself was quite beautiful. Anyways... There's some creepy dolls upstairs, fine to walk through but didn't see any info telling you about them or where they came from. At least, not that we saw. The Yellow Barn had some cool old vehicles and other random stuff, but was mostly empty floor space. And the American Celebration was closed. I would not recommend this place. It is not at all worth the price. read more

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These Caverns are awesome. The lighting is beautiful and Shenandoah Caverns are the cleanest Caverns I have ever visited. Our guide was great and we loved the float museum and the animated figures, too. read more

Having been at Luray when I was a kid and remembering how crowded it was, I decided to take my friend here instead. Rather than being crowded, it was so empty we thought it was closed when we first arrived. Luckily, more people began to come after a while so we didn't have to wait long for the tour. The tour is pricey ($23) but print out the $2 off coupon from their website to save some money. the CAVERNS TOUR: Our group consisted of less than 10 people with an infant, toddler and elderly man with a cane. I was impressed by the elevator + ramps inside for handicapped access and how we could get right up to the rock formations. From the start, our tour guide stressed how touching the formations would halt their growth completely. Highlights of the tour include the "bacon strips," Diamond Cascade (where they host their weddings), the Rainbow Lake, and the story of how this cavern was discovered. I liked that our tour was so intimate as we could take our time asking questions or taking pics (there was only 1 person on the tour after us HAHAH, personal tour). And our tour guide was wonderful! She was very knowledgable and handled the kids running around very well. OTHER: Admission also gets you into the American Celebration on Parade, Yellow Barn, and Mainstreet of Yesteryear. We didn't have time to go through all of them, but it was wonderful to see some of the parade floats (if that's your thing) from the Rose Parade, presidential inaugurations, & Thanksgiving Day parades all in one room. read more

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Make sure that you eat lunch (preferably with bacon if you're an omnivore) before visiting this cavern. Because, when you leave here, you will be craving bacon like nobody's business due to the formations shaped like them here. But vegetarians are not safe either since a lot of the formations here closely resemble carrots as well. There are more gastronomical looking geological formations here than I believed possible! But besides the very unique bacon formations (thin brown, curvy, stalactites caused by the correct mixture of minerals and water droplets), there was not nearly enough to justify $23 a person in my opinion. Even though this admission fee includes not only the caves but a float museum next door. The tour is a little over a mile and a little over an hour but it was far less interactive and informative than a lot of tours. And I felt like we didn't see that many rooms. The ones we did see seemed really cold because the amount of white formations made it feel downright snowy inside the cavern. One highlight I have to mention is a giant boulder that fell during the last earthquake to hit the caverns directly about 7000 years ago and is being held up, barely, by three walls of the cavern. Getting to go underneath it and seeing the exact points where it could come unstuck at any moment (I was scared to ask what happened in the cavern during the D.C. earthquake a few years back) was thrilling. There was also a cool echo chamber and some impressive rooms with very high ceilings. But a lot of the excitement of the tour came from florescent lighting and not from natural marvels. But the completely natural food formations, while not worth the price of admission alone, are definitely a sight to be seen once. read more

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I bought a Groupon for my daughter and I and we went on our way! It's a beautiful drive and she had never been before. The ticket for the actual cavern tour also includes admission to 2 other buildings and wine tastings - Bonus! The building itself was great as while we were waiting for the tour to begin (they run almost every 20 minutes) there are plenty of things to look at and explore! The tour itself was spectacular and very interesting. The history of the caverns was also very interesting. Our tour guide was very knowledgable and very funny. I would definitely go again! read more

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Visited the caverns using a Groupon which was accepted without fuss and were able to get on the very next tour so we didn't even have to wait. The first surprise was the elevator. It was installed, according to our guide, in 1931. It's the old style sliding metal cage door elevator that requires an operator and holds maybe 8 people...if you don't mind squeezing. And believe me, we squeezed! After we got off we assembled in a kind of antechamber to the cavern while we waited for the elevator to make the multiple trips required to bring the rest of the tour group down into the cavern. The tour guide, while young, had a good working knowledge of the caverns and guided us efficiently to all of the highlights. In particular we admired the "bacon" formations which do, indeed look just like big strips of bacon hanging from the ceiling of the cavern. Several chambers are lighted with beautifully placed colored lights that turn the caverns into a gorgeous fairy-land. My daughter, in particular, was thrilled with these. As far as I'm concerned there were only two drawbacks to the caverns. One is that there's only one way in and out, so you do have to retrace your steps all the way back from the final chamber to the entrance, passing other tour groups as you go. The second drawback is the elevator trip back to the surface for which there seems to be a constant and considerable line. For those two reasons alone I'm rating the caverns 4 rather than 5 stars. But the caverns themselves are beautiful and well worth a visit. read more

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Very interesting caverns and our tour guide Max was awesome! Highly recommend him to be your guide. He's very knowledgeable and fun.

The caverns were great, the guides were helpful, careful, and knowledgeable. Lots of creative lighting, cool formations, and stories to go with the caverns. Not so great? The creepy doll museums, and the tacky gift store with the same stuff as every other gift store attached to something that should be good enough on it's own. They start tours every 15-20 minutes, an elevator cut right out of the rock takes you down into the caves. You tag-team with other tours in a coordinated way within the small spaces, it takes about 80-90 minutes to complete, and then you're done! Again, caves, good. All the other stuff, bad. read more

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Had an amazing time! Really enjoyed the scenery and crystals. I had so much fun! There is a cute crystal shop and a small cafe. Prices were reasonable. read more

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We all know this is a commercial money grab, but you can't beat paying 20 or so dollars to see amazing geological structures. The tour guide was very knowledgeable of the lore and geology. We were a small group and the guide wanted us to participate in questions and stuff. I thought that was annoying because I just want to walk around and see cool stuff. That didn't bother me too much. Still, very friendly guide. I warn you, do not go upstairs to the Main Street of yesteryear. It is creepy as hell! Its like you are in a Stephen King novel. Overall, great caverns. read more

The single biggest thing that separates these caverns from any other place in the area is that they have an elevator! That means that really young children (strollers) and the elderly can visit here! We came here on a Friday afternoon last month that the munchkins had off from school. Location-wise this place is only a couple of hours west from Howard County and maybe only 2.5 hours west of the Baltimore area, so it's definitely a day trip! The caverns were pretty amazing. I'm a full-on adult and I'd never been to see caverns. It's one of those things that will still blow you away no matter how many fancy electronics you are used to playing with. The munchkins were pretty impressed. The tour itself was about 1.8 miles, but all pretty much flat (see earlier comments about elevators). The tickets are not very expensive (and they offer discounts every once in awhile as well), so take an afternoon and enjoy yourself. read more

This is a really fun way to spend the day. Our tour guide was funny and well informed. It takes about an hour to walk the whole cavern and see the breathtaking natural formations. The American Celebration on Parade (Retired Parade Floats) and Yellow Barn come with your Tickets to the Cavern (Historic Stuff). Lots of opportunity to take pictures and learn some interesting stuff. There are picnic tables and many places to hike nearby as well. read more

Phenomenal. And the plus side it's wheelchair accessible 95%. But keep in mind with a WC it's a cave. So there's low hanging rocks, and some downhill areas which in turn is uphill on the way out. Our guide Brooke was very nice and knowledgable. Bring a sweater, it's chilly down there. But the views and formations were very impressive. Bacon was really cool to see. And you really get a feel on how Batman must have felt. They of course also have a gift shop and an eatery. read more

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

We really enjoyed the caverns. It had so many different formations than we'd ever seen in any other cave. They have beautiful lighting throughout. The people were very friendly. I called ahead and spoke with Willie and he was very helpful. This is a must see. Don't pass it up! read more

Awesome visit! Great tour guide and a truly American spirit to this business! We were blown away by the beautiful caverns to say the least! Everyone was so friendly and hospitable! Highly recommend! read more

Virginia has many cavern tours and they are all amazing. But we had a last second urge to visit Shenandoah Caverns. Great decision. Drive up to neat grounds is reminiscent of a tourist trap from 1960s but one quickly realizes its a homage to these places. It is, after all 100 year old business. Run by the same group of families all this time, it is labor of love. Admission includes tour of museum of parade floats. Sounds weird yes, but it is absolutely a must-see read more

I've never been to any caverns and let me tell you, these things are worth seeing in person. They are fantastic. The shenandoah caverns were huge! The staff were friendly and we got a guided tour. Trip took about 1.5 hours. They have an elevator to go up and down the caverns. Lots of walking. read more

Shenandoah Caverns - Beautiful colors and formation - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Quicksburg, Virginia

A lot of fun down under! Spacious to walk with a few low spots but 99.9% open. Enjoyed the guided tour. There is a shop and little cafe as well. I had the root beer float. Yum! With the ticket, you also get a ticket to the parade floats. That was really cool. See my review on that place. If you are driving by or, like us, took a day vaca, go see these caverns and parade floats. read more

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I had a lot of fun with my friend. The tour guide was very funny and informative. It was only a 2 hour drive from Baltimore. They had some very cool lighting in some of the spaces. It's definitely worth checking out! read more

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

I visited Shenandoah caverns after spending much time reading reviews on all of the caverns in the area. I did want to see Cumberland Gap caverns but it was closed on the day I was visiting. I chose Shenandoah but was very afraid it would be a tourist trap. And it was. I have been to Carlsbad Caverns before and it was amazing and the tour was amazing and informative. I studied geology in undergrad and graduate in college so maybe I was expecting more. I knew the tour was going to be bad the moment I realized that our tour guide was a 16 year old boy with a complete lack of personality. In a nutshell, the tour consisted of showing rock formations in different lighting and showing how they look like things such as bacon, carrots, a goat, an elephant, etc. it was getting ridiculous and I was getting angry. Everything was about how something looked like bacon. And they ruin the formations with rainbow lighting. Not once did he explain about how the caves formed or anything related to science. Except for one thing which wasn't totally correct. In all I thought it was a waste of $44 (with $2 coupon) for me and my gf. Nobody on the tour learned a single thing (which is what I thought was the point of a tour, since people can take a self-guided tour and point out that rocks look like bacon). Maybe part of the blame goes to the ignorant, camera-crazy tourists that did not ask a single question about anything relevant. If you've never been to a cavern before, are not interested in learning, and don't mind spending the money - this tour is for you. Otherwise - there are better options. read more

Nice authentic trip through the caverns. Our Groupon saved us nearly 50% off! Worth the trip!

Andy N.'s review here was completely off the mark and I'm so glad I didn't listen to him. The young woman who guided my group through the caverns was young, but she knew her stuff and answered all the questions I put to her about how the caverns formed, how they were discovered and more. Olivia was fun, engaging to both the children and adults in our group and friendly. I learned a great deal from her and had a great time on the tour. The caverns themselves were exquisite and easily accessible. Yes, there are some sections with colored lights but the majority of the tour just lets you soak up the natural wonder of what you're seeing. Spaces can get tight fast but there are also parts that open up to display wonderful epic ness as well. The tour takes about an hour and requires about a mile of walking. Sounds bad but it's not really. A bit chilly down there, you might want a light jacket. Bottom line - Ignore anyone who says this place is a tourist trap (it's not) or who says you don't learn anything (you do). One of the better cavern tours I've taken. Remember to watch your head! read more

It was toss up between this place and luray. I had read that luray was super crowded and over the top. This place had a groupon and we decided to give it a try! Pretty easy and close off the highway. A nice amount of parking, not sure what it is like in the summer, thinking it could get super crazy and you just park down below at the yellow bar or one of the other places. The tour itself is an hour and at first you think that isn't very long, but it is. The 1930's elevator starts it off... dropping you 60 feet below the surface of the ground... yikes! ;) The bacon "sheets" were indeed pretty amazing and it was fun to see "the one that was in the national geographic in 1964" Definitely some different features than i have seen in other cave tours across the country. The "waves" and tubes and sheets and bacon and crystal ones were all neat too look at! People were able to bring their kids in strollers.. which i guess can be a bonus, to me it's just annoying. There is one part where the strollers must be left behind. what you see in these caverns is all their is. They have opened up all that they can for the public to view. We enjoyed our time! The soda shop was closed - so that was a bummer. The "main street" tour was open... it's a good 10 min stroll but definitely creepy! All in all - take a trip and enjoy the land under the ground! read more

Having visited many caverns, this one wasn't very impressive. Yes, it's quite large, but that was about the only thing on the list. All of the "formations" aren't really formations, but rather rocks that look like different things based on the light angle! The tour guide turned some lights off, then turned other lights on, and then back again. Look! It's a chicken drumstick! Now it's a fish! Puh-leeze! read more

The caverns tour is a lot of fun and definitely worth the trip to get out for the day and explore something new. I got a Groupon and was pleasantly surprised with the good deal. Our tour lasted a little over an hour, and we walked for a little over a mile I think. The formations are pretty impressive and our tour guide knew what she was talking about. My wife and I brought some picnic food with us and had lunch after the tour in a tree-covered grassy area by the building - it was was very nice. All that said, the rest of everything surrounding the caverns - the shop, diner, weird American Celebration museum, etc - are all very gimmicky tourist traps that take away from the overall experience. So just go for the caverns. read more

The caverns themselves were beautiful. Very nice lighting and wonderful formations. The tour is an easy walk of about 1.5 miles. I like them better than Luray. The little museum on side is nice.They are very accessible to both wheelchair and children in strollers (they have an elevator). Overall a fun and entertaining experience. The webside has a discount coupon. Go early to avoid long lines. Don't miss it, worth every penny. Be prepared to take dozens of pictures (no flash). A light jacket needed even in summer. read more

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Four people. First time. Groupon discount. No wait. Tourist trap. Parking free. Okay for a historian. Otherwise, eh. Left behind on a tour had to go on another one after goin down elevator (a trap I telll ya!) Also, if you're a minority looking to visit this place, message me if you're interested in this place. Have a few tips for ya. read more

Had a great time during this visit! Only con was the tickets are a bit pricey, but the ticl2ets allow you to visit two other locations on the property along with the cavern so plan enough time to visit all three attractions. read more

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The caverns were indeed an amazing natural beauty. An elevator takes you 60ft underground, the tour is approximately an hour, the guide appeared to be extremely knowledgable, and the cavern was 54-58 degrees Fahrenheit... If you have seen 1 cavern you have seen them all. read more

Never gets old! One of my favorite caverns on the east coast. The piano natural organ thing at the end is incredible!

Better than lurays! They have colorful lights, and the tour is good. They take u to a dark part n slowly switch on lights to have the wow effect. It's a one time experience. read more

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