Visting Shenandoah Valley - a question (Roanoke, Charlottesville: rentals, house, movies)

[mailmamon]

This will be the first time we are visiting the Shenandoah Valley. My husband and 4 year daughter will be with me. We are planning end of May. We don't want to go too far from DC(we will be driving from NYso already we will have a long drive). Was thinking of FRont Royal or Luray. Which one would you suggest? Or would you suggest a difference place inthis area?
Thank You so much in advance.

[plf86]

go to Luray. It has the Caverns and an old car museum .

[RW333]

Luray. The drive is more pleasant and less spoiled.

Luray is about 2 hours from D.C. If you were ambitious, Staunton, at 2-3/4 hours is a beautiful place.

[native_va_gal]

I too, would suggest Luray as I am more familiar with it than Front Royal.
At the Luray Caverns, there is also a maze that would be alot of fun for your 4 year old. There is the Luray Zoo with lots of reptiles. There is Lake Arrowhead which is a lake (gentle sloped entrance) with swimming, canoes, paddleboat rentals, and picinicing all in the fold of the mountains. Try to include time to go on the Skyline Drive with terrific vistas and some easy hikes to beautiful waterfalls. Also, would suggest checking out Virginia's excellent tourism website: Virginia Is For Lovers - Vacation in Virginia - Beaches, Mountains, History and More. (I agree with the other poster too, Staunton also offers alot.) Have fun!

[roanoker 4]

May is a perfect time to visit the Shenandoah Valley. Its probably our best month of the year. If you are in the DC area why not visit the gardens at Mt. Vernon? Travel to Front Royal and take the Skyline Drive south. You can get off around Charlottesville(about 2 hours so of DC) visit Monticello see the flowers. Head back on I-64/I-81 to Staunton and back north. Stop at Johnny Appleseed Restaurant at New Market which is near Luray. The northern Shenandoah Valley is full of farms, mountains, old historic towns and civil war relics. Too bad you can't travel south to Roanoke and beyond. The scenery is even more spectacular in the Spring with higher elevations and an increasing assortment of small towns. Remember the Skyline Drive is very slow(about 35mph)so plan some slow travel time.

[goozer]

Originally Posted by roanoker 4

May is a perfect time to visit the Shenandoah Valley. Its probably our best month of the year. If you are in the DC area why not visit the gardens at Mt. Vernon? Travel to Front Royal and take the Skyline Drive south. You can get off around Charlottesville(about 2 hours so of DC) visit Monticello see the flowers. Head back on I-64/I-81 to Staunton and back north. Stop at Johnny Appleseed Restaurant at New Market which is near Luray. The northern Shenandoah Valley is full of farms, mountains, old historic towns and civil war relics. Too bad you can't travel south to Roanoke and beyond. The scenery is even more spectacular in the Spring with higher elevations and an increasing assortment of small towns. Remember the Skyline Drive is very slow(about 35mph)so plan some slow travel time.

Good recommendation. Visit Luray and Front Royal both, and drive on skyline drive to get from one place to the other.

[smaug20000]

The thing about Skyline Drive though is I like it for a mile or two then get a little tired of the slow windy pace. Just be warned, that it is slow and windy, so be sure your daughter is up for that type of drive. I like instead to plan to be on it for a short period. You can plan to hop on and off instead of being on it for an extended distance.

I second Luray. Front Royal isn't that great a destination IMO.

[jackm226]

Winchester has the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum which is a favorite of kids. There is also the Shenandoah Valley Museum on Amherst St. On Braddock Street is George Washingtons HQ.
Frederick County/Winchester elected GW to his first political office. Also on Braddock is Stonewall Jacksons HQ. The house was owned by Benjamin Moore who is the great-grandfather of Mary Tyler Moore. The Winchester visitor center is on Pleasant Valley Rd.

[crazee8]

Here's what I would do:

1. On your way to Luray, stop at the Bealton Flying Circus (operates on Sundays) Flying Circus Aerodrome & Airshow

2. Head back to 211 and Skyline Drive. Go south to Skyland - and spend the night in a cabin or lodge. Very woodsy and outdoorsy but a very nice place where you'll feel that you've really gotten away from things. There's a restuarant and periodic entertainment. Walking trails and horseback riding. Lodging, Cabins, Activities & Dining: Shenandoah National Park, Luray, Virginia

3. Go to Luray and see the sights there (Caverns, etc) Welcome to Luray and Page County - in the beautiful and historic Shenandoah Valley!

4. Head over to New Market (15 min. from Luray) and take in the New Market Battlefield and Museum. Main street is good for walking - there's shops and restaurants. The historic Town of New Market, Virginia: town information, events, news, employment.

5. You're on I-81 now and can go either south to Staunton or north to Winchester. Both have interesting things to do. If you head towards Staunton, you could come back north via Charlottesville which has Monticello.Charlottesville : Visitors

6. I don't know what part of NY you're coming from, but if you're passing by Dulles Airport, you should stop at the Air & Space museum. It's huge and has IMAX movies, the concorde, Enola Gay, and many other aircraft, plus a mock control tower to go up into. National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

[KARL NEUMANN]

We are visiting Shenandoah Valley next month and would like to see my friend David Kelly (the last time I saw him was in 1981, almost 30 years ago). I have tried to find his whereabouts through the internet (People search, White Pages, Intelius, etc) without luck. Can anybody help me?