We had a fabulous weekend in Luray!  The vacation cabin hosted by Allstar Lodgings was perfect.  Though they may call it a "cabin" this was actually a well stocked home with river front access.  (Each cabin managed by Allstar, is individually owned and homes are located throughout the Shenandoah Valley near the river and on the mountain.)

It was so easy to show up, put our code into the lock box and enter our home away from home after arriving at 9:30pm.  We had the kids changed and on their way to bed in no time at all.  The home was clean and setup with bedding, kitchen and paper supplies and bathroom towels.  There was almost nothing other than our clothing and food for the weekend that we needed to bring along! 

Saturday morning we awoke refreshed to a gorgeous view of the river and took our time getting ready for our day out.  Kitty, our Yorkie, was happy to be able to join us for the weekend.  She and I enjoyed going for a walk along the river first thing.  After breakfast, we all took a trip down to the river's edge and just had some quiet family hang out time. 

Unfortunately, the beautiful morning turned into a dark and dreary day with rain after lunch, but the rain did not hamper our trip to Luray Caverns in the least. 

We took in the Garden maze first (just in time before the rain began).  Akin to our local corn mazes, the garden maze used arborvitae to create a "just hard enough to be fun, but not too hard" maze for the family to journey through.  Along the way we collected four stamps, water jets sprayed us with mist, we traversed a tunnel and we discovered quaint fountains within the maze. 

After the maze we took the trip down into the caverns, first stopping to get headsets and then through a door located inside the gift shop, we stepped directly into the cave.  After carrying our one-year-old down the initial set of steps, we were able to easily use his stroller for the rest of our tour.  The pathways were incredibly smooth and well maintained.  Our headsets allowed us to move through the cavern rooms taking as long as we liked to view the sites before moving on.  There were 19 different spots that prompted us to put in a three digit code to hear information on what we were seeing.  The excellent part about it was that each station had two separate codes.  One for the adults and a super fun one for the kids.  It made the experience so much more enjoyable for our 9-year-old.  We could almost tell what was being told to her, by the expressions of joy, wonder and surprise on her face.   In addition, individuals were available along the way to answer any questions that we had about the caverns many wonders. 

We saw an underwater lake that mirrored the ceiling above.  The distinction between the two was almost imperceptible.  In one of the last rooms, the cathedral, named for the many weddings the room has hosted, we were able to hear the ethereal sounds of the stalactite organ.  There was only one thing missing from the room, a soft feather bed, as I could not imagine a more peaceful place to take a nap. 

The mark of perfectly entertaining activities is hating to see them end.  Luray Caverns must be one of those perfect places as we were all sad to see the exit and have our tour come to an end.

Though much of the rest of the day was rained out, we were able to have a nice campfire by the river later in the evening.  We roasted marshmallows (which our one-year-old instantly covered his face in), sang a few camp songs and listened to the night sounds of the river.

Our time was short, but our getaway was delightful and relaxing. 

Luray offers tons of outdoor fun from horseback riding to canoeing, kyaking, and tubing, not to mention the fact that it is right off Skyline Drive, you could easily fill a week full of fun.  Many activities can be arranged right along with your accommodations through Allstar Lodging.

For more information on Luray, VA, Luray Caverns and Allstar Lodgings Vacation Cabins take a look at the following links.  http://www.townofluray.com/, http://www.luraycaverns.com/, and http://www.allstarlodging.com/