Shenandoah Caverns

We're always looking for fun things to do and new places to explore.  The boys are at an age where they get pretty excited about adventures, so we try to have them often.  Our most recent adventure was a trip down Route 11 to Virginia, with our first stop being Shenadoah Caverns.   What a seriously fun stop!  One of the first things you'll notice, as if it's welcoming you to the property, is a giant statue of a Cootie from the old children's game.  The entrance to the caverns is inside a building that is also home to a gift shop, a cafe, and Main Street of Yesteryear, a really great collection of antique window displays from department stores.  In addition to those attractions, there is American Celebration on Parade, a great museum of parade floats, and The Yellow Barn, a big building that is sort of a combination of shops and displays.  I'll get to those in a later post!

This wasn't the only large statue on the grounds.  There was a dinosaur, a clown, and a few others scattered about.  The property is lovely and there are areas to have picnics.

These old displays are absolutely amazing!  Most were animated.  My favorite was the holiday scene on the bottom left.  I wish I had gotten more photos of it, but the lighting and the fact that the displays are behind glass make it difficult to get good pics.

The bears are the first large display you come to and definitely the largest!  Of course I managed to get photos of cute bunnies.  I love the expressions on the top bunnies' faces!

I love the cavern's little elf mascots!  The sign on the left is above the stairs leading down to the cavern.  We didn't have to use the stairs, though, because Shenandoah Caverns is the only caverns in the state that have elevator service!

I had no idea it was illegal to touch the rock formations, but knowing it was forbidden made it extra hard not to touch anything!  See the cool rock formation in the lower right photo?  They call that bacon and I think you can see why!

If you ever get in the area of Shenandoah Caverns, you need to make sure you set aside time to visit! It's totally affordable and full of things to see.  If this post doesn't convince you, check back tomorrow.  The parade floats are a must see!!