In March 2021, my fiance and I took a trip to the Shenandoah Valley. The trip had originally been planned for late January 2021 – we wanted to take a few days to relax in a cozy cabin in the woods, one I’d found on Airbnb and that had a hot tub. The holidays were busy at my job (marketing for a small, family-owned retail business) and I was looking forward to some time to unwind. Unfortunately, we had to postpone our trip due to COVID, but our Airbnb host was kind enough to let us reschedule for sometime in the spring.
Little did I know, my fiance was planning on proposing during this trip (I had no idea he’d already stopped by my workplace, picked out the ring, and picked it up – they’re good at keeping secrets!), so it really threw a wrench in his plans. Fortunately, we were able to make the trip in March a trip to celebrate our engagement.
I’m really glad we ended up going in the spring – a lot of the trees were beginning to get leaves and driving around was much prettier than it would have been in the winter. It was even warm enough to do some stuff outside, since we were still being very careful about COVID exposure. The drive was just a bit over four hours. Most of it was fairly boring; taking the highway through fields in Pennsylvania then parts of Maryland, West Virginia, and into Virginia. We stopped at a couple of Sheetz on the way (of course) and finally found the dirt road heading to our cabin.
It was truly the middle of nowhere, the road snaking up the side of the mountain, with various homes and cabins spaced along it. We got to ours, which had a small parking area by the front entrance. We went in and realized the front door’s lock didn’t work! It was honestly a little spooky, but thankfully, we figured out how to block the door closed, so it wasn’t really a concern while we were there. It was a small, one-floor cabin, with two bedrooms, a bathroom, full kitchen, and living room area with a fireplace. There was a large deck with chairs and a table and a lower deck with the hot tub.
The view was stunning. The trees were all lower than the cabin, which was set high up on the slope of the mountain, and opened up perfectly with a view of the valley spread out below. It was dotted with farms and rolling hills, with tiny cows and cars visible.
Once we settled in, we made dinner and then tried out the hot tub – highly recommend renting a cabin with a hot tub. It was the highlight of the trip. Being able to relax and watch the sun set over the valley, while enjoying a drink and just talking was the perfect way to spend a vacation.
We had two nights and one full day at the cabin, so we spent our time relaxing, cooking, sitting on the deck, and in the hot tub. When we left on Friday morning (we had booked our stay for a Wednesday through Friday), we felt refreshed and ready to head home for the weekend. We had a few things planned for before we left the Shenandoah Valley. First, we headed to Luray Caverns.
Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns is the largest cavern system in the eastern United States, easily accessible to the public. It was a short drive from our Airbnb, and it was pretty busy, even for a weekday. We parked and then went inside to purchase our tickets and take a self-guided tour. We got our headsets and left the visitors’ center, heading for the ramp that led into the entrance of the caverns. At the entrance, a lobby was built, with a pair of double doors leading into the caverns themselves. Once inside, the walkways are well-lit and clearly marked; while none of it was too strenuous, the slope of the walkway changed frequently and some areas had railings, but they were very basic.
It felt like a completely out-of-this world experience. Cave formations were everywhere, some absolutely huge and formed over millions of years, others just tiny buildups jutting out of the ground. Wondering through the caverns, there were so many places we stopped to take pictures. Two of my favorite places in the caverns were the stalacpipe organ and Pluto’s Chasm. While we were there, we were fortunate to hear the organ play, even though we were taking an audio tour on our own. It was surreal and haunting to hear the music place through the caverns. The Chasm is a deep drop in one part of the Caverns, with a huge column known as “Pluto’s Ghost.” At first, people exploring the cavern believed the column was a ghost! It was used as a landmark when the caverns were initially being explored. Higher up in the cavern in a direct line from this column, is another named after Pluto’s wife, Proserpine.
We took some time in the gift shop, bought a magnet, then headed on our way.
Skyline Drive
While planning the trip, I was adamant that I wanted to drive part of Skyline Drive, which runs through Shenandoah Valley National Park. I didn’t realize how high up the road was or how sheer the drops were along the road!
We got on at the entrance closest to Luray, Route 211. It costs $30 to enter the park, but once in, you have access to the entire parkway, camping areas, scenic overlooks, and hiking trails. We headed south on the parkway, toward The Pinnacle Overlook, one of the highest places on the road. It was so windy, but an absolutely gorgeous view over the valley. My fiance ended up driving us through the rest of our time on Skyline Drive, because I suddenly realized driving with such a sheer drop next to me made me afraid of heights – something I’d never experienced before!
The views were so stunning. We kept stopping on our way back to the northernmost end of Skyline Drive. I took so many pictures, I never got tired of seeing the Shenandoah Valley spread out in front of us. In some places, you could see the mountains overlapping each other, farms far below us. Seeing the sky meet the earth for miles all around was an incredible experience. I definitely recommend this drive to anyone who visits the area; just go into it knowing the road has a sheer drop off the side in some places!
Front Royal
Once we exited Skyline Drive, we were in the little town of Front Royal. We had driven through on our way to our Airbnb, but only stopped at a Sheetz for gas and some snacks. On the way home, we stopped for lunch. I looked up what places there were with outdoor seating and found Front Royal Brewing Company (which has since been renamed Vibrissa Beer). My fiance got their wings, which were great, while I got one of their specials, a smoked salmon sandwich. It was delicious! We tried some of the beers too, all of which were tasty. The brewery had a lovely deck where we sat and enjoyed the warm weather. Once we were done, we walked around the town for a bit before starting our drive back home.
Overall, it was a great weekend trip and I highly recommend it! I think it would be beautiful in the summer or fall while the trees are changing covers or have full coverage. Going during the week was a good choice, especially since nowhere we went was very busy.