When most people plan a trip to Shenandoah National Park, they are thinking about Skyline Drive, mountain overlooks, waterfalls and miles of hiking trails.
So are we.
But eventually we have to come down from the mountain. And when we do, we often find ourselves in Luray, Virginia.
Located just outside Shenandoah National Park, Luray makes a great base camp for exploring the Virginia mountains. There are hotels and motels, cabins and vacation rentals, casual restaurants, coffee shops, camping, paddling, a few quirky attractions and, of course, the famous Luray Caverns. It is big enough to give you choices but small enough that you never really feel like you have left the mountains behind.
And sometimes, you might even meet a Duke of Hazzard over breakfast.
Why Stay in Luray When Visiting Shenandoah National Park?
Location, location, location!
Luray sits on the western side of Shenandoah National Park, with easy access to the Thornton Gap Entrance and Skyline Drive. That makes it especially convenient if your hiking plans include the central section of the park. Spend the day hiking to a waterfall or scrambling across a rocky summit, then head back into town for dinner and a comfortable bed.
The town of Luray also works well as a jumping-off point for adventures beyond the national park. Luray Caverns is right in town, while Shenandoah River State Park offers another beautiful corner of the region to explore.
For us, Luray isn’t a destination instead of Shenandoah. Rather, it is part of the Shenandoah experience.
A Little History of Luray, Virginia
Long before hikers arrived with trekking poles and tourists lined up to explore Luray Caverns, this little Shenandoah Valley town was building a story of its own. Luray was officially established in 1812 along Hawksbill Creek. Early industries in the surrounding area included iron works, mills, blacksmithing and other trades that took advantage of the valley’s natural resources.
The town became the county seat when Page County was established in 1831, but things really began to change later in the century. Luray Caverns was discovered in 1878, followed just a few years later by the arrival of the railroad in 1881. Suddenly, this quiet Virginia mountain town was much easier for travelers to reach.
The railroad helped usher in a new era of tourism and growth, while the caverns gave visitors a pretty spectacular reason to make the trip. We eventually became part of that long line of visitors, making Luray a regular part of our Shenandoah hiking journeys since 2014.
Today, Luray still feels like a small Virginia mountain town, but its location may be its greatest advantage. Tucked between the Blue Ridge and Massanutten Mountains, it puts you close to some of the best outdoor adventures in the Shenandoah Valley. Which is why we keep returning to Luray.
How Close Is Luray to Shenandoah and Other Attractions?
One of the best reasons to stay in Luray is simple: location! Thornton Gap is at mile 31.5 of Skyline Drive, making Luray especially convenient for exploring the central portion of Shenandoah National Park.
From central Luray, you are approximately:
- 7 miles from Shenandoah National Park’s Thornton Gap Entrance, the Skyline Drive entrance closest to Luray
- 1-2 miles from Luray Caverns
- About 5 miles from Cooter’s Place and the Dukes of Hazzard Museum
- About 15 miles from Shenandoah River State Park
Driving to Luray
Approximate distances and drive times will vary with traffic and your exact starting point, but Luray is roughly:
- Washington, DC: 90-95 miles, about 2 hours
- Richmond, Virginia: 120-130 miles, about 2 1/2 hours
- Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: about 150 miles, about 2 1/2-3 hours
- Chambersburg, Pennsylvania: about 90 miles, about 1 1/2-2 hours
That makes Luray an easy long-weekend destination from a good portion of Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and the Washington, D.C. region.
Leave after work, wake up in the mountains.
We’d hit the road after work on Thursday, hightailing it from south-central Pennsylvania to Luray in about three hours. By Friday morning, after a stop at our favorite local coffee shop, we were ready to hit the trail.
Luray Caverns: Go Under the Mountains for a Change
After spending days climbing Virginia’s mountains, why not go underneath the valley?
Luray Caverns is easily the best-known attraction in Luray and has been drawing visitors since its discovery in 1878. Massive underground chambers are filled with stalactites, stalagmites, reflecting pools and formations created over an almost unimaginable amount of time.
It is also a great option when the weather above ground isn’t cooperating with your hiking plans.
Want to learn more about Luray Caverns? Read what surprised us and what to know before you visit: Luray Caverns: The Underground Adventure We Never Expected
Ride the River
We’ve spent plenty of time exploring the Shenandoah Valley on foot, but you can also see it from the water.
The South Fork of the Shenandoah River winds through the valley near Luray, offering kayaking, canoeing, tubing and rafting. Depending on the section and river conditions, you can choose a relaxing paddle or add a few beginner rapids to the adventure.
Don’t have a kayak? Local outfitters offer rentals and shuttle service. Bonus: Some of our vacation rentals included kayaks, making it pretty easy to trade hiking boots for paddles.
River conditions change with weather and water levels, so always check before heading out. A local outfitter can help with gear and water safety tips. Consider Shenandoah River Outfitters for tours and gear rental.
Explore Shenandoah River State Park
Shenandoah National Park may be the headliner, but it doesn’t have to be the entire show.
Nearby Shenandoah River State Park gives you a completely different landscape perspective. Instead of viewing the Shenandoah River from Skyline Drive overlooks, you can get close to it while hiking, biking, paddling, and picnicking. Shenandoah River State Park is located in Bentonville, on the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. The park, created in 1999, has more than 1,600 acres along 5.2 miles of shoreline.
A Very Unexpected Breakfast in Luray
Travel has a funny way of handing you stories you could never put on an itinerary.
One morning during breakfast in Luray, we happened to meet Tom Wopat, as in Luke Duke from The Dukes of Hazzard. Years earlier, I had seen him on Broadway with Bernadette Peters, in the revival of Annie Get Your Gun. So when he smiled at me from the neighboring Alexander’s breakfast table, I told him.
That simple conversation turned into Tom Wopat giving us a tour of Luray’s Dukes of Hazzard museum. This is the kind of “down home” thing that can happen in Luray, Virginia.
Cooter’s Place: A Little Bit Quirky
Even without a personal tour from Luke Duke, Cooter’s Place is one of Luray’s more unusual attractions. The Dukes of Hazzard museum is filled with memorabilia from the television show and is the kind of roadside-Americana stop that can be a fun diversion between hikes.
Would I plan an entire Virginia vacation around it?
Probably not.
Would I stop when I was already staying in Luray?
Perhaps.
But thanks to one completely unexpected breakfast conversation, it will forever be part of our Luray story.
Wineries Around Luray
Wine tasting is another popular way to spend an afternoon in the Shenandoah Valley, with several wineries scattered through the countryside around Luray. We tend to spend our daylight hours collecting trail miles rather than wine tastings, but your idea of a mountain getaway may be different.
And even though Virginia wine isn’t usually what brings me to the region, there is something to be said for experiencing what is locally grown and produced. Add a vineyard view, support a local business and enjoy a glass as part of the experience.
Check the Shenandoah Valley Wine Trail for winery tasting hours, food options, reservations and seasonal events before heading out.
Where to Stay in Luray
Where we stay in Luray depends a lot on what kind of adventure we have planned. If we are heading out early and spending the entire day hiking or exploring, we don’t need much from our lodging. But when the days are shorter and we know we’ll have more downtime, a comfortable place to settle in becomes part of the getaway.
Simple Lodging for Adventure-Filled Days
Sometimes all we need is a clean room, a hot shower and a comfortable bed. Days Inn, Quality Inn and Luray Caverns Motel are convenient options when most of your waking hours will be spent somewhere else. They are basic places to stay, but that can be exactly the point when the alarm is set early and the day’s plans involve trails, overlooks and exploring.
That’s often us on a hiking trip.
Some rooms are also dog-friendly, which has made this type of lodging particularly practical when our four-legged hiking partners come along. Always check the current pet policy when booking since designated rooms, fees and restrictions can change.
Cabins and Vacation Rentals
For more space and privacy, Luray and the surrounding countryside have plenty of cabins, cottages and vacation rentals through Airbnb and Vrbo.
These can work especially well for families, groups, longer stays and travelers with dogs. A kitchen is also pretty convenient when breakfast happens before sunrise and dinner might be whenever you finally make it back from the trail. You can stay close to town or head farther into the countryside for a cabin that makes the mountain setting part of the experience.
The Mimslyn Inn: When the Stay Is Part of the Getaway
Then there are trips when I want a little more from where we stay. That’s when I choose the Mimslyn Inn.
The historic Georgian Revival inn opened in 1931 and is now a member of Historic Hotels of America. With its stately columns, sweeping staircase and classic Virginia atmosphere, it feels quite different from checking into a basic motel after a long day on the trail.
The Mimslyn offers traditional hotel rooms along with its Cottage Collection and Manor House, but what I particularly like is everything available without leaving the property.
There are restaurants, a bar, a pool, spa services and places to simply relax. You can have a more elegant meal at Circa ’31 or head downstairs to the much more casual Speakeasy Bar & Restaurant.
I especially enjoy staying here during late fall and winter. The days are shorter, darkness comes early, and we tend to spend more time at our lodging. Instead of heading back to a basic room for the evening, we can have dinner, grab a drink and relax.
Camping Around Luray
Of course, you can skip the hotel room altogether and sleep a little closer to the adventure.
Shenandoah National Park has several seasonal campgrounds along Skyline Drive for those who want to stay right inside the park. Outside the park, you’ll find private campgrounds with tent and RV sites and more amenities.
We have also stayed at Jellystone Park Luray in a rented Sprinter van. Located along US-211, it is convenient to the Thornton Gap entrance to Shenandoah National Park, which made it a great base for our hiking adventures.
This is definitely a family-oriented campground, with pools, waterslides, mini golf, playgrounds and plenty of activities for kids. Tent and RV sites range from fairly simple campsites to sites with full hookups. For us, though, the location was the big draw. We could settle in with the van outside the national park and still have easy access to Skyline Drive and the trails the next morning.
Where to Eat in Luray
Where we eat depends a lot on where the day’s adventure takes us.
If we’re still inside Shenandoah National Park when hunger hits, we’ll sometimes eat at one of the park lodge restaurants. They are convenient after a day on Skyline Drive or the trails, but since we’re talking about Luray, let’s head back to town.
Start with Coffee at Broad Porch
A favorite Luray stop for us is Broad Porch Coffee.
Located downtown along Main Street, Broad Porch serves locally roasted coffee along with breakfast, pastries and other light fare. Sometimes we take our food and drinks to go. But when we want a place to slow down for a bit before heading out for the day’s adventure, we cozy up at a table for two or relax in one of the comfortable stuffed chairs along the wall.
When We’re Ravenous After a Hike
After logging some serious trail miles, we are often hungry enough that getting food quickly becomes the priority.
That’s when we head to Rancho Viejo Mexican Grill. Chips and salsa followed by a plate filled with Mexican favorites, beans and rice taste particularly good after a long day on the trail. Nothing fancy required. Just feed us.
When We Want a Nicer Dinner
For a slower, nicer meal, we head to the Mimslyn Inn.
Circa ’31 offers the more elegant dining experience, while the downstairs Speakeasy Bar & Restaurant is relaxed and casual with a cozy, tucked-away atmosphere. Circa ’31 also offers outdoor seating on the grand porch during the warmer months.
All options are particularly convenient when we’re staying at the Mimslyn and don’t want to go anywhere else for the evening. Of course, for these restaurants, after a day on the trails, we shower first.
Sometimes We Cook
When we stay in an Airbnb or Vrbo, we often skip the restaurants altogether and cook our own meals.
After several days of eating on the road, having a kitchen and preparing a healthy dinner can be exactly what we want. It also makes early hiking mornings easier when breakfast needs to happen well before most restaurants are open.
Is Luray a Good Base for Shenandoah National Park?
For us, yes.
Especially if your trip isn’t just about checking off the most famous overlooks on Skyline Drive.
Luray gives you easy access to Shenandoah National Park while also offering you somewhere to go when you come off the mountain. You can find coffee before an adventure, devour Mexican food after a long hike, paddle the Shenandoah River, explore a cavern when the weather turns, or clean yourself up and head to the Mimslyn for something a little nicer.
We come to this part of Virginia for the mountains. But places like Luray fill in the spaces between those adventures.
And every once in a while, those spaces give us some of the best stories.
