Weekend at Shenandoah National Park



Birdie having the budgie sticks

A long weekend to  the Shenandoah valley, Virginia is a great trip for animal lovers. We stayed at Harrisonburg, VA that had decent restaurants and 30 minutes away from the Shendaoah national park.  

 We visited Virginia safari park and our toddler had 
a great time there. We did purchased 4 buckets of food for $12 total. The best way to feed them would be with half a bucket full of food. Have a grocery bag handy to pour all the food in there and just fill to half a bucket to feed each animal. Some of the animals have a knack for the buckets so if you can, have some empty extra buckets handy! It is a good idea to visit early mornings when there is less traffic, lesser wait times and traffic jams driving through the park. We did not take the wagon tour but drove in our car with all the back door windows down. We kept the front windows up and locked with all of our food bags stored there and to minimize the impact of animals that would want to approach, lick and sniff the driver. The first section has a lot of lamas, ostriches, bison  and deers. The next section has camels, Zebras, moose and antelopes. A great way to spend a day. After the safari drive, we parked in the lot and walked to visit the different birds ( Buying the budgie sticks is highly recommended),  peacock, kangaroos ( those looked tiny and tired) , tigers and turtles. Don’t miss the giraffe from the view point and an opportunity to feed those. Some of those  did not seem quite healthy and I would appreciate if the park management can pay special attention. There was overwhelming crowds by afternoon and we are glad that we were done by noon when lots of cars started pouring in. we were glad we carried our water bottles and lunch bags to avoid long lines.

 

Wishing Well at Luray Caverns

Reflection in water inside the cavern

stroller friendly walkway

We visited the Luray caverns during the long weekend. It is a  must-see while you are there. Keep a sweater handy and it tends to get chillier if you were like me. This is stroller friendly except for the first few minutes where you will have to fold your stroller and carry it downstairs a flight of 50 steps and back again when you exit. The rest of the caverns are stroller friendly and would advise a stroller if you have infants or toddlers strongly. There is a long way to walk and stroller would be handy. There are two lines once out there – one for the tickets and the other one to enter the caverns. Go for the tickets with audio as I
don’t remember seeing any descriptions but just the audio signs all over. That way you will not have to wait for the guide to narrate who will wait for a small group to gather before they narrate. There are restrooms while in the line just before you get down the stairs (behind the ticket booths in the hall) . There are no restrooms once you are down the stairs and the total trip would take around 2.5 hours. Needless to say, have snacks, water handy as you cannot expect food stalls down there.   I would have failed to notice that it was a reflection of the top section of the cave in the water  had it not been for my husband pointing it out! ( this is as soon as you take the ascending ramp once you start on the trip). It is going to be damp/wet and muddy at some places, so make sure you wear proper footwear. The second half of the caves were more interesting with complicated stalagmites.  Don’t miss the piano being played by the stalagmites. My favorite was the “egg whites” that you will find at the end of the tour. Have coins handy if you wish to throw coins in the “Wishing well” just before exiting. Again, we were glad that we made it earlier in the day (arrived at the parking lot by 830 AM and out by 1130 AM). The line was extending till the Luray valley museum. Make sure you form the line on the other side under the canopies and not towards the front. The gift shop had an amazing collection. The kids will enjoy the adjacent toy shop with huge displays. The food joint offers a veggie  sandwich as a vegetarian option.

Bear cub at Shenandoah

  We did not hike at the Shenandoah park but did take the skyline drive. You could get on the skyline drive from the Luray Caverns (that will join the skyline drive at the center), or from the visitor centers South ( closer from Harrisonburg, VA where we stayed) or North. It is a good idea to drive during the sunrise or sunset as there is a higher chance of spotting wildlife. We were lucky to spot a bear cub and a deer. Make sure all your eyes are on the road and follow the safety signs and speed limits. A very enjoyable drive. We stocked on snacks, food and water quite ahead. There are parking lots for some of the hiking points. Watch out for cyclists and motor bikes as well.

 

While at Harrisonburg, VA hotel, we visited "A Dream come True" playground one evening and it was relaxing. Great place to stop by for few minutes in the evening  before you wrap up for the night!