The ticket booth and building were built on top of the entrance to the caverns, so the purchase of tickets, as well as the wait to start the tour, take place indoors. Kids as young as 5 will truly enjoy the beauty and excitement of the natural caves. Our tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable, and stopped to let us take a multitude of pictures, and ask questions every few steps. From start to finish, the entire tour is 1.25 miles long, and takes roughly 1 hour to complete. Inside, you will see beautiful stalactites and stalagmites that have naturally formed over thousands of years.
In addition to the natural beauty, they have also installed an organ that uses the stalactites and stalagmites to be able to play music (which they will demonstrate). There were also a few spots where water had pooled up, and made the reflection appear as a mirror image to all of the formations hanging from the ceiling. Ending the tour was a large wishing well, which has the proceeds donated to charities every year.
When you complete the tour, you come out in the gift shop, which had plenty of unique items in it. Additionally, in the same shopping center were a few Luray Museums, which you get free entrance to with the purchase of your caverns tickets, as well as a small ropes course, and a tree maze (each of which cost less than 10 dollars per person to add on.
This small day trip took us a little less than two hours each way from Wheaton, and was definitely worth the drive.
Website: http://luraycaverns.com/
Cost:
Adults: $24
Kids 6-12: $12
Under 6: Free
Hours:
Tours begin each day at 9 am
The last tour departs at:
April 1 to June 14 – 6 pm
June 15 to Labor Day – 7 pm
Day after Labor Day to October 31 – 6 pm
November 1 to March 31 – 4 pm (5 pm on weekends)
(Tours run roughly every 20 minutes)
