Blue Ridge Outfitters is a professional hunting guide service in Stanley, VA (Page County), running guided and non-guided hunts for black bear, whitetail deer, wild turkey, and predators on private property that borders Shenandoah National Park in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Terry Cubbage owns and operates the outfit and has been at it for over a decade, working with experienced guides who really know this terrain. Packages range from 1-day to 5-day hunts priced between $250 and $2,200, with bear hunts starting at $350/day and combo big game specials available. Family discounts help make guided hunting trips accessible to groups, which is a nice touch if you're trying to get the whole crew out there. Hunters get access to 2-man ladder stands, ground blinds, year-round game camera monitoring, maintained food plots, and hot lunches delivered right to the stand (beats eating a cold sandwich in 30-degree weather, right?). Multi-day hunters can stay in a rustic mountain cabin on the property, complete with a stocked fishing pond, or the guides will help arrange lodging at nearby inns and hotels. With over 2,400 Facebook followers, Blue Ridge Outfitters has built a solid reputation in the Virginia hunting community for professional service, successful hunts, and quality guided experiences at affordable rates. Reach Terry at tcubbagehunting@gmail.com or check out blueridgeoutfittersva.com to book your Virginia guided hunting trip.
Luray Caverns, discovered on August 13, 1878, is the largest caverns in the Eastern United States at 64 acres and ranks as the 12th largest cavern system in the world, attracting approximately 500,000 visitors annually as America's most-visited show cave after Mammoth Cave and Carlsbad Caverns. Designated a National Natural Landmark in 1974, this Shenandoah Valley underground attraction boasts a remarkable 4.7/5 Google rating from 24,078+ reviews and 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor with nearly 5,000 reviews, earning consistent Travelers' Choice recognition. The self-guided cave tour covers 1.25-1.5 miles of paved pathways through cathedral-sized rooms with 10-story ceilings at a constant 54°F, featuring Dream Lake's mirror-perfect reflections, the 47-foot Double Column, and the Great Stalacpipe Organ—a Guinness World Record holder as the world's largest natural underground musical instrument, spanning 3.5 acres with 37 stalactites struck by rubber mallets. Current admission is $36 for adults, $34 for seniors (62+), and $18 for children 6-12; pricing includes access to the Car & Carriage Caravan Museum (140+ historic vehicles including an 1892 Mercedes-Benz), Shenandoah Heritage Village, Luray Valley Museum, and Toy Town Junction antique train collection. Additional attractions include the Garden Maze (largest hedge maze in the Mid-Atlantic), Rope Adventure Park, and the 117-foot Luray Singing Tower carillon with 47 bells offering free seasonal recitals. Located just 90 minutes from Washington D.C. and 10 minutes from Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive, Luray Caverns has been praised by the Smithsonian Institution since 1880 as "probably no other cave in the world more completely and profusely decorated.
Endless Caverns12 mi
Address Endless Caverns RV Resort & Cavern Tours, 1800 Endless Caverns Rd, New Market, VA 22844
Here's a fun discovery story: two boys chasing a rabbit on Reuben Zirkle's farm found the entrance to Endless Caverns on October 1, 1879. It opened as a commercial show cave in 1920 and has been welcoming visitors for over 105 years now, making it one of Virginia's longest-running cave attractions. This living cave system in the Shenandoah Valley has 5.5 miles of mapped passages and offers the longest guided cave tour in Virginia at roughly 75 minutes covering just under a mile of stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, and cathedral-like chambers that are still actively growing today. Adult admission is $30, children ages 4-12 pay $17, and kids 3 and under get in free. There's discounted rates for local residents, resort guests, and groups of 15 or more starting at just $17 per adult. The cave stays at 55°F year-round (bring layers) and operates April through November, with tours departing every two hours during spring and fall and hourly in summer. It's earned a TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Award, and reviews praise the knowledgeable guides and the authentic, less-commercialized feel compared to bigger competitors nearby. The property also runs a 265-acre RV resort with 148 full-hookup sites, 20+ luxury cabins, a swimming pool, fishing pond, disc golf, and hiking trails including a scenic hike up to the iconic hillside sign you can spot from I-81. You'll find it at 1800 Endless Caverns Road off Exit 264 or 257 near New Market, Virginia. They do educational guided tours, group rates for school field trips, and even weddings in the stunning Cathedral Room underground. That last one sounds wild but people do it.
Bear Mountain Ziplines was started in 2012 by Tony and Sharon Higginbotham, who turned their 50+ acre property next to Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park into the Shenandoah Valley's go-to zipline destination. Now 13 years in, they're still sending people flying over Page Valley with views of the Blue Ridge Mountains that are hard to beat. The signature Mama Bear Zipline Tour runs $75 per person and features seven ziplines spanning 2,700 total feet, including a 1,000-foot finale that soars over an open meadow at speeds up to 35 mph (my stomach dropped on that one). The whole experience takes about two hours, including a rustic tractor ride up the mountain and thorough safety training. Participants need to weigh between 70-250 pounds and be at least 8 years old. Younger kids ages 5+ who are at least 36 inches tall can try the Baby Bear High Ropes Course for $20, or tackle the three-story Bear Scramble Climbing Wall for $15 per half-hour. Reviews are pretty stellar: 4.9/5 on TripAdvisor from over 223 reviews and the #1 outdoor activity in Luray. People can't stop talking about the staff, including owners Katie and Jenna, who create a safe and encouraging vibe that's perfect for first-timers and families. The course was built by Inner Quest, Inc. to meet or exceed ACCT (Association for Challenge Course Technology) standards, with all participants double-clipped to steel cables and provided helmets, harnesses, gloves, and hands-on instruction. Located at 2354 US Highway 211 East, just minutes from Luray Caverns and Shenandoah National Park's Thornton Gap entrance, this Virginia zipline adventure operates year-round (by appointment in winter). Call (540) 743-1733 or book online at bearmountainadventure.com.
Shenandoah Caverns is a historic underground attraction discovered in 1884 by the Neff family and opened to the public in May 1922, making it over 100 years in continuous operation as one of Virginia's premier cavern tours. Located just 2 minutes off I-81 at Exit 269 near New Market, this Shenandoah Valley cave tour holds a 4.7/5 Google rating with 2,903+ reviews and a TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Award with 609 reviews at 4.5/5 stars. The one-hour guided tour covers 17 connected underground rooms across one mile of crushed gravel pathways at a constant 54-56°F, featuring the famous "breakfast bacon" calcite formations highlighted in 1964 National Geographic Magazine—plus Diamond Cascade, Rainbow Lake, and Grotto of the Gods formations. Admission prices are $32-$34 for adults, $28 for seniors (62+), and $15-$16 for children 6-12, with under-5 free; the caverns are the only Virginia cave with elevator access, eliminating the need to climb 79 steps. The "family of attractions" includes the American Celebration on Parade museum ($10 add-on) showcasing retired Presidential Inaugural floats dating to Truman's 1949 parade, the Main Street of Yesteryear animated window displays, an authentic 1957 soda fountain café serving hand-pressed burgers and milkshakes, and gemstone mining sluice activities. Many visitors compare Shenandoah Caverns favorably to Luray Caverns, praising smaller crowds, more personalized guided tours, and vibrant multicolor lighting that enhances the active cave's still-growing formations.
WILD GUYde Adventures LLC is a premier Shenandoah Valley adventure outfitter founded in 2004 by Dr. Lester Zook, a wilderness guide with 30+ years of experience and doctoral-level education from the University of Virginia. Operating from Harrisonburg, Virginia, this guided hiking and outdoor adventure company holds a perfect 5.0-star rating on TripAdvisor with 267 reviews and earned the prestigious Travelers' Choice 2025 award, ranking #1 in Outdoor Activities in Shenandoah National Park. Their diverse offerings include guided rock climbing tours in George Washington National Forest ($200-$275 half/full day for 1-3 people), wild caving adventures in Virginia and West Virginia caves (approximately $125 for 2+ hours at a constant 53°F underground), guided hiking tours to Blue Ridge waterfalls and fire towers ($125-$175 half/full day), and canoe trips on the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. Dr. Zook holds Wilderness First Responder certification, American Mountain Guides Association credentials, and commercial use permits for Shenandoah National Park, George Washington National Forest, and Monongahela National Forest—making this one of the most credentialed adventure outfitters in Virginia wine country. The company has grown from serving 20 clients in its first summer to 1,500+ guests annually, with rave reviews praising Lester as "the best travel guide, ever" and highlighting the company's expertise with scout troops, corporate team-building, family adventures, and individual excursions.
Shenandoah Wine Tours is a family-owned Virginia wine country tour company operating since at least 2018, offering guided winery excursions throughout Shenandoah County with their signature tagline "Relax, We'll Drive." Based in Edinburg, Virginia, this boutique wine tasting tour service has earned perfect 5-star ratings on both TripAdvisor and Yelp, with reviewers praising owners Eric and Joann for personalized attention, exceptional communication, and warm hospitality that makes bachelorette parties, birthday celebrations, and couples' getaways truly memorable. The Standard Tour costs $69 per person for a 5-hour experience (12pm-5pm) visiting 4 Shenandoah Valley wineries including Muse Vineyards, Kindred Pointe Winery, Cave Ridge Estate Winery, and Wolf Gap Vineyard—with pick-up from Woodstock hotels like Holiday Inn Express, Comfort Inn, and Hampton Inn. For guests at Airbnbs, vacation rentals, or private homes, the Remote Pick-up Tour ($69/person, minimum 3 guests) visits 3 wineries optimized around your location to maximize tasting time and minimize driving. All tours include complimentary deluxe charcuterie-style snack boxes (with vegetarian and gluten-free options) catered by Happenings Event Planning, unlimited water, and full coordination with wineries—tasting fees are paid directly to each vineyard. Eric has been known to capture drone video footage for special occasions, and tours often coincide with live music at scenic hillside tasting rooms offering panoramic views of the Blue Ridge, Massanutten, and Allegheny Mountains.
Skyline Caverns was scientifically discovered on December 17, 1937, by retired geologist Walter S. Amos—who located the entrance by following a colony of cave crickets—and opened to the public on April 13, 1939, making this underground Virginia attraction 86 years old and a beloved family destination at the gateway to Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park. The cavern's world-famous claim to fame is its rare Anthodites, delicate calcite crystal formations known as the "Orchids of the Mineral Kingdom" that grow just one inch every 7,000 years—with the spectacular 18-inch "Chandelier" specimen being the largest and oldest known to mankind, protected by Virginia state law and found in only a handful of caves worldwide. Guided cave tours last approximately one hour covering 1.25 miles at depths reaching 260 feet below ground, and cost $30 for adults (ages 13+), $15 for children ages 6-12, with kids 5 and under admitted free; military personnel, seniors, and AAA members receive $2 off adult admission. The cave maintains a constant 54°F temperature and features a stunning 37-foot Rainbow Waterfall, three underground streams with visible trout, an award-winning colored lighting system, and spectacular formations including Cathedral Hall, Mirror Lake, and the Grotto of Nativity. As the closest commercial cavern to Washington, D.C., Skyline Caverns is rated 4.3 out of 5 stars on TripAdvisor with 521 reviews and holding the #1 ranking among 34 things to do in Front Royal, with visitors praising the knowledgeable guides, intimate small-group tours, and less crowded experience compared to larger commercial caves in the region. Additional family-friendly attractions include the Skyline Arrow miniature train ride ($8, seasonal) and the Enchanted Dragon Mirror Maze ($8), plus a free nature trail and extensive rock shop; the caverns operate year-round including Christmas Day at 10344 Stonewall Jackson Highway, with tours departing every 15-20 minutes—call (540) 635-4545 or visit skylinecaverns.com for reservations.
Derek Young, geology enthusiast and James Madison University graduate, started Outdoor Adventure Experiences, Inc. back in 1988. Thirty-seven years later the company's still guiding people through wild caves, rivers, and trails across Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, far removed from anything that feels like a commercial tourist trap. They specialize in wild caving expeditions through 14 different undeveloped cave systems full of otherworldly limestone formations, with tours lasting 2-8 hours at difficulty levels from beginner to expert. You get coveralls, gloves, knee pads, and helmets with headlamps as part of it. Beyond underground adventures, they offer guided rafting float trips, kayaking excursions, stand-up paddle boarding instruction, river tubing, waterfall hikes, creek swimming hole tours, and overnight backpacking trips across the Shenandoah Valley, Alleghany Highlands, and Eastern West Virginia regions. Through December 2025 they're running Customer Appreciation Rates at $35 per person for half-day trips (4 hours), $40 for six-hour adventures, and $55 for full-day experiences. Water cave trips cost an extra $10 for provided neoprene wetsuits, gloves, and socks. The company's been featured in Virginia Living Magazine and listed on Virginia's official tourism site, which makes sense given Derek personally leads around 50 private tours annually. His favorite clients? Kids and teens. Most activities welcome children as young as age 4, and groups can reach 40 participants for corporate team building or summer youth adventure day camps. There's no storefront (home-based guide service), which lets them include extra equipment and services at no additional cost. Call (540) 879-9030 to book since advance reservations are required. Meeting locations include public boat launches like Port Republic and designated spots near activity sites throughout Harrisonburg and the greater Shenandoah region. I still remember the smell of wet limestone from my first cave trip years ago... weirdly specific but it sticks with you.
