123 miles north of Richmond, the Luray Caverns was discovered in 1879, and is the Largest cavern in eastern United States. Plan on spending about 2 hours here.
We went on a self guided tour of this place which took a little more than an hour since we stopped in many places to admire and take pictures of the natural stalactite, stalemate, and flowstone formations. There is also a mirrored pool inside the cavern. The walk through the cavern is about 1.25 miles long with many special spots.
Fish Market – The stalactites in this area look like scaled and gutted fish hanging in a market.
Dream Lake – This spot is not only the largest body of water within the cavern, it’s also an optical illusion. Its deepest point is between 18 to 20 inches but seems much deeper.
Fried Eggs – The eggs were created in 1921 when workmen accidentally snapped off two stalagmites during enlargement of the tunnel that runs along the cave. Millions of fingers have since smoothed the stubs into Fried Eggs since early tradition was to rub the eggs for good luck.
Giant Redwood – The Giant Redwood Tree formation is the largest formation at 120-feet from floor to ceiling. It is also the oldest at an estimated 7 million years old.
Wishing Well – The Wishing Well is a 6-foot-deep pond, spectacular bluish-green, and Luray’s most profound body of water. Visitors toss coins and notes into the pool and make a wish, a habit that started in 1954.
Pluto’s ghost – As the men who discovered Luray Caverns were initially exploring by candlelight, the white coloring of this formation, due to the purity of its calcite, made the men think that they had seen a ghost and hence the name.
Fallen stalactite – This fallen stalactite is estimated to have fallen 4,000 years ago, based on regrowth of formations on the ceiling where it was attached. It weighs 170 tons. The only reason it didn’t shatter was because the cavern floor was covered in soft mud at the time it fell.
Giant Hall – Dominating this area is a 47 feet spectacular formation which is a classic example of the 2 basic cave formations, the stalactite and stalagmite.
The Great Stalacpipe Organ – An electrically actuated lithophone (musical instrument consisting of a rock or pieces of rock which are struck to produce musical notes). Covering 3.5 acres of the cavern, it is considered the world’s largest instrument in the world.
It was designed and implemented in 1956 over three years by Leland W. Sprinkle. It is operated by a custom console that produces the tapping of ancient stalactites of varying sizes with solenoid-actuated rubber mallets in order to produce tones.
The Luray Carillon Singing Tower – Situated in a park opposite Luray Caverns and officially known as the Belle Brown Northcott Memorial, the tower was erected in 1937 in memory of Colonel T.C. Northcott’s wife. At 117 feet in height, the Luray Carillon Singing Tower contains a carillon of 47 bells.
Recognized as one of the country’s major carillons, regularly scheduled recitals are held through the spring, summer, and fall. All recitals are free and feature music from a variety of styles and eras, including patriotic, folk, hymns, Classical, original compositions, and pop.
