LeRay Caverns is located in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. It is the largest Caverns in the Eastern U.S. and most visited in the United States. It is a U.S. Registered National Landmark.

I welcomed a nice walk through a cave due to the oppressive heat, but never hearing about the LeRay Caverns, I had no idea what was in store!

Even the walk to the entrance of the cave was in a beautiful area, but the formations within the Caverns were the most elaborate and ornate stalactites and stalagmites I have ever seen!

The one-hour tour (we spent longer because there were just too many amazing formations to see) is about a mile and a quarter long. It is an active cave meaning the water continues to drip and make formations. Federal and state law prohibits people from touching the formations. The Caverns are estimated to be about fifty million years old!

Camila enjoying the walk, and coolness of the cave!And how are these amazing formations made? As water drips into the chambers of the cave it crystallizes creating stalagmites (upward protruding formations from the floor) and stalactites (formations hanging from the ceiling). Cavern formations grow at the rate of one cubic inch every 120 years!

The vibrant colors on the limestone rock comes from different types of minerals collected by the water. White is calcium carbonate in its pure form, reddish-brown is iron oxide, and grayish black is manganese oxide.

William Campbell, Andrew Campbell, and Benton Stebbins discovered this natural wonder in 1878 when they felt cool air coming from a quarter-sized hole in the ground. They dug away at the hole until it was large enough for them to slide in while holding a candle.

The first formation the men saw they named Washington, after our first President.

Many of the formations were named depending on what they look like, this particular formation is called Fish Market because it looks like fish hanging out to dry.

Dream Lake: creates an optical illusion with crystal clear water below reflecting the stalactites from above...

Titania's Veil is pristine white, an example of a calcite formation in its purist form. Any green you see is algae growing on the wet surfaces.

The magnitude of some of the chambers and formations within were truly breathtaking!

The Giant Redwood & Overlook: is the largest and oldest formation in the Luray Caverns. It towers over 40 feet high, is 120 feet around, and estimated to be 7 million years old!

Entering The Cathedral, Brad thought this formation looked liked massive pterodactyl swooping down to eat him!

The Cathedral: housed the world’s largest musical instrument The Great Stalacpipe Organ: this fascinating creation is the work of Leland Sprinkle, who spent three years creating this natural organ. It literally makes stalactites sing by gently tapping them throughout three acres of caverns!

On the ceiling of The Cathedral were knife-like formations protruding downward.

Other interesting formations in The Cathedral...

I call this solitary formation "Ice Cream Cone"

Back view of the Ice Cream ConeDominating Giant's Hall: (164 feet below the surface and deepest part of the caverns) at a height of 47 feet, this column is the tallest in the cave and an example of stalactites & stalagmites growing together.

Also in Giant's Hall is this unique formation with a fluted stalactite and rounded stalagmite growing together.Saracen’s Tent: is a fascinating drapery formation...

Fallen Stalactite: this massive stalactite fell from the ceiling during a large earthquake and then over time got reabsorbed back into another formation!

Pluto's Ghost: an eerie looking formation that looks like it's floating in mid-air!

Fried Eggs: in 1921 two workers accidentally snapped some stalagmites off their bases resulting in the formation of a popular breakfast food.

Wishing Well: at six feet deep visitors throw approximately two to three feet worth of coins in this pool yearly, and it’s all donated to different health and environmental organizations.

Other-World formations...

Stebbins Avenue: the final path of the caverns, named after discoverer Benton Stebbins, is a fascinating stretch of formations and shallow lakes alongside a narrow path to the exit...

But wait! There's more! If the most amazing Caverns in the world wasn't enough, LuRay also had an awesome old-car museum called Car and Carriage Caravan Museum:

The museum had every form of transportation through all of history, from simple wagons and coaches, to opulent automobiles of the 1940's!

Some of the rare vintage vehicles included a 1898 Benz, 1908 Baker Electric car (forerunner to the Tesla), and a luxurious 1925 Rolls Royce, which was associated with silent film star Pola Negri!

This is just a handful out of 50 motorized vehicles, and 150 vintage transportation-related items! LuRay Caverns was truly a magical place!!