Visiting Luray Caverns - Virginia

Spending $30 a person to go tour a cavern isn't typically on my to-do list when traveling somewhere new. I like geologic formations as much as the next person I suppose, but generally prefer to skip touristry attractions for time outside. 

We were in Virginia for a few days and had a bit of time to kill after our hike to Kennedy Peak. Adam was very excited about the idea of spelunking and checking out a cavern and after a quick google search, the caverns did seem pretty interesting. They are the largest caverns in eastern America and it's more than just a quick look at some rocks, a 1.25-mile path takes you into and through the caverns. Your ticket also comes with admission to two smaller museums on the property. The first is "Toy Town Junction" featuring a walk through history via toys of different eras, and access to the "Car & Carriage Caravan Museum" a blast from the automotive past for any car junky. We spent about an hour and a half exploring all three attractions and both agreed the caverns were even more impressive than we expected and worth the stop. 

Kennedy Peak - George Washington and Jefferson National Forest (Virginia)

Shenandoah National Park is a major attraction in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. There's something about the term "National Park" that puts the title on people's bucket list.  Yes. National Parks are (usually) worth all the hype and Shenandoah doesn't fall short with its epic Skyline Drive and famous stretch of the Appalachian Trail. What you may not have known is just next door to this bucket list-worthy National Park is a just as impressive National Forest. 

A lot of people seem confused about the difference between some of our protected areas and for good reasons, there are a lot of terms we throw around. We have National Parks, National Forests, National Refuges, and National Monuments to name a few. They are all protected for various reasons but are basically protected in different ways with various levels of restrictions. For today's post, let's talk about the difference between National Parks and National Forests.