Shenandoah Heritage Village — Attraction in Luray

This is going to be an odd review because we never entered the museum. About five years ago, I had visited the Luray Valley Museum and found the exhibits quite interesting. When, later, we were staying in the area with friends, I recommended the museum as a place to visit.

I was quite shocked to see how built up the immediate area was, filled with touristy crap and businesses geared only for children. It was more amusement park than an historic area, but we weren't there for the rest, so we parked and walked over to the museum. Imagine our surprise when we were told we couldn't enter without buying a pass for the entire amusement park-like attractions. "Can't we just pay to see the museum?" we asked. We were told no. We all got back in the car and drove away.

Whoever decided that people could only commit to a multiple entry ticket didn't consider that there might be people ONLY interested in seeing the museum. So the museum lost business and so did everyone else. It is likely that after we had visited the museum, we might have stopped for ice cream or walked through the maze, but when all the choice is taken away, we walked away from everything.

Shame on Luray for being short-sighted and greedy. Makes me wonder how many other people have left the area...

The Shenandoah Heritage Village was absolutely awesome! Walking through the village felt like stepping back in time. It was incredible to peek inside the historic homes, barns, schoolhouse, meeting house, and other preserved buildings. Each one had its own unique story, and the entire layout was thoughtfully done.

What made it even more impressive was learning that some of the buildings are original to the site, while others were carefully relocated and restored to preserve their history. The attention to detail in both the restoration and ongoing protection of these structures is outstanding—you can really tell how much care has gone into preserving the heritage of the area.

The grounds are peaceful and beautifully maintained, and the interpretive signage made it easy to appreciate the significance of each building. Overall, I was very impressed and would highly recommend taking the time to explore this part of the Luray Caverns complex. It’s a perfect addition to the visit for anyone interested in history, architecture, or early...

The museum was very interesting. Lots of cool things to see and learn about. But the most fun was the mining station outside. We bought a large gemstone bag for $12 at the gift shop and my daughter and i shared the experience of mining together. Shes a teenager and enjoyed it, so did i. We got a large purple gem and a bunch of smaller gems.

So to wrap it up: Museum: Free (as long as you have your entry ticket from the cavern) Large gemstone bag: $12 Mining said bag with my daughter: Priceless

Side note: there are i believe 3 different kinds of bags to chose from (gemstones, fossils and arrow heads) and different size bags ranging from $6-$30. Mining station outside is free to use, you just have to purchase a bag of sand from inside...