Luray is the pleasant, slightly sleepy town in the Page Valley that most visitors know for what lies beneath it. In 1878, a group of local men searching for a cave found one, and the Luray Caverns have been one of Virginia's top attractions ever since. The caves are filled with towering columns and curtains of stone, and they hold the Great Stalacpipe Organ, an instrument that taps the stalactites with rubber mallets to produce notes. It is a quirky bit of engineering, and the sound, a soft bell-like tone that echoes through the chamber, is oddly moving.
Above ground, the town sits beside the Hawksbury Creek and the South Fork of the Shenandoah River, with the Blue Ridge on one side and the long ridge of Massanutten on the other. Its main street is lined with brick shops, cafes and diners, and this is a good place for a long lunch and a stretch after the slow miles of Skyline Drive. About five thousand people live here, enough to keep a few bakeries, a couple of decent restaurants, and a handful of antique shops open, and it is easy to find a table at a reasonable hour.
Southern Virginia cooking is the thing to look for. Expect barbecue, biscuits and country ham, fried chicken and apple pie, along with local cider and, increasingly, craft beer. The valley is orchard country, and in autumn the roadside stands sell apples, pumpkins and cider donuts by the bag.
The road up to the mountain begins right at the edge of town, and US 211 climbs through Thornton Gap in a series of long, smooth curves, with the forest closing in on both sides. It is a good road, though it carries lots of traffic in the leaf season, and the wildlife in the Gap is plentiful. Take it slowly in the damp, because fallen leaves and fog catch people out. The valley roads to the south, along the river and through the farmland, are quieter and flatter, and give a different kind of day.
Fuel is easy in Luray, with several stations on the main roads, so this is a good place to fill up before or after the Drive. Parking in town is simple, and the caverns have their own big lot. Mount Jackson and Woodstock, further up the valley, offer more services. Summer weekends can be crowded around the caves, so go early, or on a weekday.