Shenandoah Valley - April 2009

Hi! Just returned from a long weekend in the Shenandoah Valley. We drove from Dayton, Oh to Winchester, VA the first day. We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Winchester; it was clean and the staff was very friendly. Dinner the first night was at the Cork Street Tavern in Winchester. I had the ribs which is their speciality; they had a great texture, but I wasn%26#39;t crazy about sauce or rather the lack of sauce. My sides were the hobo beans which were delicious and the tavern chips which were boring. Hubby had a chicken stuffed breast with Swiss cheese and he said it was delicious.

The next day we drove to Front Royal and did Skyline Drive. It was beautiful, but it wasn%26#39;t as green as I thought it would be....the trees were budding, but everything still was pretty much brown. The drive was great! We hiked to Dark Hollow Falls and it was a great hike, but be warned when the guide says ';May be difficult for some';...they mean it! You hike down hill to get to the falls...(which are great), but the hike up is a killer. It%26#39;s 440 ft up hill. It took us a long time to get back up the hill. So be prepared and take water with you!! The hike is worth it!

We drove to Luray where we had rented the Fisher Mountain Cabin from All Star Rentals. We were very happy with the cabin. It is new this year....it%26#39;s beautiful and very comfortable. We enjoyed watching deer frolic in the front yard every day. We had a late lunch in Luray at Uncle Bucks. It was very enjoyable and the staff was very friendly to us and to one another! Hubby and I both had the Prime Rib sub which is their special on Saturdays; it was very good, but could have use some condiments IMO. Overall the meal was very good.

On Sunday we went to the Luray Caverns; I absolutely loved them! I was so moved by Dream Lake at the Caverns that I got tears in my eyes; it was breathtakingly beautiful. Hubby really enjoyed the car and carriage museum at the caverns.

Dinner was at the Artisan Grill. We both loved the food there. I had the Carrington which was chicken, bacon, cheddar and a great sauce.

It was a great trip and we hope to visit the area again. Hope you find this review helpful.

Shenandoah Valley - April 2009

Nice trip report, thanks for taking the time to post it. Your comments will help others that plan to visit the Shenandoah area.

Happy trails