This was such a fun trip. We did the Rock Bottom tour. If you are looking for more than just the…read morewalking tour, this was Great! We did this with our older teen boys and they loved it. You will get dirty so bring clothes you don't mind getting muddy. This was such a great memory!

Really enjoyed it. Had a great guide, Luke. Nice history of a 200-year-old oldest in the country…read more They hold events there still, we can concerts. Large rooms, easy to see all the formations in the walkways are easy to pass through. Quite a few steps for those who are challenged to do physical walking but otherwise it's pretty cool. Been to quite a few caverns and this was one of the better ones and a lot to see.

What a great place!…read more April, who operates the mill, knows her craft and is happy to share it. Our tour of the mill was brief, but April was more than willing to answer our questions and go into any level of detail about the building, milling grain, etc. We purchased several items while there and would gladly go back.

I really love this spot. The grounds are beautiful and the mill is very charming. I've purchased…read moremany of their mixes and they are truly delicious! The owner kindly showed us around and her hospitality was appreciated.

Absolutely fascinating history at these caverns! We're Civil War buffs and honestly did not know…read moreabout these caverns. It was amazing. Our tour guide (I forget her name - so sorry) was amazing. She was knowledgeable and mixed historical content with geological content. The fact that experts from The Smithsonian came here to collect the artifacts (both Native American and Civil War) and authenticate several signatures (I believe from further research I did and then saw at the site, they cataloged the signatures as well) gives this site authenticity. For anyone that is into history, just the thought that you are standing in a place where Native Americans were before Europeans came to this continent AS WELL AS where Civil War soldiers etched their name for future generations, this is a MUST SEE. Is it pricy? Sure. But I give grace there. These caverns have been owned by the same family (they are on the 10th & 11th generation) since the original Harrison family acquired the land in 1748 by a land grant from King George. This isn't a gov't owned site. And from what I have seen and read, this family is dedicated to maintaining the integrity of the caves. That can't be cheap. And I will say, it's worth it for the history alone. That is what sets it apart from all the other caverns in the Shenandoah valley. Could the gift shop be better? Sure. If you have helpful suggestions for improvement, let them know. They are all incredibly friendly. Don't wait and just complain in a review, We will recommend a visit here to any and everyone who is in the area seeing the sites. In fact, this cave is still being explored and new rooms and spaces are being discovered. Our guide told us they are working on adding a new room to the tour. So do we anticipate we'll be back when in the area again? Absolutely!

Worth the detour and the 1.5 hrs. If you have been in caves before, guess what? This looks like…read morea cave system too. However, unlike any other cave system I'm aware of, these caverns were actively used during the civil war. The evidence is everywhere within the caverns. Pretty neat, unusual. This is a small, quaint, friendly operation. Our guide Reagan was wonderful.

What a great way to explore downtown Lexington. Trotting down the street, hearing the clip-clop of…read morehorse hooves on the cobblestone, seeing important buildings and monuments, hearing the tour guide talk about the history of this Virginia town -- it's all very romantic. The horses are well-taken-care of and seem happy. No beefaroni in these horses' diets. But the horses who pulled out carriage did like getting apple Pop Tarts as treats, which was cute. The carriage tour goes all around downtown Lexington, and we saw the old hospital, cemetery, two universities, historic houses and lots more. The pace of travel is slow, so you have lots of time to look around and ask questions. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the history of Lexington, and answered all of our questions. Afterward, you get to pet the horses and take pictures with them. I would definitely recommend this carriage tour to someone visiting Lexington for the first time.

Plan Ahead - Beautiful Town, But Limited Carriage Availability…read more I was really looking forward to exploring the downtown area by carriage--it looked like such a charming way to see this quaint and lovely town. Unfortunately, I didn't realize the carriage service closes early and requires advance tickets. They only have one carriage, so it's not like other cities where multiple carriages run in rotation and you can wait for the next one. It was disappointing to miss out, especially since the experience seemed fantastic. I'm sure it would've been a 5-star ride had I been able to go. Just a heads-up to future visitors: book ahead if you're hoping for a carriage ride--don't count on just walking up.

James Madison lived at Montpelier his entire life. This is a really interesting historic home that…read morelater belonged to the DuPont family, who eventually donated funds to turn it back into a historic site as Madison's home. That renovation/restoration took a long time, and it's now a lovely place to visit and learn about our 4th President and his wife Dolley Madison. In addition to the house, which acknowledges its part in running a plantation through the work of enslaved people, it has exhibits about slavery at Montpelier and archeological finds. The property also has lovely grounds with a beautiful garden that's filled with many colorful flowers in the spring. The visitor center offers a movie, and the house docents offer hour-long tours on the half hour. They also have picnic tables under shady trees to enjoy lunch. The views from Montpelier are breathtaking. They charge a fee to visit the house and grounds. If you only want to visit the grounds, the fee is lower.

This is a great place to visit if you are interested in America's founding, American style of…read moredemocracy, or to celebrate the upcoming Sestercentennial of the United States. (Having experienced the bicentennial as a kid on a summer-long vacation, I am looking forward to it.) The guided tour of the house is well done. The out-buildings and grounds are self-guided. There are many and spread out, and the whole property is on a gentle slope. Could be an issue if it is a hot and humid day. Be sure to visit the garden! Think twice about buying the Looking Through the Landscape book for $10.00. I thought it would be something I could put on my bookshelf but no. Hardly a pamphlet, it contains QR code links to YouTube videos they created. It was snuck in during the checkout process and frankly left me feeling duped. I chalked it up as a donation.

Our group of seven had a wonderful float today aboard Will and Will2's handcrafted batteau! The men…read moredid an incredible job of showing us a beautiful and unspoiled stretch of the James River; they educated us on the history, the boats, and the commerce of those early days of our nation's founding, and as if that were not enough, treated us to a five-star luncheon and music. John B. Richmond, VA

We loved our dinner cruise on the Batteau. Will and Will were excellent hosts. We met them at a…read morelocal park and then followed them down to the river where we boarded the batteau. There were two batteaus tied together with six guests in each boat with Will and Will and the chef. It was a beautiful evening with a perfect temperature. We really enjoyed the stories told along our route. During the delicious dinner we enjoyed Will playing guitar and singing. It was a fun, unique and memorable experience that our group of six really enjoyed.

Saw this place on 'things to do' in the area and it seemed from the limited information from other…read morereviews, their website, and photos it was a historic center that would provide history and tours of Brethren and Mennonite and how the people of this faith lived during the 1700 & 1800s. Unfortunately, this was not it. This is more of a religious educational experience. Its all about the religion and what the Mennonite faith is about. The tour guide was very nice and knowledgeable. There are many old/historic buildings on site but our guide really didn't seem interested in talking about history. He was very interested in talking about the Mennonite religion. We wished it was more of a historical tour/experience.

This palace is absolutely STUNNING. It's such a shame it's fallen into such disrepair. Each room…read morehad its own unique feel, and the artwork and detail was breathtaking. The best part by far was the stained glass window. The gardens were probably once beautiful but it's been decaying so much over the years that all you see are just sad remnants. WARNING: if you have severe asthma, do NOT visit. My father has moderate asthma and was only able to stay inside for about fifteen minutes before his throat started to close up due to the must. The place itself smells musty- not a BAD or rotten smell but just old. There's a feeling of immense love and sadness in the house and it's imperative that you learn the rich history of the house to truly appreciate it. The inside of the palace is only only open to the public on certain days of the year and not all the rooms are open. I was very satisfied with what rooms were open.

Taking a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway or Skyline Drive? I suggested taking a slight detour on…read moreAfton Mountain to travel back in time to 1912 with a visit to Swannanoa Palace, a white marble mansion that was a bit of an albatross for James and Sally May Dooley. While the Maymont Estate in Richmond is a much more expansive visitor experience today, this hidden gem, modeled after the Villa de Medici in Rome, is certainly worth a stop, either on one of their open house weekends ($6 fee) or just to see in person from the outside. The real belle of the ball is inside - the 4,000 piece Tiffany stained glass window of Mrs. Dooley, which is a backdrop to the grand central staircase and artistic domed ceiling. There are plenty of interesting fireplaces, doorways and tower views. You will certainly notice the musty presence of mold throughout the building with various walls and ceilings falling apart. The grounds include some terraced gardens and somewhat restricted views of the surrounding area. It is a shame the interior of the building is in such a state of disrepair and the property hasn't been kept up, as it could be an amazing special event space. Still, people apparently elect to have weddings there, even though there is no running water and everything would have to be brought in. There is a no trespassing sign on the front door, so the inside is only accessible on one of the special open house days. The grounds are easy to walk around and being on top of the mountain it has a nice temperature, at least 5-10 degrees below of Charlottesville. Visiting should certainly be a part of any UVA student's bucket list, much like watching the sunrise/sunset from the peak of the quick Humpback Rocks hike.

Not what I expected. I had low expectations and they were exceeded. A bunch of maps and guides and…read morea nice video. Very small room. I guess it would be helpful if you are going to really go into finding Civil War locations. Parking lots are near

This place is a little hidden gem. They provide a good base of information about the civil war in…read morethis area and there is a video to watch as well as displays. The staff are uber helpful and the lady I talked to took me through areas of the house to help me visualize the local history. She told me several times that she was not a historian, but was a total wealth of information. I recommend stopping by this place, there is a parking lot right there at the building.

My partner and I are trying to visit all of the Presidential Museums/Libraries, and were here this…read moremorning. The Museum is a relatively small building on the street (with exhibits primarily on one floor), with Wilson's birthplace in a home a few doors down. Despite the small size, the exhibits did a decent job of highlighting some of the positives (League of Nations, less dependence on tariffs for government income, workmen's compensation, among others) and negatives (the guy was, shall we say, not supportive of integration when it came to African Americans). We spent about an hour in the Museum, including a few minutes in the WWI trench exhibit in the basement. All very interesting, well presented, and easy to understand. The highlight of our time was the docent-led tour of the Wilson home. Although Wilson lived in the home only for his first 18 months, the docent told a number of stories about Wilson's parents, Wilson's life there and later and it was a fascinating almost-hour time touring the building, asking questions and hearing the history.

Since I'm a history buff, I have been meaning to visit this Presidential Library. It's not a large…read moremuseum but very informative. I recommend taking the guided tour of Wilson's boyhood home and then visiting the museum. It's located in a residential neighborhood next to Mary Baldwin college. The staff was very friendly and they have a well stocked gift shop. Plenty of parking. I really enjoyed the WWI exhibit down stairs and the President's automobile. I did learn quite a bit about post WWI and the woman's suffrage movement. If you enjoy Presidential history this is a good museum.