Grand Caverns

Walk a mile through the oldest show cave in the country, open since 1806, past rare shield formations and Civil War soldiers' signatures.

5 Grand Caverns Drive, Grottoes, VA 24441 · Grottoes, VA

About Grand Caverns

Grand Caverns in the Shenandoah Valley has shown visitors its limestone rooms since 1806, making it the oldest continuously operating show cave in the United States. The guided walking tour lasts 70 minutes and covers about a mile, past shield formations, flowstone and Cathedral Hall, about 280 feet long and over 70 feet high. More than 230 Civil War soldiers signed the walls. Adult tickets are $27, children 3 to 12 pay $17, and kids under 3 are not allowed. The cave stays 54 degrees all year, so bring a light jacket, and expect several stairs.

#show cave
#guided tour
#national natural landmark
#civil war history
#shenandoah valley

What's around here?

The closest stops to Grand Caverns, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Shopping
Valley Mall
Check prices
A shopping center in Harrisonburg offering retail stores, dining options, and community happenings.
12 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping
Sports & Outdoors
Edith J. Carrier Arboretum
No admission fee
A free, open-air arboretum on the James Madison University campus with trails, plant collections, and a children's StoryWalk.
12 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors
Museums
Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia
Under $25
An open-air living history museum in Staunton showing daily life of settlers and enslaved Africans in the Shenandoah Valley.
15 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Attractions
Family Favorite
Endless Caverns
$25–$50
Take a 75-minute guided walk through limestone chambers, flowstone and stalactites in a cave system discovered by two boys chasing a rabbit in 1879.
25 mi awayMore like this
Attractions
Family Favorite
Shenandoah Caverns
$25–$50
Ride an elevator down into a lit show cave and follow a guide through 17 chambers of formations, including the 'bacon' stones once shown in National Geographic.
33 mi awayMore like this
Attractions
Family Favorite
Smoke Hole Caverns
Check prices
Take a guided tour of under an hour past stalactites, helictites and a long ribbon stalactite in a West Virginia show cave, then pan for gems.
55 mi awayMore like this