Who doesn't want to save money, especially in this economy? Here are some free or almost free dates in Luray, VA. Most of these things can be done for free, but a few are up to $15 for two people. This can also be a resource for people visiting Luray. All of the items on the list are not exclusive to couples, anyone can attend. Since I am sans camera at the time I was unable to post photos of some of the activities.
- Picnic at the “Singing Tower”: Not only is a picnic romantic but the Carillon Tower is a romantic icon itself. The tower was built in 1937 by Col. Northcott in memory of his wife, Belle Brown Northcott. The tower's actual name is the Belle Brown Northcott Memorial. The music that comes from the tower is a result of 47 bells that are attached to pedals. While at the Inn Lawn Park where the tower is located you will also view a cute little pond and take in a gorgeous sunset over the Mountains. You can pack a simple picnic at home or stop by the nearby Wal-Mart, Food Lion or KFC. Since recital times vary throughout the season check out Luraycaverns.com for up-to-date showings.
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| The tower |
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| sunset while listening to "The Singing Tower" |
- Art Warehouse: This is one of the neatest things in this small town; it is one of the reasons TLC chose Luray as one of its top destinations for weddings. The 7000 square foot space features a variety of styles and mediums of art from local artists. The warehouse does not have excellent heating or cooling so it would be best to go on a mild-temperature day. You can bring a lunch to eat in the café or you can even rent the space for events.
- Evenings on Main: Luray Downtown Initiative has worked very hard over the past few years to create almost weekly events in the downtown area. Visit luraydowntown.com for a list of events. This year’s calendar started on April 9th and the last event is Dec 10th. Some of these events are family-focused but still make for a fun date. Starting in June and running through the end of October, the LDI has outdoor concerts almost every weekend on the Ruffner Plaza. These concerts feature something for every taste in music.
- Luray Caverns: This is a huge one for locals though often unappreciated. People from all over the world travel to the caverns and pay upwards of $20 per person. Luckily, if you have a Virginia ID card with the 22835 zip code you are granted free access to the caverns. If you check out the web-site you can find out when they do candlelight tours for added romance and other special events. This sight is neat enough that the Obama’s came twice in their first year in the Whitehouse.
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Reflecting Pool Luray Caverns
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- The Shenandoah National Park: The Park is amazing. You can follow the scenic drive or be a slight bit more adventurous and take a hike to a beautiful overlook. There is a cost to get on the drive - $15 per car for a week pass or $30 for an annual pass. If you travel to many parks you can purchase an annual National Park Pass for $80 that grants admission at all the national parks. If you don’t have a pass and are not interested in purchasing one you can always hike Mary’s Rock for free. You can do this hike from the drive or you can access it from Panorama - a closed restaurant across the street from the Thorton Gap entrance station. There are bathrooms and a parking lot.
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| Sunset at Mary's Rock via Panorama |
The Shenandoah River: The twisting, turning river offers many date opportunities. During the warm summer day you can hop in the water at the river’s many public boat landings. You can also go fishing (a license can be purchased in town if you don’t have one). Tubing is a fun daytime activity when the temperature rises. As you lazily float down the river you may hear tunes such as “Country Road” (quite apropos when I took friends from Switzerland on the river and that was their only previous reference to the Shenandoah). You can use a travel service or venture out on your own.
Shenandoah River Outfitters will drop you off, pick you up and provide you with a tube at $18 per person and $6 for a cooler tube. If you really want to make it a day you can also add an all-you-can-eat steak dinner in the evening after your trip. If you are visiting Luray and are not adventurous or fear getting lost I would recommend going with the Outfitters. They also do canoe and kayak trips. If free adventure is your thing, you can brave the river yourself. You will need two vehicles and a tube for each person in your group plus an additional tube for each cooler you take. You can use a tractor tire or pick up a tube at a store (Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, etc). I use River Rats, picked up at Wal-Mart for $6.00 each. You may also want to pump your tubes up instead of blowing them up. One vehicle will need to be dropped off at the end of your trip and the other will take you to the start of your trip and you can pick it up your on your way home. For a 2-4 hour float you can start at landing #8 (Bealers Ferry) and end at #11 (Fosters Landing). Each is marked by large red and white signs that are visible from the river. This is also where Shenandoah River Outfitters does their floats so you will often see people at the #11. If you need help finding these locations the Outfitters is very nice and you can call for directions. Here is a
river map.
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| Tubing is a great double date or group activity |
- Restaurant.com: This web-site offers “gift certificates” for purchase. For example, you can purchase a $25 certificate for as little as $2, the catch is that you must spend $35, what you end up spending out of pocket for dinner is around $12 plus tip. The price of a $25 gift certificate is usually $10 but the site often has discount days where you can purchase the certificates at 60, 70, or 80% off, thus the $2 cost (you can find the coupon deals here). The gift certificates are usually good for a year and be sure to read the fine print, some restaurants exclude certain menu items. Participating restaurants in Luray are Mindies and Uncle Bucks. Money saving tip: This site is also great to use if you are going on vacation; you can find restaurants all over the United States. Now there are some other great restaurants in Luray. Rancho Viejo sends out coupons quarterly, two people can split a meal for as little as $5.99 or Fajita’s for two with the coupon is $14.99. Dominico's has daily specials and their grilled chicken salad is divine and is under $5.00. Anthony's Pizza offers a large cheese pizza for $5.00 on Mondays.
- Main Street and Mural walk: Luray’s Main Street is recognized as one of Virginia’s Historic downtowns, boasting many mom and pop shops and a series of murals painted by local artists making for a nice walk. You’ll love stopping and talking to the owners of Appalachian Outdoor Adventures - some of the nicest people you will ever meet. There are 13 murals with plaques about the artists, here is a PDF (page 1, page 2) of the murals with a walking map, two have been painted since this was published. One next to "Natures Tribute Nine-Eleven" and one on N. Broad St on the old Ford Motor Company building, worth the walk there is a cute shop across the street
- BB&T performing arts: Many of the events here have an admission fee, but they offer live plays, dinner theater, concerts, and more. However each month they open their doors some free events, an open stage night and/or an improv night. Additionally they offer many free outdoor events on their patio. For more information, dates, and times see their web-site performingartsluray.org.
- Catch a Baseball game: the Luray Wranglers are a local team comprised of promising players from colleges around the country. The season starts in June and usually ends in August. Tickets for games are $4.00 but there usually is an abundance of free tickets floating around.
If you are visiting Luray other fun things to do include: seeing a movie in the retro- page valley theater; dinning at the swanky Speakeasy (in the basement of a old hotel) cost $10-30, Artisans Grill cost $6-30, and Gathering Grounds (the place the Obama’s eat while in town), seeing cloggers at Skyland Lodge on the Skyline Drive.
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