Virginia's Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Views

Featuring two National Scenic Byways

Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway 4 Day / 3 Night Package

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Day One

Traveling into Virginia's storied Shenandoah Valley you will visit the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (MSV) which interprets the art, history and culture of the great valley for which it is named. The Museum complex includes the Glen Burnie Historic House, six acres of spectacular gardens, and the Museum designed by architect Michael Graves. After your visit you'll continue to Shenandoah National Park and travel historic Skyline Drive, a designated National Scenic Byway, to your lodging host for the next two nights - Skyland. Surrounded by the peaks along the crests of the Blue Ridge Mountains, your accommodations offer a peaceful setting with views of the lush mountain forests or the green and golden farm fields of the Shenandoah Valley below. After checking into your rooms, enjoy a leisurely dinner in the Pollock Dining Room. Then relax with a "specialty" drink in the Mountain Taproom with family friendly entertainment available to all guests.

Day Two

Following breakfast you are met by a local step-on guide for a tour of Shenandoah National Park, one of the most popular and scenic areas in the National Park system. Native wildlife is abundant among the forests and flowered meadows. Overlooks afford breathtaking views of the land of Shenandoah more than 4,000 feet below. You'll learn the Park's unique history and the fascinating story of the rugged individuals who once lived there and about the Civilian Conservation Corps "boys" and their contributions to the area.

Arrive at internationally famous Luray Caverns. Discover Eastern America's largest and most popular caverns, a U.S. Natural Landmark noted for the profuse variety of formations and unsurpassed natural color. From well-lighted, paved walkways explore rooms with ceilings 10 stories high, filled with towering stone columns and crystal-clear pools. Also, hear the haunting sounds of the world's only "Stalacpipe Organ". Experience the history of America in the adjacent Car & Carriage Museum which houses an exhibition of over 140 original items related to transportation including cars, carriages, coaches and costumes dating from 1725.

Return to Skyland for an evening of food and fun entertainment.

Day Three

After breakfast, depart for Charlottesville, Virginia to visit one of America's most fascinating homes, Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. View many of our third President's inventions and original furnishings in this architectural masterpiece. After lunch on your own, tour the plantation home of our fifth President, James Monroe's Highland before continuing to another National Scenic Byway - the Blue Ridge Parkway. Arrive at the Peaks of Otter Lodge located on the Blue Ridge Parkway for your overnight stay. Nestled between two of the three mountains that make up Peaks of Otter, the Lodge offers rooms, a full-service restaurant, a lounge, and a gift shop all overlooking beautiful Abbott Lake and the majestic Sharp Top Mountain. Completed in 1964, the Lodge is the revered flagship of the Virginia portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Enjoy a delightful dinner in the Lake View Restaurant with the pristine Abbott Lake and Sharp Top Mountain as your backdrops.

Day Four

After a bountiful breakfast buffet, travel west to Bedford where the Bedford Boys would achieve immortality at D-Day when Bedford suffered the largest per capita losses of any community in the United States. The National D-Day Memorial honors the Allied forces that participated in the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944 during World War II. With its stylized English Garden, haunting invasion tableau, and striking Victory Plaza, the Memorial stands as a powerful permanent tribute to the valor, fidelity, and sacrifice of D-Day participants. Surrounded by the beautiful majestic Blue Ridge mountains, this makes for a solemn and respectful tribute for our fallen heroes.

Visitors can expect both an educational experience as well as an emotional one, as they walk the grounds at the Memorial and leave with a clear understanding of the scale and sacrifices made during the largest amphibious landing the world has ever seen. On June 6, 1944, 150,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which "we will accept nothing less than full victory". More than 5,000 ships and 11,000 aircraft supported the invasion, and by day's end, the Allies gained a foot-hold in France. The D-Day cost was high with more than 9,000 Allied soldiers killed or wounded as the march across Europe to defeat Hitler began.

Depart Bedford in early afternoon for home with fond memories of the history, scenic beauty, and natural wonders of Virginia's fabled Shenandoah Valley and National Scenic Byways.

To book, please contact:

Shenandoah Group Sales Department
Phone: 540-217-6131
PO Box 727
Luray, VA 22835
HMorton@delawarenorth.com
Contact information for booking group at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, Luray Caverns, Monticello, and James Monroe's Highland will be provided.

Peaks of Otter Group Sales Department
Phone: 866-387-9905
PO Box 489
Bedford, VA 24523
www.peaksofotter.com
Contact information for booking at the National D-Day Memorial will be provided.