If you want a vacation to remember, there are few places that can compare to the picturesque Massanutten in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Enjoy water sports in the summertime, foliage during autumn, or snowboarding in the winter—all in the same place. Other attractions to experience include caverns, parks, the ballet, and art centers. Book your stay at a Massanutten vacation rental today. Check out the most exciting places to explore in and around Massanutten.
1. Massanutten
Whether you love hot or cold weather, indoor or outdoor sports, or the arts and entertainment, Massanutten serves up your vacation of a lifetime in Virginia’s stunning Shenandoah Valley. In warm weather, the Massanutten Water Park features indoor and outdoor water parks plus golf, arcade, snacks, gift shop. Le Club is a true sports complex where scheduled programs abound. Choose from arts and crafts, aquatic and land-based health and fitness classes, organized volleyball and a host of other special events. In winter, it is a ski resort. The LeClub tennis court becomes an outdoor ice skating rink that accommodates up to 120 skaters at a time.
2. Harrisonburg
Harrisonburg is a city that offers fine dining, live shows, art galleries, and shopping to entertain the adults in your family. When you need to amuse the kids, A Dream Come True Playground offers rainbow arches, shaded structures, a drawing wall, playground equipment for different age groups, and family comfort stations. For some indoor fun and learning, the Explore More Discovery Museum features hands-on displays, including the Construction Zone where kids can build big and small structures with Keva planks.
3. Dayton
You just can’t go wrong when you spend your days in Dayton. The Silver Lake Mill decorates china and glassware for some of the finest resorts in the country, and it offers seconds and overruns at special prices. Active families enjoy the 10-mile bike loop into the Mennonite community that begins at Mole Hill Bikes in town and passes historic sites along the way. Other outdoor activities include guided rafting, kayaking, river tubing, and a waterfall hike and swim trips by Outdoor Adventure Experiences.
4. Elkton
There’s no better way to reconnect with family and reset your mind than finding the ideal vacation retreat, and Elkton offers outdoor and indoor ways to soothe and untangle jangled nerves. If you want to start by getting close to nature, Mountaintop Ranch offers guided wilderness trail rides. History buffs enjoy McGuire’s Country Store, set in a 1920s style and filled with antiques, primitives, and country decor.
5. Stanley
Stanley is a town set in a nature-lover’s paradise of beautiful mountains, the Shenandoah River, and the surrounding caverns. Luray Caverns, located 7 miles north of town, features the world’s largest stalactite organ. Hammers tap out the music on stalactites scattered across 3 acres. Included in your admission, you and your train-loving family members can visit Toy Town Junction. It began with a 1941 toy train and grew to include several thousand toy trains and toys of all kinds. When you’re ready to rev it up, Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park offers a 9-mile hiking circuit with stunning panoramic views.
6. Swift Run
Families who visit the Shenandoah Valley primarily for sightseeing find that vacation rentals in Swift Run give them convenient access to Skyline Drive. It runs 105 miles north and south along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park. You’re also within 13 miles of Massanutten, with easy access to the water park and other activities there. Just 10 miles to the west, Massanutten Adventures in McGaheysville takes groups to Washington, D.C. for guided tours.
7. Mount Crawford
Mount Crawford is a tiny town just off Interstate 81 that lets you settle in for a private, quiet stay in your vacation rental. Mount Crawford Creamery invites families to help feed the baby calves and watch the milking operations. The tours last about an hour and include samples. Just 10 miles to the West, Natural Chimneys Regional Park and Campground features some awesome rock formations that tower up to 120 feet high. The park includes a Junior Olympic size pool and a tot pool.
8. Stanardsville
If you close your eyes and picture a town with colonial-style streetlights, sidewalk benches, and red brick crosswalks, that’s Stanardsville. Adding to its small-town charm are an art gallery at one end of Main Street and a pottery store at the other. Look closer to find the Charlottesville Ballet and the Dance Barn in town. Your vacation rental makes a great jumping-off point for access to area attractions, including Shenandoah National Park, Monticello, the University of Virginia, several wineries, and Civil War battlefields and museums. Just 10 miles to the northeast, the Roaring Twenties Antique Car Museum in Hood features 32 unique cars on display.
9. Waynesboro
Your vacation rental might be a tree house, a posh country manor, or anything in between. Many visitors enjoy driving along Skyline Drive or the Blue Ridge Parkway to take in the magnificent mountain views in the spring and summer when flowers and trees are blooming and full. Others choose to savor the fiery reds and golds of autumn. If you want to see the valley from another perspective, Eagles Nest Aerodrome offers airplane tours. When you come back down to earth, you can enjoy that bottle of wine you picked up at River City Art and Wine.