Having Fun in the Shenandoah Valley!
Woodstock Cafe
Awesome breakfast, lunch and dinner - lots of coffee and tea options, serves alcohol. BEST desserts and baked goods. Also has a cute little shop in the back with fun trinkets and momentos. Where locals go, everyone is super friendly. Our top choice for lunch! Also has live music some nights!!
Route 11 Potato Chip Factory
Virginia's #1 Potato Chip!!! Seriously the best, crunchiest, freshest chips made from scratch at this tiny but powerful factory owned and operated by a sweet friend of the Carville family. Super kid friendly, you can see the chips being made, buy t-shirts and bags of chips right off the line (they're hot in the bag!). So fun, kid-friendly, close to other attractions, and it doesn't take a lot of time to do.
Woodbine Farms & Market
You can take scenic Route 11 from Woodstock to Strausburg to visit this PRECIOUS market for lunch and homemade desserts (cookies! pies! milkshakes!). They have a huge farm space with lots of pumpkins, gourds, and the market sells so many yummy homemade fall treats (highly recommend the pumpkin butter!). Super Kid-friendly/has kid-oriented activities, pet-friendly, and provides excellent Instagram photo opportunities.
Shenandoah National Park, Front Royal Entrance Station
To celebrate a year of being engaged, Sam took Matty on the 80 mile drive through Shenandoah National Park! Stop to take pictures at the scenic vistas, pull over to look at jumping deer, and enjoy lunch at the mountain top cafes (they have great blackberry ice cream and fun giftshops!). Kid-friendly, pet-friendly. The drive does have a $30 entrance fee, but it buys you entrance for a whole week (there are multiple entrances that you can use along the 80 miles, so if you're exploring the area for a bit this a great option!).
Natural Bridge State Park
Holy cow is this place awesome. It has everything - gift shop, cool museum, interactive exhibits, short hikes, long hikes, mild walks, wild animals, George Washington's initials carved into the rock face from when he visited in the 1700s (!!), great fall foliage, Instagram opportunities out the wazoo. $8 entrance fee for adults. Kid-friendly, pet-friendly.
Shaffer's BBQ & Market
THE BEST VIRGINIA BBQ. Really outstanding local favorite that is cute as a button. Wear your stretchiest pants, order the pulled pork, chicken, or ribs and hang out. No reservations, parking on-site, very reasonable prices. The best place to have a long lunch and catch up with old friends. Be mindful - there are two locations, but the one with the better restaurant is in Middletown (yes it's a bit farther than the one in Woodstock, but definitely worth it).
Italian Touch Pizza
If you're just travel-weary and hanging out in your hotel room, this is a pretty decent pizza chain that delivers until 10pm. Pretty good cheesesteaks and the pizzas are huge. Kid-friendly.
Muse Vineyards
Super cute vineyard, good wines at great prices! If you're interested in Virginia wines this is also a good place to start because they can point you in the direction of other local vineyards/breweries/etc that offer what you're looking for (there's a lot of booze farms around here).
Walmart Supercenter
24 hour Walmart Supercenter - if you're like the Bride and always forget something, this is the place to go to get that thing you forgot. They seriously have everything, it's an insane Walmart.
Shenandoah Caverns
Great tour of the caverns, connected to two other Americana culture museums/exhibits. Lunch available. Bring a jakcet because its chilly down in the caverns. Kid friendly, but there are limits on where the stroller can go on the tour so you will be separated from the group temporarily or will have to leave the storller behind for a moment.
Luray Caverns
Another great cavern tour with a cool museum attached!
St. John Bosco Catholic Church
Our ceremony will not be a part of a Catholic Mass, but if you would like to attend on Sunday this is the church where Matty was baptized and the church community the Matalin-Carville's belong to. There is both an English and Spanish Mass.