A Girls' Weekend Cabin near Shenandoah: The Sparrow for Four, The Stag for Six

One group of friends has made our cabins a yearly trip. After their latest stay, Brittni wrote:

"My girlfriends and I take a girls cabin trip at least once a year … Kamara Cabins has become a yearly tradition for us."

From her Airbnb review, October 2026

So here is what we tell groups planning a girls' weekend. We have two cabins that suit it, on the same wooded hillside about ten minutes from downtown Luray, fifteen from Shenandoah National Park and about two hours from Washington, DC.

Four of you: The Sparrow

The Sparrow is our A-frame. It sleeps four in two bedrooms: a queen bed in the loft, which is open to the living room below, and a full bed in the Moroccan-inspired bedroom on the main floor. There's one bathroom. Four friends means two people to a bed, so it works best for a group that's happy to share.

What it does well is evenings. There's a wood stove inside, a five-person hot tub and a gas fire table on the deck, and a stone, wood-burning fire pit out front with a hanging swing and Adirondack chairs looking out over the valley. Inside there's a record player, a 65-inch TV with streaming and a fully equipped kitchen.

Five or six of you: The Stag

The Stag is the bigger cabin. It sleeps six in two bedrooms with two full bathrooms, which counts for a lot when six people are getting ready for dinner. The main-floor suite has a king bed. Upstairs there's a king and a full. As at The Sparrow, everyone sleeping means sharing beds.

The upstairs loft is the other reason groups pick it: a Polycade arcade cabinet, an air hockey table and a Board game console. Downstairs there's a 75-inch TV, an electric fireplace, a karaoke machine and a record player. The kitchen has a full range and an island to gather around. Out back, the covered deck holds a six-person hot tub, a propane fire table and a grill, so a rainy evening still happens outside.

Saturday: pick a pace

An easy hike with a big view. Stony Man is 1.6 miles round trip with 340 feet of climb, and the National Park Service grades it their easiest. You get a rocky summit looking north up the valley for about an hour's walking. It's off Skyline Drive at mile 41.7, which is fifteen minutes to the Thornton Gap entrance and about twenty more on the Drive. Park entry is $30 per vehicle, card only, so one car for the group keeps it simple.

Luray Caverns. Ten minutes away, open every day, and about 54°F underground whatever the weather. It's the plan that still works on a grey day.

Downtown Luray. Main Street has restaurants, galleries and antiques, and the Hawksbill Greenway runs along the creek behind it. For a dressed-up dinner, Circa '31 at the Mimslyn Inn is the one we suggest, with the Speakeasy bar next door for a quieter drink after. Weekends fill up, so book ahead if the dinner matters. Main Street Flavors does ice cream on the way home.

Wine. Several Blue Ridge vineyards are within half an hour of the cabins, and most of their tasting rooms keep weekend hours, shorter in winter. Agree on a driver first: the roads are winding, and the last stretch up to the cabins is gravel.

Our Explore page has the rest of what we recommend.

Saturday night: stay in

This is usually the best part. Cook together, take turns in the hot tub, put a record on. At The Stag the loft turns into an air hockey tournament. At The Sparrow it's the fire pit and the swing.

Quiet hours on the hill run from 9:00 PM to 7:00 AM. Inside, carry on as late as you like. The music and the hot tub conversation just need to come down after nine.

Before you go

• Driving: the last stretch is a gravel mountain road. We strongly recommend all-wheel or four-wheel drive, so if only one of you has it, that's the car to bring.
• Firewood: bring it for the outdoor fire pits. We don't supply it, but the Walmart in Luray and the gas stations near the cabins sell it.
• Times: check-in is from 3:00 PM and check-out is by 10:00 AM. Check-in is self check-in, and we email your door code the day before you arrive.
• Minimum stay: two nights for stays that start on a Friday or Saturday. Other nights, one is fine.
• Price: weeknights cost less than Friday and Saturday nights. The booking page shows the full total for your dates, cleaning fee and tax included, before you pay, so it's easy to work out each person's share.
• Making it a yearly trip? Book about three months ahead and a 10% early booking discount applies automatically.
• Bringing a dog? The Sparrow and The Stag each take up to two, for a $50 fee per stay.
• More than six? The Turtle sleeps two on the same hillside, so up to twelve can stay across all three cabins. Our group stays page explains how that works.

If your group is six or comes in late fall, our weekend-for-six guide has a full two-night plan for The Stag.