Where to Stay in Luray, VA: Cabins, Inns and Park Lodges Compared

People ask me where to stay in Luray more than almost anything else, usually before they've decided whether they want a cabin at all. I run three cabins outside town, so I'm not neutral. Here's the honest version anyway, because the right answer depends on what you're coming for.

The short answer: to wake up on Skyline Drive, stay at one of the park's lodges, Skyland or Big Meadows, but only between spring and late fall. To walk to dinner on Main Street, stay downtown at the Mimslyn Inn. For a private hot tub, a kitchen and room for a group or a dog, rent a cabin in the valley. From December to March, the park's lodges and campgrounds are closed, so town and the valley are the only options.

Inside Shenandoah National Park

All of the lodging inside the park is run by one company, Delaware North, the park's concessioner (NPS (opens in a new tab)). There are three places to stay, all on Skyline Drive.

• Skyland (miles 41.7 to 42.5). The park's historic resort on the ridge: rooms, suites and small cabins spread over about 27 acres, with a dining room and a tap room. In 2026 it opened on March 30 and closes on November 8.
• Big Meadows Lodge (mile 51.2). Lodge rooms and small cabins around the main building, a short walk from the big open meadow where deer come out at dusk and from the Dark Hollow Falls trail. In 2026 it opened on May 4 and closes on November 29.
• Lewis Mountain Cabins (mile 57.5). Rustic furnished cabins with private baths and outdoor grill areas. In 2026 they opened on April 10; the park now lists them as closed for the season.

Season dates are from the park's facilities table (NPS (opens in a new tab)) and change each year, so check before you plan around them.

The park also has five campgrounds, all seasonal, and the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club keeps six locked, primitive cabins for hikers. If you're planning a campsite for early 2027, note that reservations are paused while the park changes campground operators; the park says they expect to reopen booking in early January (NPS (opens in a new tab)).

Stay in the park if sunrise on the ridge is the point of the trip, you're happy eating in a lodge dining room, and you're coming between spring and fall. They book up early for October.

In downtown Luray

• The Mimslyn Inn. The grand hotel on Main Street, with 45 rooms and suites in the main inn, plus a Manor House and cottages on the grounds, a spa, and Circa '31 for dinner with the Speakeasy bar beside it (Mimslyn Inn (opens in a new tab)). It's the choice for walking to restaurants and for a dressed-up evening.
• Luray Caverns Motels. Two motel buildings run by the caverns themselves, the East building opposite the Singing Tower and the colonial-style West building, a few minutes from the cavern entrance (Luray Caverns (opens in a new tab)). They're seasonal too: the 2026 rates run from March 9 to November 15.

Visit Page Valley, the county's tourism site, lists the town's other inns, bed and breakfasts and campgrounds (pagevalley.org (opens in a new tab)).

Stay in town if you want to walk to dinner, you're visiting the caverns, or it's your first trip and you'd rather be in the middle of things.

A cabin in the valley

Page County has a lot of rental cabins. The Luray-Page County Chamber of Commerce alone lists more than thirty cabin businesses. They run from riverside cabins on the Shenandoah to houses up on the ridges, and many have a hot tub. A few things are worth checking on any of them:

• Is the hot tub private? One on your own deck is a different stay from a shared one by the parking area. Look at the photos, and ask.
• What's the road like? Many cabins sit up gravel mountain roads. Ask whether four-wheel or all-wheel drive is needed, especially in winter.
• Are pets allowed, and what does it cost? Fees and limits vary a lot.
• Check-in and check-out times. They vary more than hotel times do.

Ours are three cabins on one wooded hillside, ten minutes from downtown Luray and fifteen from Thornton Gap. Each has its own hot tub. The Turtle is a one-bedroom for two, The Sparrow is an A-frame for up to four with a wood stove, and The Stag sleeps six and has a game loft. All three take up to two pets, and you can book more than one for a group. The road up is gravel, and four-wheel or all-wheel drive is strongly recommended.

Stay in a cabin if you want a hot tub to yourselves, a kitchen, room for a group or a dog, or a stay between December and March, when the park's lodges are closed.

In winter

Most of the park's facilities open in March and close by late November (NPS (opens in a new tab)). From early December, the lodges, Lewis Mountain's cabins and most campgrounds are shut, and Skyline Drive closes in sections when there's snow or ice. The park itself stays open, and you can still walk in to hike.

That leaves the inns in town and the cabins in the valley. Luray Caverns is open every day of the year, which makes it the one plan that survives any weather. Our winter cabin weekend guide covers the road, firewood and what stays open.

Picking between them

• Sunrise on Skyline Drive, spring to fall: Skyland or Big Meadows Lodge
• Rustic, inside the park, on a budget: Lewis Mountain Cabins or a campground
• Walk to dinner, first visit, caverns trip: the Mimslyn Inn or Luray Caverns Motels
• Private hot tub, a kitchen, a group or a dog: a cabin in the valley
• December to March: town or a cabin; the park's lodging is closed

For the park itself, our Shenandoah guide covers the entrances, fees and the hikes worth doing, and things to do in Luray covers the town.