The Shenandoah Valley is steeped in history from Winchester, where George Washington first began his career as a surveyor, to Harpers Ferry, the location of one the original US armories prior to its destruction in the Civil War. However, a Virginia vacation need not be a history lesson. Families can enjoy rafting down the Shenandoah River observing how the river cuts through the rock to form natural boundaries between Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. They can also learn about the local farming industry through play at the Shenandoah Valley Children’s Museum. Or, they can go underground to appreciate the stalactites at Shenandoah Caverns. Kids won’t even realize that they’re learning about nature and history as they explore Virginia attractions and the kid-friendly highlights of the Shenandoah Valley using the Kids Trail.

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Virginia Attractions: Use the Shenandoah Valley Kids Trail to Plan your Virginia Vacation

Use the Shenandoah Valley Kids Trail to Plan Your Adventure

The Kids Trail in the Shenandoah Valley provides a list of activities for families that are both educational and fun for kids. Virginia Vacations in the Shenandoah Valley are sure to be memorable and meaningful when they include a trip to Harpers Ferry Adventure Center, Great Country Farms, Oatlands Plantation, the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum, or the Shenandoah Caverns. The helpful Kids Trail website gives families a variety of activities to choose from on their Virginia vacation so that they can find the right fit for them based on their kids’ ages and interests. The website even highlights the dates of the local seasonal festivals so that local families can be sure to head out to Great Country Farms for their Strawberry Festival which kicks off the u-pick season in Loudoun County.

Sponsor Spotlight – Kids Trail:

Check out a great family trip to Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley and Piedmont Valley. Just one hour from Washington, DC covering 160+ miles, Virginia’s Kids Trail is a partnership between attractions and visitor centers. Let the kids be in control of planning a family trip thru Go Blue Ridge Travel’s easy to use website. Check out the best family activities at the Kids Trail exploring the Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains. Kids and parents create their own bucket lists with our FREE itinerary planner.

The Shenandoah Valley is a great Virginia Vacation for the Family

The Shenandoah Valley has become a favorite destination for my family to explore since we moved to Maryland. It’s an easy day trip or weekend getaway from the Washington DC Metro Area. Within an hour we can be picking fruit in the hills of Loudoun County or climbing amongst the trees at the aerial adventure park at Harpers Ferry Adventure Center.

Virginia Attractions for Families: History Meets Nature in Harpers Ferry

Whether it’s the golden leaves of autumn, the icicles of winter, or the blossoming trees of spring, I’m always inspired to go for a walk along the river in Harpers Ferry. However, the natural beauty of the area does not stand alone. It is accompanied by a rich history. From the top of Jefferson’s Rock, hikers can look down on the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers just as Thomas Jefferson did. I’m sure you’ll agree that, “this scene is worth the voyage across the Atlantic” as Jefferson proclaimed centuries ago.

History in Harper’s Ferry

While my young children are not particularly inspired by historic quotes or even spectacular viewpoints, there are historic experiences available in Harpers Ferry that resonate with kids of all ages. As a historic transportation hub, visitors to Harpers Ferry never have to wait long before hearing or seeing a train loaded with coal. These trains head out of the Shenandoah Valley across the bridge and through the tunnel into Maryland. My son never tires of watching the trains. However, there are also other historic experiences to be had in Harpers Ferry. In the summer months and on the weekends there’s often a hands-on history lesson available in town provided by Harpers Ferry National Historic Park. One fall weekend, my daughter enjoyed crushing apples to make cider and prepare for the winter. She learned about how difficult winters must have been in the area two hundred years ago.

Adventure in Harper’s Ferry

Perhaps the best way to experience the rivers of the tri-state area is with an exhilarating white water raft trip. By riding the rivers, the historically important geography of the area becomes apparent. Kids will never forget the excitement of their first trip down the river with Harpers Ferry Adventure Center. Of course, if the kids just want to have fun and enjoy the natural beauty of the area, Harpers Ferry Adventure Center also has a zip line course and an aerial adventure park. Kids ages 5 and up can test their skills on the obstacle course up in the trees all the while enjoying the beauty of the forest surrounding them.

Virginia Attractions for Families: Loudoun County Country Farms, Gardens, & Trails

Loudoun County is a place where kids can learn about nature on their own terms. Eating blackberries right off the vine, swinging on ropes, and bouncing on the jumping pillow at Great Country Farms kept my kids busy for an entire afternoon. Later that day on our way home, I looked in my car’s rearview mirror to find both my four and five-year-old fast asleep covered in blackberry juice and dirt. I know that we need to plan a day out at the farm again this summer so they can run through the orchards, dig in the dirt, eat berries fresh off the vine, and just be kids.

Get Outdoors in Loudoun County

Even if you’re kids are past the age where a rope swing and a jumping pillow will keep them busy for hours, there’s plenty of nature to appreciate in Loudoun County. Hiking the trails at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship or touring the beautiful grounds at the Oatlands Plantation are both great ways to get outdoors and enjoy nature in the Shenandoah Valley. The expertly manicured terraced garden at the Oatlands Plantation was first landscaped by the Carter family over two hundred years ago. After surviving the Civil War and the subsequent financial struggles, the house was bought by the Eustace family. The Eustace family planted many of the trees on the grounds just about one hundred years ago. The Japanese Maples by the greenhouse and Blue Cedar on the south side of the garden are absolutely gorgeous.

Virginia Attractions for Families: Playtime in Historic Winchester

Your family might not be able to visit Winchester for its famous Apple Blossom Festival in the spring or during prime apple picking season in the late summer months. However, kids can learn about the apple industry practically any day of the year at the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum. My kids learned about how apples are sorted and distributed by playing with the pulleys and other sorting equipment at the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum. Reopened at a new, central location in early 2014, the museum has three floors of exhibits where kids can learn through play.

Don’t miss the opportunity to take a walk around the charming town of Winchester while you’re in the Shenandoah Valley. With inches of snow on the ground the day that we visited, we were only able to walk a few blocks around town. However, we still managed to stumble upon a statue of a young George Washington who began his surveying, military, and political careers in Winchester. Near the statue is a tiny cabin that George Washington used as a military office while he oversaw the building of Fort Loudoun. It’s inspiring to take kids on a walk in the town where George Washington lived and worked when he was a young man.

Virginia Attractions for Families: Underground Adventures at Shenandoah Caverns

Have your family’s outdoor adventures in Harpers Ferry or Loudoun County been rained out? Head underground in one Shenandoah Valley’s many caverns. Shenandoah Caverns in Virginia is a short drive down the valley in Mt Jackson just off of Highway 81. Even the youngest members of the family can learn about cave formations in a tour of Shenandoah Caverns. There are no stairs and the gravel pathway through Shenandoah Caverns is so flat that it is wheelchair accessible. It’s the perfect place for a first cave tour in the Shenandoah Valley!

Your ticket to Shenandoah Caverns not only offers an opportunity to view the stalagmites and bacon-like cave formations. It also grants access to an entire family of attractions. At American Celebration on Parade, kids can explore a warehouse full of well-maintained historic parade floats. Kids can pick their favorites and even climb on a few of the floats for a photo-op. Give the kids a camera and let them have fun photographing each other on these crazy, colorful pieces of Americana.

Ready for more Shenandoah Valley fun on your Virginia Vacation?

Explore the family-friendly fun you can have on the Kids Trail in Shenandoah Valley.

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Melissa Moore

Melissa Mooreis one of Trekaroo's Travel Experts located in Washington DC. She's a mom to two energetic young children who wake up at the crack of dawn asking, "Where are we going today?" Being a Coast Guard wife gives her a new "hometown” to explore and a cross country road-trip to plan every few years. Recently, she left her native California behind and now has the privilege of introducing her kids to all the history that the Nation's Capital has to offer.