Augusta County: Caves, Trails and Culture

Augusta County offers a variety of interests side by side: outdoor trails, a historically significant show cave, preserved townscapes, and recurring cultural and sporting events. If you’re looking for a hotel for your trip, choosing a theme can help with planning: Would you like to hike and bike, visit a cave, or set aside time for history and events? Options range from short walking paths to longer tours, giving your trip different starting points.

Trails, Walks and Cycling Routes

Natural Chimneys has more than 2.5 miles of combined hiking and biking trails. About one mile of them is considered easy for walking and biking. The park borders the North River. Since trail conditions can change, check them before your visit.

For walking paths, length and surface also help distinguish the options. Augusta Springs Park is open daily from sunrise to sunset and has a walking path almost one mile long; seasonal offerings may change. The Trails at Mill Place offers a paved path two-thirds of a mile long that loops around a two-acre pond. At Deerfield Park, the trail runs along the park perimeter and is about 0.32 miles long. This means a paved route by a pond and a path along a park boundary complement the information about the longer trails.

Cycling routes in Augusta County range from easy road sections for beginners to challenging climbs for advanced mountain bikers. The Blue Ridge Tunnel offers a different scale: it is part of a greenway system connecting Albemarle, Nelson, and Augusta counties. This gives you both local route details and a cross-county connection as different points of reference.

Grand Caverns and Historic Townscapes

Discovered in 1804, Grand Caverns is the oldest continuously operating show cave in the United States. The 70-minute walking tour passes through about one mile of cave passages. Its duration and approximate length provide two concrete reference points for planning your day. Since tour times may change, check the current tour schedule before your visit.

The historic townscapes also offer different points of interest. The Middlebrook Historic District preserves a group of vernacular buildings from the 19th century, whose arrangement still follows the original town plan. The Mount Sidney Historic District is a well-preserved example of a former crossroads settlement; its vernacular architecture ranges from the early 19th to the mid-20th century. In Middlebrook, the surviving town plan shapes the description, while Mount Sidney is characterized by its historic settlement type and long architectural time span.

Jousting and Summer Theater

Natural Chimneys hosts the National Hall of Fame Jousting Tournament in June. The Oak Grove Theater’s recurring summer program features five plays performed outdoors at night; individual productions vary. If you’d like to include an event in your trip, check the dates before making plans.

Agriculture and Producers

Polyface offers private, two-hour walking tours of its farm; advance reservations are required. The Fields of Gold Farm Trail offers a different perspective on agriculture, with more than 40 producers in Augusta County. Many Shenandoah Valley producers grow fresh produce and grains and raise livestock for meat and cheese in Augusta County. This gives you two distinct options: a farm tour that must be booked in advance and a trail featuring a larger group of producers. Participating producers on the Farm Trail may change.

Planning Your Trip

Augusta County is home to the northern entrance of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the southern entrance of Skyline Drive. If these routes are part of your travel plans, you can use the two entrance designations as reference points for planning your route. Along with the trails, cave tour, historic townscapes, and seasonal events, they offer more ways to decide what to focus on during your stay.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Fishersville, Verona, Steeles Tavern, Floyd County, Orange County, Prince William, Northumberland County, Amherst County.

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