Get Out of Town

Luray Caverns is the Largest Cave System on the East Coast

Clip: Season 1 Episode 8 | 4m 22sVideo has Closed Captions

Laurita and Lauren venture into the captivating underground world of Luray Caverns.

Aired 05/22/2023

Get Out of Town

Luray Caverns is the Largest Cave System on the East Coast

Clip: Season 1 Episode 8 | 4m 22sVideo has Closed Captions

Laurita and Lauren venture into the captivating underground world of Luray Caverns.

Laurita and Lauren venture into the captivating underground world of Luray Caverns, the largest cave system on the East Coast, which was discovered in 1878. The Portees marvel at the thousands of stalactites and stalagmites adorning the caverns and are mesmerized by the tones of the Great Stalacpipe Organ. The visit ends at Dream Lake, a reflecting pool that leaves Lauren and Laurita in awe.

Aired 05/22/2023

Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback

Get Out of Town is a local public television program presented by WETA

Open in new tab

LAUREN: You can see the mountains from here, it's really pretty.

BILL: You must be Laurita and Lauren.

LAURITA: Yes!

BILL: I saw you looking through our little viewfinder and seeing the lovely Blue Ridge Mountains.

LAUREN: Yeah.

BILL: Luray is actually the headquarters of the Shenandoah National Park.

Got a great natural wonder above ground and below ground, so I'd love to show you the caverns if you're ready.

LAURITA: We are ready.

BILL: Let's do it.

LAURITA: Oh everything looks so beautiful and fall-ish with the pumpkins and the gourds.

BILL: Oh, thank you it does.

Here's our new entrance, so come on in.

LAURITA: Thank you.

BILL: You're welcome.

LAUREN: Thank you!

BILL: Luray Caverns is a unique cave system, it is the largest caverns on the East Coast and one of the largest in the world.

Most caverns you go in you might see one or two stalagmites, here you see thousands.

LAURITA: Wow.

This is amazing.

All the little nooks and crannies.

BILL: We're getting ready to come into our discovery room, and this is where the first discoverers actually came into the caverns.

LAURITA: Okay.

LAUREN: Oh.

BILL: Luray Caverns was discovered on August 13th, 1878, by three local men.

They were actually looking for a caverns.

Finally they found a quarter sized hole with cool air coming out and on a hot August day they thought that was unusual.

So they started digging there, a big enough hole for one man.

He slid through with a candle and a rope and discovered Luray Caverns.

LAURITA: Voila!

BILL: One of the largest caverns in the world.

LAURITA: Wow.

LAUREN: OK so are there any bats in those caves?

BILL: There are no bats in this cave.

This is a closed cave system.

LAUREN: Okay cool, I can get behind that.

BILL: Right there.

(organ music playing).

BILL: Well welcome to the cathedral or ballroom.

This is the home of the Great Stalacpipe Organ.

The Great Stalacpipe Organ was invented in 1954 by Leland W. Sprinkle.

And got the idea that he could harness these beautiful formations and make music.

LAURITA: Wow.

LAUREN: Ooh.

BILL: So he spent about three years down here looking for stalactites that would work, found 37, and hooked up these things called solenoids to the stalactites.

Just a little rubber tipped mallet that will come out and tap the stalactite, produce a musical tone.

It covers three and a half acres, making it the largest musical instrument in the world.

LAUREN: Wow.

(organ music playing).

♪ ♪ BILL: Now wasn't that real rock music?

Da-dun.

(laughing).

BILL: You can see a perfect example of a stalactite, kind of how pointy it is.

To remember, a stalactite they hold tight to the ceiling, stalagmites might reach the ceiling one day.

So that's how I remember it.

LAURITA: So where to next?

BILL: Let's go to Dream Lake.