Luray, Virginia

We left Matamoras, Pennsylvania on September 12, 2018 and headed 350 miles south and west to Luray, Virginia for a two week stay. Slowly but surely we were working our way south towards Florida, our winter home for 2018-2019. Luray is situated at the edge of the Shenandoah National Park, and the reason we chose to stay there. Since we had two weeks to spread out and relax, we took our time and explored other parts of the surrounding area as well.

Somehow we came across a small town, close to Luray, called Front Royal. Only 10-square miles in area, with a population around 15,000, Front Royal is the northern gateway to the Shenandoah Valley and the National Park. We stopped in for a couple of hours, walking through the historic town streets, and stopping for lunch at a local restaurant called The Blue Wing Frog. Recommended in Southern Living magazine, this small eclectic café is committed to sustainability and supporting the local economy, and strive to source all their food from local producers whenever possible. Although not a vegetarian restaurant, there were plenty of options for us to choose from, and the ambiance was authentic and welcoming. We especially liked their motto - “You are what you eat, so don’t be fast, cheap, easy or fake!”

It is often these out of the way stops, places off the beaten track, the delightful unexpected local restaurant, the community band popping up in the town square, that bring us the most joy, simply because we have no preconceived notion of what to expect, and end up delighted by what we find.