Quicksburg, Virginia: Shenandoah Caverns

A commercial cave where a scary mascot pixie beckons the unwary, and an above-ground museum of animated store window displays.

Virginia's show caves have a long history of battling among themselves for the attention of traveling tourists. Luray Caverns has always been number one, but Shenandoah Caverns -- which opened on May 21, 1922 -- has sustained a long, good fight. It was the first Virginia cave with an elevator, and its "cave bacon" formation was such a worthy riposte to Luray's "fried eggs" that both appeared as photos in National Geographic.

But Shenandoah's most successful marketing ploy has been its cartoony "Come See, Follow Me" pixies, needle-nosed underground denizens with bells on their caps and boots. Irresistible ambassadors on billboards and brochures, they also appear in the caverns themselves, holding up signs that warn against bad cave behavior.

Shenandoah Caverns claims to have the smallest post office. The fact that it is more of a counter in a much larger building probably disqualifies them. I am not much of a cave junkie, but American Celebration on Parade (included with admission) is worth the visit.

The admission price to Shenandoah Caverns not only includes admission to Shenandoah Caverns itself, but also allows you to explore the Main Street of Yesteryear and Celebration Station (a really weird parade museum).

The caverns themselves boast a sort of sad array of light effects, but the real fun is in all the eerie displays of parade floats and toys from old department store displays. When my boyfriend and I went to Celebration Station (in June!) we were the only people there for our entire visit. They had a giant buffalo, elephant, a number of cowboys, a train, a few presidents, and a ton more. This museum isn't small either -- it seemed to be almost the size of an average Kmart...but cleaner.