Longtime plan had safety in mind for staff and visitors
By Randy Arrington
LURAY, April 20 — The idea was first scribbled on a napkin at Brookside Restaurant just east of Luray in 2003.
“It was something I felt like we needed,” said John Graves. “We needed a front door, like so many attractions have…”
“He came to my office and showed [the napkin] to me right after, and I said ‘That is just brilliant'”, his brother, Rod Graves recalls. “It will keep people safe, and they will stay longer.”
Every entertainment attraction — natural or man-made — wants to draw as many visitors as possible, and get them to stay as long as possible. That’s the business model. A key element to that model is safety — making visitors feel safe… so they stay longer, and hopefully return.
These were the key factors that drove an idea born more than 20 years ago to survive and finally reach fruition at Luray Caverns.
“We needed to create a barrier between the parking lot and the sidewalk,” said John Graves, President of the Luray Caverns Corporation. “In today’s world, we felt compelled to protect our guests from traffic hazards, as well as people with bad intent.”
The Graves brothers acknowledged that funneling the campus traffic into a single entrance and exit point was a public safety tactic used at almost all schools, most hospitals and medical facilities, other entertainment attractions, and other public venues.
“Safety was our primary concern,” John told nearly 100 in attendance for the April 20 ribbon cutting on Monday. “It was a way to secure the campus.”
Marketing Director Bill Huffman has dubbed the walkway that runs by all the shops and stops at Luray Caverns “Discovery Avenue”. Those stops include the Car & Carriage Caravan Museum, Toy Town Junction and the Garden Maze, among others.
Although their father, Ted Graves, didn’t initially support the idea because he didn’t want to give up the parking, the Graves brothers dedicated the new Welcome Center and Pedestrian Walkway to their mother and father, H.T.N and Rebecca, “for their vision for the future of this company and their innovative ideas and conscientiousness continue to influence what we do.”
John also recognized many of the people involved in the long process. He specifically honored the memory of Ronnie Buracker, “a talented artist and sculptor who spent years creating detailed cave scenes and historical events”; and Paige Wood, “an incredible carpenter who worked for many years doing various projects for Luray Caverns.” Paige’s son Josh worked with him while planning a mural for the Center. Once Paige passed on, Josh completed it and used some of his father’s ashes in the center.
Part of the wait on the new construction was subject to saving up the funds to support it. The Caverns did not borrow any money for the project. Racey Engineering helped with the planning and design, while the actual construction that began in late 2024 was done by Turner Construction Group and Lantz Construction of Winchester.
Now, the completed Welcome Center is designed to handle five to seven thousand visitors per day.
Both brothers thanked the community for its support, and in addition to their parents, they dedicated the new building to “the staff, who have welcomed millions of visitors from all over the world…providing an economic force for the local community and the state of Virginia.”
“It’s been a long journey,” John told the crowd on Monday. “It’s a plan that has taken many turns, but remained basically the same. There was waiting, and saving, and planning, and more planning…and more planning…but here we are today.”
“This ties the campus together,” Rod said after the ribbon cutting on Monday. “It’s all about the customer, their comfort, their experience and their safety.”
For more information about Luray Caverns, visit luraycaverns.com
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