Panorama Resort was one of the early resorts that lined what is now Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park (SNP) in the United States, located at Thornton Gap. Like

Skyland Resort Skyland Resort is a hotel and resort in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. The Skyland Resort, originally called Stony Man Camp, was built in 1895 at what later became the highest point on the Skyline Drive, with a sweeping view of the Shena ...

and Little Switzerland, it was one of many private mountain resorts with nature themes that predated Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Once one of Virginia’s best-known resorts, Panorama most recently operated as a

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

destination in the Shenandoah National Park and was run by Aramark Parks and Resorts, the commercial vendor inside SNP that operated sister resorts

Big Meadows Big Meadows is a recreational area of the Shenandoah National Park in Madison County and Page County, in the US state of Virginia. The meadow is located on the Skyline Drive at Milepost 51 and contains the park's Harry F. Byrd Visitor Center, a ...

and

. It was demolished in 2008.

History

Panorama opened July 20, 1924 and sat at the intersection of Skyline Drive and Route 211 between Sperryville, Virginia and Luray, Virginia. Bridging Virginia's Hunt Country and the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge- ...

, it sat at the border of Page County and

Rappahannock County Rappahannock County is a county located in the northern Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, US, adjacent to Shenandoah National Park. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 7,348. Its county seat is Washington. The name "Rappaha ...

along the top ridge line of the Blue Ridge. In its early days, it had a tea room, hotel, cottages,

bungalow A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is either single-story or has a second story built into a sloping roof (usually with dormer windows), and may be surrounded by wide verandas. The first house in England that was classified as a b ...

and golf. Throughout the 20th century, Panorama was one of the best-known man-made attractions on the road, which included Rapidan Camp, built as a Presidential retreat within a reasonable traveling distance of the White House in Washington, DC for Herbert Hoover, and the resorts at Skyland and Big Meadows. Panorama had a rustic look in its early years and was known for its

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

shows, though one went awry and sparked a lawsuit. It was privately owned, but taken by eminent domain at the establishment of the park. The resort was bulldozed for a replacement Panorama in 1958. In the 1990s, the restaurant struggled due to the collapse in visitors to the park. Aramark turned the building over to SNP when it could no longer make it work. It became a stop-off point for hikes. The National Park Service had hoped to reopen the building as a museum honoring the Civilian Conservation Corps. However, in July 2006, Shenandoah Superintendent Chas Cartwright announced that Panorama would be demolished, as costs had risen more than the park could afford. In May 2008, he announced the imminent destruction of the restaurant/giftshop building and construction of a restroom on the site.

References

{{Coord, 38, 39, 35.5, N, 78, 19, 16.3, W, type:landmark_region:US, display=title

External links

''The Ground Beneath Our Feet'' online exhibit of the Virginia Historical Society regarding creation of the Shenandoah National ParkSkyland Commercial Website
for online booking and information Hotel buildings completed in 1924 Hotels in Virginia Page County, Virginia Resorts in Virginia Hotels established in 1924 Shenandoah National Park Demolished hotels in the United States 1924 establishments in Virginia Buildings and structures demolished in 2008

History

See also

References

External links