Panorama Resort

[[Image:Panorama Resort in 1930.jpg|thumb|250px|Panorama Resort in 1930]] '''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]]. Like [[Skyland Resort]] and [[Little Switzerland, North Carolina|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]] destination in the Shenandoah National Park and was run by [[ARAMARK]] Parks and Resorts, the commercial [[vendor]] inside SNP that operates sister resorts [[Big Meadows]] and [[Skyland Resort]]. ==History== Panorama opened July 20, 1924 and sits at the intersection of Skyline Drive and [[Route 211]] between [[Warrenton, Virginia]] and [[Luray, Virginia]]. Bridging the Virginia's [[Hunt Country]] and the [[Shenandoah Valley]], it sits at the border of [[Page County, Virginia|Page County]] and [[Rappahannock County]] along the top ridge line of the Blue Ridge. In its early days, it had a tea room, hotel, cottages, [[bungalow]] 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]] 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. {{seealso|Lost counties, cities and towns of Virginia}} ==External links== *[http://www.vahistory.org/shenandoah.html ''The Ground Beneath Our Feet'' online exhibit of the Virginia Historical Society regarding creation of the Shenandoah National Park] *[http://shenandoah.areaparks.com/inparklodging.html Shenandoah National Park — Skyland] *[http://www.visitshenandoah.com/ Skyland Commercial Website] for online booking and information {{coord missing|Virginia}}