Friday starts a long holiday weekend for most, and managers of local tourist attractions hope you choose to vacation locally.

AAA projects holiday travel will drop compared to last year. At Luray Caverns, managers say they've been aggressively trying to woo local visitors to the Page County landmark.

Managers at the Caverns say so far this year, business is about one percent ahead of what it was last year.

"Last year was a good year, up until this time when fuel skyrocketed to over $4 a gallon in June and July. So, hopefully, we won't experience that again any time soon this year," says John Shaffer, director of public relations for Luray Caverns.

Employees at the caverns are preparing for next month as well when they'll hold an annual event celebrating the discovery of the caverns.