I've read many posts and looked and many websites. They all mention all the same places. Although my wife and I will certainly visit the Chateaus we're looking for the hidden gems that most people don't know about. We'll have a car and be staying in Onzain(halfway between Blois and Amboise). We'd love to here about your hidden gems.
Lenbro

My DH & I are also headed to the Loire Valley in a few short weeks. We've never been before, but on the recommendation of a fellow Fodorite we booked a Hot Air Balloon ride taking off from Chateau Chenenceau.

http://www.france-balloons.com/

August is a time for festivals. I attended a medieval one in Chinon, Chinon is also home to some very good quality wines.

I used the Michelin Green Guide. Out of there I found out about cave visits, the castle and dungeon in Meung en Loire, and other less visited places (Fontevraud) for example. I also visited some smaller musuems along the way. In Chenonceau there is a high end inn with amazing restaurant (Bon Laboureur),

I also took in all of the Sons et Lumieres at the chateaux.

And..I got off the main roads to wander into small villages and the countryside

The compound Jean Linard with its "cathedral":

http://www.berry-pays-fort.com/haut-...nard-1008.html

and while you're at it, the pottery village of La Borne. These are in the Sancerre area.

Chateau de Beauregard -- not one of the big ones, has HUNDREDS of portraits of kings, queens, princes, princesses, popes, sultans, emperors and more who lived in the time of Francois I.

We had a car while staying in Amboise and visited one of the 'Beau Villages' called Montresor. It was a lovely small town with flower boxes and a walk along a creek behind some of the 'mansions'. We wanted to visit the chateau - the owner sold us our tickets, took a euro off each for it being mid-day, opened the door and bid us a nice visit. He left us to wander thru a fully furnished house completely on our own, just asking that we leave the printed 'guides' at the exit as we left. Completely charming. I can't offer any commercial establishments - we went on a Saturday and the town seemed surprisingly quiet.

http://www.tourisme-valdindrois-montresor.com/
http://www.chateaudemontresor.fr/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorsetb...n/photostream/

Are you staying at Domaine de Hauts de Loire? It is the most wonderful hotel. If you are not staying at least try for a meal there. The food and serviceare better than excellent

Meung-sur-Loire- sleepy old small town - back later with more about my visit there last January.

Yes Avalon, we are staying at the Domaine des hauts de loire. Recommended by friends who stayed there. Thanks for everyone's suggestions and keep them coming.

Hello lenbro

Will you be staying in a gite? There's a large supermarket in Onzian! We'll be only a few miles away in a neighboring village mid September. Lovely area!

If you like gardens, you might enjoy the International Garden Festival at Chaumont-sur-Loire:

http://www.domaine-chaumont.fr/index...2&expandable=2

Happy travels!

Meung-sur-Loire - quiet small town east of Onzain - just past Beaugency - another larger town that is a sleeper - really old-looking and typical slumbering French town - with the castle of your dreams

But Meung-sur-Loire is dominated by it castle hovering over the Loire and this is a private castle and the lady who owns it sells tickets and was even scrubbing the lobby - the castle itself is typical of many less chateaux - kind of crumbling - in the greniers you see gaps in the roof with light streaming in and pans to collect rain water.

But it was interesting to see a lesser unheralded castle and the town was also quaint - there is a path along a canal that makes a cute walk, etc. There are several moulins along the canal - old mills, etc.

Anyway for something different - drive to Beaugency - pleasant larger town and Meung/s/Loire. Have lunch at a local cafe - typical noon repas for a flat fee like we had.

Meung-sur-Loire is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. It was the site of the Battle of Meung-sur-Loire in 1429. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meung-sur-Loire

Meung-sur-loire - [ Translate this page ]
Présentation de cette ville au passé médiéval. Informations touristiques, économiques et pratiques.

Renseignements utiles - Hebergement - Services municipaux
www.meung-sur-loire.com/

One of the most unusual towns in France is another hidden gem in the Loire region - this new town was built for Cardinal Richelieu by King Louis 13th - anyway here is some text from the Richelieu town web site describing this very very unusual town.

Richelieu - A little history
In 1631, King Louis XIII to thank his minister, Cardinal Richelieu, builds Richelieu a town enclosed by walls and ditches. Richelieu Park, an area of 475 hectares, encircled by walls, housed the vast area of the Cardinal whose vestiges remain today: one of the domes of the forecourt, the orangery, and caves throughout the path channels.

A unique example in France planning the 17th century, the city of Richelieu is located at the crossroads of Touraine, Anjou and Poitou. Regularity and symmetry characterize the "ideal city", remarkably preserved, now listed site with its high street lined with 28 houses, the hall and 17th century church, ramparts, the park houses the remains of the castle ... so many invitations to come and discover this jewel of architecture and urbanism.

Surrounded by walls, bordered by a moat, the city appears as a large rectangle about 620 meters by 390 meters, with a line drawn. It is accessible through three gates, the fourth, dummy, used to respect the symmetry of the whole.

12 meters wide, the Grande Rue, median artery, lined with 14 houses, on both sides, before all initially be built to a design model, is oriented north-south, at each end, open square.

On the north site, the Place Royale (now Place of Religious), were located Academy and Convent. On the square South, places of Cardinal (now Market Square), are currently the church halls and face-to-face, and the Hotel de Ville, the former Palace of Justice.

Pour plus de détails : www.cc-pays-de-richelieu.fr - www.tourisme-richelieu.com For more details: www.cc-country-of-richelieu.fr - www.tourisme-richelieu.com

And for another unique thing you can, on weekends and in high holiday season, take a steam train there through pastoral countryside from Chinon, which to me is the finest larger town in the Loire region.

Visit the market at Selles sur Cher on a Wednesday. A treat! Visit the Cave de la Grande Brosse at Chemery and enjoy a tour and tastings of sublime wine.Phippe is a terrific host! If you love the Loire Valley look at this website which offers you the chance of winning two weeks every year for ten years and donate money to charity! www.lagaucherieholidays.com
Visit the fabulous chateau of Chaumont which has the most amazing gardens . The displays follow a different theme every year.

That should of course read Philippe Oudin at the La Grande Brosse!

Here I was thinking I'd really done my research for my upcoming 9 days in the Loire. So many new things to add! Wonderful!!

near Villandry is a 'wet cave' where the flow of water dripping in the cave is quite rapid. The owners put items in the cave and after a year or so they are encrusted with a stone veneer. quite interesting and unique.

It has been 26 years, but there was a small restaurant in Chaumont across the river from Onzain - Chez Colette - that we enjoyed 5 days when we were in Onzain. They even stayed open after their early closing one time to serve us dinner. Not fancy, but it might be a welcome change from muti-hour meals.

Musee de Blindes -- a museum of tanks and armo(u)red cars in Saumur from WWI to present.

Tavers - east of Onzaine on the Loire is known for its springs out of which spew some bluish water.

If you do spend any time in the Western Loire here's some of our favorites:

Town od Sache---Balzac's house

Le Cadre Noir---equestrian center outside of Saumur (wonderful tour with absolutely gorgeous horses, and we are not horse people)

Saumur---really good shopping

Chinon---very quaint town. "Au Chapeau Rouge" was one of our best dinners in France sitting under a huge tree.

"Manior Restigne"---positively beautiful property a little west of Chinon. We had a fantastic dinner, very high end.

As far as the Eastern Loire we did most of the "biggies" and thought Amboise was adorable.