Wow what great suggestions and ideas we will be visiting the Loire for the first time in early October.
Bookmarking!

If you are looking for some ideas of places to eat and things to do in the Loire Valley, I recommend following Fraussie Grouet's Aussie in France blog (http://www.aussieinfrance.com ). Fraussie, who has been living in France since the mid 70s, has just recently bought a Renaissance house (http://www.closeriefalaiseau.com ) in Blois in the Loire Valley so has some good inside information for visitors to the region.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j166VdqWLYY

Catch the Soupe des Chiens (sp?) or mass feeding of the hunting hounds at Cheverny - which can easily be twinned with a visit to the most monumental of all Loire castles - Chambord - now how many windows are there.

Near Villandry, I enjoyed the cave at Savonnieres. It is a 'wet cave' where the stalactites and stalagmites are being actively formed. They also put various items under the drips and petrify them. Interesting and unique.

Thank you very much. I have the RS guide book for France and he really only discusses the Chateau. I figured that the Fodorites would have some good suggestions and you all certainly did.

Once again. Thank you for your input.

I have the RS guide book for France and he really only discusses the Chateau.>>

traveller - beg borrow or steal the Michelin green guide to the Chateaux of the Loire. an excellent guide book.

Michelin green guides are sold many places in the Loire - the English edition that is IME. And yes to me always an invaluable guide that adds a lot to a trip - brings the stones to life.

The towns of the Loire are renown for their uniform, on older buildings at least, color of the stones they are built out of - kind of a faded cream color that is the color of the limestone cliffs along the river the stones were hewn from (so says my in-laws whose family has lived in the Loire for centuries - the Loire and especially the Tourraine is known for their perfect king's French - actually at one time the King of France only controlled a small area of today's France - a part of the Loire around Tours, Orleans, Vendome and Beaugency - a child's song still sung here says the King of France only had "Orleans, Beaugency, Vendome and Notre-Dame de Clery (near Orleans - an ancient church in which some ancient king of France is buried - not sure I have the towns in the correct order - but anyway one reason pointed out often why the French spoken here is considered to be so so 'pure'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdb3mEw_UIU

You Tube of this child's song - did get order of towns wrong but overall right. And it's a cute song often sung by parents to kids in the Loiret area.