The Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park is primarily known for our incredible historical collections, but we also have a number of fascinating natural items, including fossils and geodes, donated from area enthusiasts over the years.

This region is rich in unique geological features that will be spotlighted in the park’s upcoming “Adventures in History: Geology Bus Tour," scheduled for Saturday, October 12, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Enjoy this fun geology trip that begins in Big Stone Gap, VA. and ends at the Cumberland Gap, VA/KY

Explore some of SW Virginia's unique geology with a professional geologist and guide.

Leading this new tour is geologist Tony Scales, a Certified Professional Geologist, past-president of the Virginia Section of the American Institute of Professional Geologists, and author of Natural Tunnel: Nature’s Marvel in Stone, and The Breaks: The Grand Canyon of the South, both of which are on sale at the museum gift shop.

The tour will follow Virginia Highways 23 and 58, with a stop at the new Daniel Boone Interpretive Center in Duffield to view Powell Mountain’s Kane Gap, one of the notches in the Cumberland Mountain range that allowed passage through for settlers.

Don't miss learning the geology behind Natural Tunnel

Other sites of interest along the way are a stop at Natural Tunnel State Park, a program at Wilderness Road State Park, and the Pinnacle Overlook at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, from which visitors can see three states.

Along the way participants will be able to see spectacular natural wonders like the White Rocks, standing at more than 3000 feet elevation and used by Daniel Boone as a waypoint in his explorations along the Wilderness Road. 

Don't miss the bus

The museum’s “Adventures in History” series of bus tours give visitors an opportunity to experience sites of regional interest in comfort and in the company of experts. The park runs these bus tours from April through October every year. The tour fee is $25 per person, and seating is limited. Participants may bring their own lunch or pre-purchase a boxed lunch from the park for an additional $6.

Space is limited, and the registration and payment deadline is Friday, October 4. To register or find out more, call the park at 276-523-1322.