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The One Place Tourists Flock to in Virginia, Plus One Bonus
Virginia is for lovers, people love to flock here for vacations and romantic weekend getaways. They choose bed and breakfasts, mountain lodges, and beachfront resorts, but they are mostly here to see sights not found at home.
The one thing many of these visitors have in common is a must-see Virginia attraction, and it also happens to be a Virginia State Park.
Just ask our state tourism department, and they will proudly boast that Virginia is one of the top tourism destinations on the East Coast. They will point you to wineries, breweries, festivals, oyster roasts and more.
But what is the one place that tourists flock to in Virginia? The one "something" you must see when you visit? Let's explore:
Once owned by Thomas Jefferson and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the 215-foot tall Natural Bridge is a limestone gorge carved out by Cedar Creek in Virginia, and is one of the top tourist attractions must-see sights of interest for visitors.
The home Thomas Jefferson built near the bridge in 1803 was a rustic two room log cabin with a room for guests. The former president kept a logbook to record his visitors. Among some of the guests were John Marshall, James Monroe, Henry Clay, Sam Houston, Daniel Boone, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, and Thomas Hart. It is reported that Thomas Jefferson wished to share the Natural Bridge with the world, which is the reason he purchases it along with the 157 surrounding acres.
As the newest Virginia State Park it is more than just the bridge. Beautiful forests, open and rolling meadows showcase the area’s karst terrain, and vistas of surrounding mountains and the James River valley display nature’s splendor.
Access 6 miles of hiking trails, including the main attraction via The Cedar Creek Trail that is universally accessible and goes under the Natural Bridge to the Monacan Village, Lost River and Lace Falls with its 30-foot cascade. Living history programs connect you to the past and cover how people once used the area’s resources for survival and inspiration.
Some would call the tunnel an arch, you need to see it in person and let us know which you think it is. Be sure to visit both sides as each or unique and give you a different perspective.
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HISTORY
In 1774, Thomas Jefferson bought the bridge and 157 surrounding acres from King George III of England for 20 shillings. The bridge passed from one private owner to the next and became a tourist destination.
In May 2013, then owner Angelo Puglisi announced plans to sell the Natural Bridge complex by year's end. Nearby Lexington, Rockbridge and Buena Vista passed resolutions urging a positive outcome as did land trusts across Virginia and the nation. The Valley Conservation Council and Rockbridge Area Conservation Council hosted tours, wrote articles, encouraged support and formed the Friends of Natural Bridge.
On Feb. 6, 2014, the dream to ensure protection of the bridge in perpetuity came together thanks to the nonprofit Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund and its leader, Tom Clarke. Puglisi gifted the bridge and 188 acres of the property — valued at $21 million — to the fund. The nonprofit group agreed to pay for the remaining 1,300 acres with a loan from the Virginia Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund, from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Virginia Resources Authority.
The state will not own the Natural Bridge property until the debt is paid off but took over management of about 1,500 acres here on Sept. 24, 2016. The state park does not include the Natural Bridge Hotel and Conference Center or the Caverns at Natural Bridge. Learn about the Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund's facilities and activities here as well.
Admission: Per person is $6 for ages 6-12 and $8 for those 13 and older. Yes pets are allowed, if maintained and kept on a leash no longer than 6 feet.
Hours: 8:00 a.m. – dusk
OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATIONS
There are no cabins or campgrounds at this park, but there are non-state park campgrounds and facilities nearby. But if you prefer to stay at a Virginia State Park, I would recommend Douthat State Park named one of the nation's 10 best by Editors of the 1999 Outside Family Vacation Guide. Amenities include cabins and campgrounds, lake with swimming beach, trails and more, click here for the details.
For information on availability of other nearby parks' overnight accommodations, particular park amenities or to make a reservation, you can reserve online, or call 800-933-7275 during business hours.
BONUS: ANOTHER GEOLOGICAL WONDER WORTH A VISIT
There is so much that is trip worthy in Virginia, from the Atlantic Ocean to the famous Cumberland Gap, from the Blue Ridge Parkway as it climbs North into Skyline Drive and the magnificent Shenandoah Valley. We offer some of the top attractions in the MidAtlantic.
I can think of another amazing natural sight that might not be on the top tourist attraction list, but it is for me as I found myself gob smacked looking down on it, and then hiking down to see it up close. It also has an interesting history and geological past. I recommend that you add this to your must-see list of Virginia attractions.
More than 850 feet long and as tall as a 10-story building, Natural Tunnel was naturally carved through a limestone ridge over thousands of years. William Jennings Bryan called it the "Eighth Wonder of the World."
Other scenic features include a wide chasm between steep stone walls surrounded by several pinnacles, or "chimneys."
Natural Tunnel State Park has seven walking trails. The longest is 2.1 miles long. The trails lead to unique features of the park: the tunnel floor, Lover’s Leap, Tunnel Hill and Gorge Ridge. A 500-foot boardwalk and observation deck provide accessibility to guests with disabilities who may ride the chairlift, when operable, to the mouth of the tunnel. Most trails are open to mountain bikes.
Guests also enjoy cave tours and canoe trips on the nearby Clinch River, astronomy programs, night hikes and other fantastic fun programs. Some of the annual events include the Lighting of the Tunnel, Railroad Day and special musical performances at the park's amphitheater. Click here for park special events and programs to help plan your visit.
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HISTORY
The creation of Natural Tunnel is believed to have begun more than a million years ago in the early glacial period when groundwater bearing carbonic acid percolated through crevices and slowly dissolved surrounding limestone and dolomite bedrock. Then, what is now Stock Creek was probably diverted underground to continue carving the tunnel slowly over many centuries. The walls of the tunnel show evidence of prehistoric life, and many fossils can be found in the creek bed and on tunnel walls.
Daniel Boone was probably among the first men of European descent to see the tunnel in that the tunnel lies along the original route he took westward. However, no one wrote of it until Lt. Col. Stephen H. Long explored the site in 1831 and published an article in a geology journal in 1832.
Natural Tunnel was first surveyed as a proposed route in 1852 via a branch line, the Virginia & Kentucky Railroad, from the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad. Plans ceased because of the Civil War, and areas near the tunnel were instead mined for saltpeter. However, in 1890 the South Atlantic & Ohio (SA&O) Railroad opened the line from Bristol to Big Stone Gap (and shortly thereafter, Appalachia), Va. In 1899, the Virginia & Southwestern (V&SW) succeeded to the rights of the SA&O and promoted the line as "The Natural Tunnel Route." 
The Southern Railway purchased controlling rights in the V&SW in 1906 and operated the line under the V&SW name until 1916 when it was formally absorbed into the Southern system. Under Southern Railway's control, passenger service continued, including the famous "Lonesome Pine Special," until 1939. In 1982, Southern Railway and Norfolk & Western merged to become Norfolk Southern, the present line.
Hauling coal has always been the lifeblood of the line, and currently CSX Corporation also has track rights, so visitors may see either line operating through the tunnel. The trains now carry only coal, and the number of trains per day depends on the coal market.
Admission: Daily Parking fees for Passenger Vehicles (up to 8 passengers) is just $4 year-round. Yes pets are allowed, if maintained and kept on a leash no longer than 6 feet.
Hours: 8:00 a.m. - dusk.
OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATIONS
The park has two great campgrounds, Cove View Campground and Lover’s Leap Campground. New this year are 4 recreational yurts, 13 housekeeping cabins, and one super family lodge. Pets are allowed in campgrounds and cabins (cabins incur a nightly per pet fee).
Learn more, check availability or book online here, or call 800-933-7275 during regular business hours.
LOCATION AND DIRECTIONS TO BOTH PARKS
PLAN YOUR VISIT TO SEE THESE GEOLOGICAL WONDERS
TWO OF THE BEST ATTRACTIONS IN VIRGINIA
If you have read the article and have a question, please email nancy.heltman@dcr.virginia.gov.
