The Natural Bridge is a popular attraction for many people traveling through and living in the Shenandoah Valley. The sight of a 20-story rock bridge is certainly impressive!
Tickets can be purchased to see the bridge up close, and a number of other attractions have developed nearby, including a Toy Museum, Wax Museum, and the Cedar Creek Trail. In the evening, there is also the Drama of Creation, which features symphonic music in the ancient Blue Ridge Mountain walls and, choreographed lighting that creates a rainbow canopy in the stone archway.
Wikipedia has some interesting historic facts about this geologic wonder that can’t be seen just looking at it from afar:
- The Natural Bridge was a sacred site of the Native American Monacan tribe, who believed it to be the site of a major victory over pursuing Powhatans centuries before the arrival of whites in Virginia.
- Some believe George Washington came to the site in 1750 as a young surveyor on behalf of Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron.
- Thomas Jefferson purchased 157 acres of land including the Natural Bridge from King George III of England for 20 shillings in 1774. He called it “the most Sublime of nature’s works”. Jefferson built a two-room log cabin, with one room reserved for guests, beginning its use as a retreat.
See the official website for more information.
