Natural Bridge of Virginia
November 2008 to Present
The Natural Bridge of Virginia consists of the spectacular National Historic Landmark Natural Bridge natural rock arch attraction, the Natural Bridge Cavern attraction, a 150-room conference hotel, restaurant, bar and banquet/meeting facilities, and food and retail concessions. Of historical significance, Thomas Jefferson owned the Natural Bridge for most of his life, purchasing the property from King George III two years before the Revolutionary War.
Cape Leisure manages all aspects of day-to-day operations at Natural Bridge under a management contract with the complex’s private ownership. This includes food, retail, accounting and cash control, maintenance, ticketing, sales & marketing, hotel and attractions operations, education and interpretive programs, human resources, information technology, safety programs and environmental programs.
Visitors to the Natural Bridge attraction enjoy a breathtaking stroll down a pathway that follows the Cedar Creek underneath the picturesque stone arch, providing excellent vistas of this landmark, and upstream to other historic and natural sites, such as the Monacan Indian Village. The Village is an accurate, living history depiction of local Native American life at the dawn of the Colonial American Period. The Monacan Indian Village is staffed with knowledgeable, costumed interpreters, many themselves Monacans. Continuing upstream on the trail, guests also visit the Saltpeter Cave, where during the Civil War, bat guano was harvested as part of the gunpowder production process; the Lost River, an underwater stream that bursts out of the earth and across the rocky trail spilling into the Cedar Creek, and Lace Falls, a 40-foot tall cascade not far from the underground source of the Cedar Creek. Also included with a Natural Bridge ticket is the Natural Bridge Wax Museum, featuring historical recreations depicting various periods in the area’s history, and an extensive Toy Museum.
In 2011, Cape Leisure introduced a new exhibit to the Natural Bridge. “Butterflies at the Bridge” is Virginia’s largest indoor live butterfly habitat, featuring both native Virginia species as well as beautiful tropical exotics. As guests meander through the habitat, they pass through lush tropical landscapes as well as more familiar Virginia plantings and even a Virginia farmhouse, which doubles as the exhibit’s laboratory and emergent room for pupae and cocoons. Up to four hundred butterflies occupy the habitat at any given time. Interpretive graphics explore themes such as “Why are Butterflies Important?”, “The Butterfly Life Cycle” and “Butterflies of Virginia.” The exhibit was produced entirely in-house by Cape Leisure, with consultation from industry experts.
The second on-property attraction is the Natural Bridge Cavern, Virginia’s deepest. Here visitors descend 34 stories into the earth, where they observe magnificent natural stone structures such as the Colossal Dome and Mirror Lake, each hundreds of thousands of years in the making. The tour of Natural Bridge Cavern is guided.
The Natural Bridge Hotel and Conference Center consists of 150 sleeping rooms offered in three different classes, approximately 10,000 square feet of meeting space, the 150-seat Colonial Dining Room, offering breakfast and dinner each day, and the Red Fox Lounge.
Link: www.naturalbridgeva.com