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All the United States Virginia Natural Bridge The Natural Bridge
AO Edited

The Natural Bridge

A sacred site for Native Americans surveyed by George Washington and owned by both King George III and Thomas Jefferson.

Natural Bridge, Virginia

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Note the size of the person below   Bill / CC BY-SA 3.0
You can drive over the bridge, that is Route 11 up there.   innkeeper / Atlas Obscura User
  forestfufighting / CC BY-SA 3.0
This gives a bit more sense of scale.  
Took a side road to get this pic from a distance   shylilturtle / Atlas Obscura User
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  Traveler Tim / Atlas Obscura User
Pictures don’t do it justice   kjill99 / Atlas Obscura User
pictures don’t do it justice   kjill99 / Atlas Obscura User
See the two people walking under the bridge   innkeeper / Atlas Obscura User
The view of the bridge is different from both sides   innkeeper / Atlas Obscura User
View from standing under Natural Bridge   ShutterShelle / Atlas Obscura User
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A view from below.   AndiGirl / Atlas Obscura User
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Lace Falls   shylilturtle / Atlas Obscura User
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  Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
WaterFall, Natural Bridge   ShutterShelle / Atlas Obscura User
Natural Bridge   ShutterShelle / Atlas Obscura User
Looking up 🆙   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
George Washington’s Initials   shylilturtle / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Often cited as having a place among the great wonders of the natural world (particularly by early visitors to the U.S.), Virginia’s Natural Bridge is an enormous natural limestone arch. Carved by Cedar Creek over thousands of years, the arch was created when an ancient cavern collapsed leaving only the bridge. It is the largest natural land bridge on the North American continent.

The 215-foot-long bridge was sacred to the Monocan tribe and was revered by the American colonists. The site was surveyed in 1750 by a young George Washington, who allegedly carved his initials into the rock. Thomas Jefferson called Natural Bridge “the most sublime of nature’s works” when he purchased 157 acres of land, including the bridge, from King George III of England in 1774.

William Cullen Bryant said that Natural Bridge, along with Niagara Falls, were the two most notable features of North America. The Natural Bridge is also alluded to in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick.

Perhaps the oddest parts of this natural wonder is “The Drama of Creation,” a Biblically-themed evening light show that has been projected onto the bridge every night since 1920. The show is the longest continuously running light show in the US.

The Natural Bridge Caverns, the deepest caves on the east coast are less than half a mile away from the Natural Bridge. Other attractions in the area include a wax museum and a living history Monocan Indian Village. Natural Bridge became a Virginia State Park on September 24, 2016.

Related Tags

Caves Museums And Collections Natural Wonders Geological Oddities Collections Cultures And Civilizations Sacred Spaces Ecosystems Geology Nature

Know Before You Go

About (1) hour North of Roanoke Virginia and less than 15 minutes from Lexington, VA. Very dog friendly. 

Community Contributors

Edited By

CC, relizh, JamesR, mackenzieprice13...

  • CC
  • relizh
  • JamesR
  • mackenzieprice13
  • AndiGirl
  • plt4000
  • Annetta Black
  • Philosofickle
  • Traveler Tim
  • ShutterShelle
  • innkeeper
  • lendog666
  • kjill99
  • Jason Michael Walker
  • shylilturtle

Published

July 4, 2010

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Sources
  • http://www.naturalbridgeva.com
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_Bridge_(Virginia)
  • http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/natural-bridge#general_information
The Natural Bridge
15 Appledore Lane
Natural Bridge, Virginia, 24578
United States
37.6282, -79.544653
Visit Website
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