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Natural Bridge reports record summer visitation; local Virginia 250 committee outlines fall and 2026 plans
Summary
Natural Bridge State Park reported strong August revenues and year-to-date attendance above 2024; park received a $22,000 grant toward a six-passenger electric shuttle. The local VA250 committee described upcoming exhibits and events tied to the 250th anniversary.
Natural Bridge State Park staff told the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 22 that the park set a record revenue day late in August and is tracking above 2024 attendance through the same portion of the year.
Park Superintendent Jim Jones reported a highest-ever single‑day revenue of $31,373 (on the final Sunday of August) and said August was among the park’s top months for revenue since opening in 2016. Year‑to‑date attendance through the report was 154,154 versus 143,588 for the same period the prior year. Jones said visitation typically increases again during leaf season.
Jones said the park received roughly $22,000 from the Rockbridge Community Health Foundation and a friends‑group contribution to purchase a six‑passenger electric vehicle to help visitors who cannot navigate 137 steps between parking and the bridge. The park is coordinating with the local PSA on public water service and has submitted operating plans for Buck Hill Cave (formerly Caverns at Natural Bridge) to state headquarters; no reopening date was set.
Eric Wilson, co‑chair of the local Virginia 250 committee, reviewed community plans tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary. He said local organizing includes exhibits at the Rockbridge Historical Society, school‑based programs, parades and a slate of events through July 2026. The local committee has engaged partners including Natural Bridge State Park, VMI and local schools and is coordinating with state-level Virginia 250 activities; Wilson said the national “America 250” oral‑history mobile project recorded local stories at Natural Bridge this year.
The board and park staff encouraged residents to attend upcoming luminary and event nights and noted plans to pursue public‑facing programs through the bicentennial activities in 2026.
