Natural Bridge, VA

Spend a night or two in Natural Bridge, VA.  Natural Bridge is 3 hours and 25 minutes southwest of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. to Natural Bridge, VA (Point B)

THINGS TO DO:

1.  Natural Bridge/Lexington KOA

• Camp
• Swim in the pool
• Play chess on the giant chess set
• Enjoy the evening sitting around the campfire

2.  Natural Bridge

• Drive to Natural Bridge (4.2 miles from campsite) 
• Hike the 2 mile round trip Cedar Creek Nature Trail and see the Natural Bridge (if you don't want to hike the entire trail, at minimum walk to the Natural Bridge which is within the first 1/3 mile of the hike)
• Visit the Native American Village and learn about the Monacan Indians
• Other things to do include: Natural Bridge Caverns, Butterfly Garden, Drama of Creation (we didn't pay for or have time to do these things)

3.  Foamhenge

• Stop and see this quirky foam replica of Stonehenge on your way to or from the Natural Bridge
• Take pictures with your phone's camera and surprise friends and family who thought you went camping in VA

4.  Virginia Safari Park

• Visit this hilarious drive-thru zoo, located right next to your campsite (see my Day Trip blog for more details)

THINGS TO KNOW:

The KOA campsite is beautiful with plenty of trees for shade and keeping cool.  It is nicely laid out with nice-sized campsites.  Even the sites for the tents have electricity, which comes in handy for recharging all the gadgets that make road travel a little easier. 

Natural Bridge is a place that will leave you with a sense of awe.  It is a little commercialized with a large gift shop and all the additional attractions, but it is worth the trip.  You’ll start at the gift shop to buy your tickets (or buy them in advance online), and you’ll be given directions to the Cedar Creek Nature Trail which will take you to the Natural Bridge and the Native American Village and then ends overlooking a waterfall.  By the time you get to the beginning of the trail, you’ll feel that you’ve left the majority of the commercialism behind you and you’ll find the trail peaceful and beautiful.  You’ll find people dressed in Native American clothing working in the village and they have a wealth of information they’ll happily share with you.  Before you pay for your tickets, ask about or look online for discounts or bundle packages for the Bridge and other attractions. 

Foamhenge is just a funny place altogether.  In fact, it was built as an April Fools Joke in 2004 and is still standing.  It is exactly what it sounds like: a replica of Stonehenge built out of foam and put right in the middle of Virginia.  We weren’t expecting to find this place and kept asking ourselves “Why is this here?”  We finally realized that it’s not a question “Why?” so much as a question of “Why not?”  It is free and open to the public.  There isn’t a lot of parking and advertising for it, but it is easy to find and just right off the road.  Park your car and walk up the hill to see it up close.