Lexington, Natural Bridge, Buena Vista & Rockbridge County Area

About Lexington, Natural Bridge, Buena Vista & Rockbridge Co. Area

To visit Lexington is to step into history. The entire city of Lexington is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and can easily be enjoyed on foot, car, or from a carriage ride.

Located only 15 miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway, The Natural Bridge of Virginia welcomes visitors to share its inspiring beauty. At over 200 feet tall and 90 feet wide, Natural Bridge has often been listed as one of the seven Natural Wonders of the World, capturing the interest of all who have seen it. George Washington surveyed it, and Thomas Jefferson purchased it so that it could be preserved as a national treasure. Virginia Safari Park is a 180-acre, drive-through zoo where you see hundreds of free-roaming animals in a natural setting.

In Buena Vista, enjoy a hike along a stream lined with mountain laurel or a stroll on the Chessie Trail, an old railroad bed that was once the right-of-way for the C&O Railroad but was abandoned after a flood in 1969 destroyed most of the tracks. It is maintained today as a public nature trail. Today’s town is much like the original Boom-Era Buena Vista. The architecture of Southern Virginia University’s Main Hall (c. 1890) is a reflection of the city’s industrial heyday when the Hall was the fancy Buena Vista Hotel. With this large, beautiful building as the light on the hill, the rest of the picture is easily illuminated.

Special events maintain the lively atmosphere of the area throughout the year and none can compare to the music festivals at Glen Maury Park. There are bluegrass festivals in the summer and fall and an ever-popular beach music festival in July. Glen Maury Park is also host to the area’s only public golf course, The Vista Links. Every October, the lost arts of the Blue Ridge are active again at Celebrate Buena Vista’s Mountain Day Festival.

In Rockbridge County, a starry night sky and the ruins of a 19th century lime kiln and quarry create a magical setting for theater and concerts from April through October at Theater at Lime Kiln. This special outdoor theater is part of the Virginia Blue Ridge Music Trail and continues to entertain by making Appalachian history come alive.