The Bridge has been included in several "Seven Natural Wonders of the World" lists, mostly in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark, a Virginia Historic Landmark, and is listed in the National Register of historic Places.

Natural Bridge and Niagara Falls were the two wonders of the new world that Europeans visited during the 18th & 19th centuries. Of the two sights, Natural Bridge, without clear explanation of its formation, was the more mysterious.

Vacationing guests from all over the world took day trips from Natural Bridge on horseback or horse drawn carriages to explore the countryside. The braver guests could be lowered over the edge from the top of the bridge in a hexagonal steel cage while a violinist played.