NEWS

MEDIA CONTACTS:

MaryAnn Puglisi, Public Relations, 202-857-8384; maryann@eduvacations.com
Matt Slipkowsky, Marketing Director, 540-319-8939, mslipkowsky@naturalbridgeva.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2013 SPRING SEASON OPENS MARCH 9 WITH NEW ACTIVITIES, EVENTS & WEBSITE DEALS AT
THE NATURAL BRIDGE
National Historic Landmark, Civil War Trails Site, Virginia Birding & Wildlife Trails Site

20-30% Off Tickets, Paddling on the James River, $99 Escape Package

On-line Packages Save up to 40%
Each package has a unique element, but they all include The Natural Bridge & Caverns Combination Pass with admission to: The Natural Bridge, Cedar Creek Nature Trail, Monacan Indian Village, "Butterflies at The Bridge"-Virginia's largest indoor butterfly garden, Natural Bridge Caverns, Wax Museum, and "Drama of Creation"-evening sound & light show. Packages are priced for 2 people; additional family members, same room, start at just $25.

• Spring Escape Package
March 9-Memorial Day, includes The Natural Bridge & Caverns Combination Pass, country breakfast, and one night in the historic Natural Bridge Hotel, standard room. Additional nights and upgrades to mountain-view and balcony rooms are optional; for reservations, www.NaturalBridgeVA.com.
- starts at $99 (plus tax) for 2 people Sunday-Thursday; from $149 (plus tax) Friday or Saturday. Additional guests, same room, are $35, $25 ages 5-12.

• NEW Spring Great Outdoors Package
April 12-June 13, includes Canoeing or Kayaking, The Natural Bridge & Caverns Combination Pass, country breakfast, and one night in the historic Natural Bridge Hotel, standard room. Additional nights and upgrades to mountain-view and balcony rooms are optional; for reservations, www.NaturalBridgeVA.com.
- from $157 (plus tax) for 2 people Sunday-Thursday; from $207 (plus tax) for 2, Friday or Saturday. Additional guests, same room, are $50, and $40 ages 5-12.

• Civil War 150th Package
March 9-May 24, includes Lexington's Stonewall Jackson House, 2 commemorative Civil War mugs, limited edition DVD of Hunter's Raid battle, The Natural Bridge & Caverns Combination Pass, country breakfast, and one night in the historic Natural Bridge Hotel, standard room. Additional nights and upgrades to mountain-view and balcony rooms are optional; for reservations, www.NaturalBridgeVA.com.
- from $145 (plus tax) for 2 people Sunday-Thursday; from $180 (plus tax) Friday or Saturday. Additional guests, same room, are $50, $25 ages 5-12.

• Friday Presidents Seafood Package
• year-round, features the Friday Night Seafood Buffet with crab legs, shrimp, scallops, oysters, and more, plus live entertainment, The Natural Bridge & Caverns Combination Pass, and one night in the historic Natural Bridge Hotel, standard room. Additional nights and upgrades to mountain-view and balcony rooms are optional; for reservations, www.NaturalBridgeVA.com.
-from $169 (plus tax) for 2 people Fridays only; additional guests $50, $28 ages 5-12.

On-line Ticket Discount Saves up to 30%
• $6 Off The Natural Bridge & Caverns Combination pass purchased online, starting March 9, includes The Natural Bridge, Cedar Creek Nature Trail, Monacan Indian Village, indoor Butterfly Garden, Caverns, Wax Museum; and the evening sound & light show. The online deal features 20% off tickets, and 30% off kids (ages 5-12) tickets.

Spring Special Events & Holiday Packages

• Thomas Jefferson's Birthday Celebration
April 13, includes birthday cake, performance by a youth orchestra, and more activities to commemorate his birthday and purchase of The Bridge in 1774 from King George III; details to be announced.

• Mother's Day Buffet
With Chef's specialties and live entertainment, May 12, $28.95, $11.95 ages 5-12. Call for reservations, 540-458-3750. Book a Spring Escape Package, May 11or 12 to make it a Mother's Day Getaway.

The Natural Bridge, a National Historic Landmark, is open year round from 9 a.m. until dusk; other on-site attractions are open March 9-December 1, 2013. The Natural Bridge admission includes The Natural Bridge, Cedar Creek Nature Trail, Monacan Indian Village, indoor butterfly garden, wax museum, and an evening light show beneath the Bridge. The Natural Bridge & Caverns Combination ticket also includes a guided caverns tour through the deepest caverns on the east coast. Discounted admission and packages at the historic Natural Bridge Hotel, and event information are available at www.NaturalBridgeVA.com; or call 800-533-1410. The Natural Bridge is off the Blue Ridge Parkway at MP 61.6, and off I-81, exits 175 and 180.

###

Note to Editor: Images are available from www.naturalbridgeva.com/press.php; and more available upon request from maryann@naturalbridgeva.com.

200 YEARS LATER, STILL CAPTURING THE NATURAL BRIDGE ON CANVAS

Natural Bridge, Virginia (May 16, 2012)- The Blue Ridge Plein Air Painters recently chose The Natural Bridge as their subject.Inspired by the beauty that surrounds them, this group of five professional Virginia artists set up easels and worked in the open, "plein air" tradition. They join famous 19th century artists, such as Frederick Edwin Church and David Johnson, in capturing the image and communicating the grandeur of the immense nature-sculpted rock bridge.

The Natural Bridge, a National Historic Landmark, is open year-round from9am until dusk. Admission to the Natural Bridge is $19, and $11 for children ages 5-12. It includes: The Natural Bridge, Cedar Creek Nature Trail, Monacan Indian Village, an indoor butterfly garden, a wax museum, a toy museum, and an evening light presentation of the biblical story of creation. The Natural Bridge is also home to the deepest caverns on the East Coast. The Natural Bridge & Caverns Combination Ticket is $28, and $16 for children ages 5-12. Special ticket offers, and money-saving packages at the historic Natural Bridge Hotel with attractions and breakfast are at www.NaturalBridgeOffers.com; phone 800-533-1410. The Natural Bridge, located in the Shenandoah Valley, is just off the Blue Ridge Parkway at MP 61.6, and minutes off I-81, at exits 175 and 180.

###

Note to Editor: photos and fact sheets below, or contact maryann@naturalbridgeva.com, 202-857-8384.

NEW BUTTERFLIES AT THE BRIDGE
Now Open

Virginia's Largest Indoor, Live Butterfly Exhibit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Natural Bridge, Virginia (June 7, 2011)- On Friday, May 27 The Natural Bridge opened the door to Butterflies at the Bridge, the largest indoor, live butterfly garden in Virginia. It allows visitors to immerse themselves in the world of live butterflies and get up close to exotic species like the South American Blue Morpho or the native Yellow Tiger Swallowtails that call Virginia home. Hundreds of new butterflies arrive weekly.

The 1,800 square-foot habitat features a reflecting pond, a seven-foot waterfall, a tropical plant-lined walkway for interacting with hundreds of flying butterflies, and a Virginia farmhouse facade housing pupae where visitors can watch them transform and take flight.

"We are excited to add this new familiy-friendly, interactive experience to all there is to see and do here at Natural Bridge," says Debbie Land, General Manager. The Natural Bridge has had a long relationship with butterflies along the Cedar Creek Trail where they feed on wildflowers, minerals in the creek's streambed, falls, wet rocks, and potassium nitrates in the damp limestone of The Natural Bridge.

This new attraction, Butterflies at the Bridge, is included with The Natural Bridge admission, which also includes Cedar Creek Trail, Monacan Indian Village, Wax Museum, Toy Museum, and the evening light show, the Drama of Creation. Ticket prices are $18, and $10 for children ages 5-12. A Combination Ticket that also includes the Natural Bridge Caverns is $28, and $16 for children ages 5-12.

Special discounted admission tickets and packages, and more information are available at www.NaturalBridgeVA.com/Butterflies. The Natural Bridge is in the Shenandoah Valley at US 11 & 130, just off I-81, exits 175 & 180; and off the Blue Ridge Parkway, MP 61.6.

###

Note to Editors: All events are open for media coverage.

Natural Bridge Fact Sheet

Natural Bridge Hotel and Conference Center Fact Sheet

Butterflies at the Bridge Fact Sheet

Butterflies at the Bridge images (click thumbnails for high res images):

Butterflies at the Bridge photo captions:

IMAGE 1 (left) - a young girl from Natural Bridge, VA meets a Blue Morpho from South America. When a Blue Morpho spreads its wings it reveals vibrant blue colors.

IMAGE 2 (middle) - a Monarch butterfly sits on tropical flowers in front of the exhibit's reflecting pond.

IMAGE 3 (right) - a Painted Lady rests on a branch. Tropical plants line the walkways of this unique garden.

Photography
Click on the thumbnails below to view and download Natural Bridge images:
 

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact us at 800-533-1410, email us, or use our online request form.