I had high hopes for this place. Unsure if what to expect, we ventured into kexington from natural…read morebridge on a hunt for something to do with out kids. The entrance area didn't disappoint with lots of little tasks and activities to do. I could see the excitement in my kid's eyes as they ran from one thing to the next. They did a GREAT job on that part. We ventured along to see what else there was to do. With no signs anywhere, we just wandered. There was a tiny pollinators garden and outdoor classrooms with nothing to do. It is probably a really fun place for a class to go on a field trip, but randomly stopping by didn't make for a great experience.

Kind of random... It would have been neat if there were actually trails here. When the gravel…read moredriveway ended we were forced to walk on soggy grass / mud. The gravel parking lot and well-marked welcome "hut" were a nice touch. They had a map of the "trails" (aka- grassy areas where you could walk from one side of the property to the other). It's clear that a lot of time and effort have been put into creating this place! My boyfriend and I made it around the pond in about 5 minutes after ducking under several low hanging tree branches. The lodge wasn't open since it's only open when paid staff are on duty. There's a nice covered picnic area with 3 picnic tables and a grill. Random "acts" of art are strewn about the property (i.e.- a wind turbine, oversized "spare ribs" on the side of the garage, etc). If you are looking for a botanical garden do not come here. If you are looking for hiking trails do not come here. If you are looking for a couple minutes of respite and a unique adventure, then by all means, stop by! All in all, I'm glad I stopped by. But I wouldn't recommend driving much out of your way for it. Since my boyfriend and I were at Washington and Lee for the day it was 5 minutes away and totally worth it.

Our 2 year old had a fantastic time and was nothing but smiles and giggles. If you have young ones…read moreI would recommend stopping by!

this is the most amazing place you can go to!!!! it was the most unique , crazy , fun , exciting ,…read morescary exhilarating place you can go to! to way , more thrilling than going on any roller coaster! you never know what to expect from the plastic huge sculptures, to the incredible shows , old towny look and scares and so much more! we're from new york and stop by on a road trip.when the park was closed. the owner and creator not only led us in to check it out and do whatever we want by ourselves , but even explain to us how we made it , i was so friendly and so accommodating , and this was all for free!!!! this made my eight hour trip worth it , and i would turn around just after seeing this without even finishing the rest of the road trip. i really came for tennessee, which is supposed to be so fun and cool things.but i think this is the coolest thing you can ever do! if you want accelerating things that you will never get anywhere else with a very nice owner and really cool interactive shows for a very , very cheap price , you should come here!!! definitely recommending to everyone! ( a little spooky maybe for little kids) but teens and adults will definitely get a real kick out of it!!! thank you for everything!!! this really really made my trip worth it! even\n though it's like an 8 hour drive at least i would definitely come back here.

We had the BEST time here. 4 adults no kids, but we laughed til we cried during the safari tour…read more The park was clean and charming. The park was just the right size & very well organized. I recommend this to everyone!!

What a fun place to take the family. Though it is far, it's worth it. It can be an all day…read moreexperience. I find it reasonably priced and the experience can't be beat. Following the trail in your car and fully experiencing wild animals- feeding them and touching them... That is learning, that is an experience, it is so enjoyable and memorable. Could not recommend enough.

Douthat is my 35th Virginia State park visit. Saturday I hiked 13 miles, just under 30,000 steps! I…read moreended up on trails that still had fog coverage! I started at Stony run and linked some trails together so I would circle back to the car. The trail started with ground rock, and after 7 creek crossings and some elevation, it turned into rocks and roots. Once I got up higher to the switchbacks, I'd been hiking two hours. It just kept going! At some places (Tuscarora point and Blue Suck) the path is on the edge of the mountain. If you trip, you're gone! I was happy to see each Route Marker Helped me to know my plan was working. Im going the right way. At one junction I asked Gemini the elevation I've claimed from Stony run trail head to the sign Im at right now. The answer was 1,740 feet. They had 2 waterfalls. I saw one on my way up and another on my way down. It was a tricke of water but it helped notate where I was on the map. From there, it was only were big large rocks to navigate for a good mile. Takes your energy away. I was so happy to see my car at the end! What an adventure. I did drive through the park before hiking and stopped at the camp store for a t-shirt for my grandson. I walked in shouted good morning. No response. Maybe she didn't hear me. I looked around and her younger, co worker came in. This woman started massive gossip about the girl who finally just quit. She dogged this girl the whole time I was there. Checked me out when buying my shirt and never said a word. I asked the younger girl if there was still a restaurant here and she was answering to say yes but its take out but that other woman snapped, "Its closed!" She needs to find happiness. Clearly she's not a happy person, at least, at work. I thanked the young girl and left. Super awesome park! I loved it!

Well-maintained and updated campgrounds! The friendliest and most helpful rangers! Simple…read moreamenities, yet so many options to relax and use the park Do not leave without watching Ranger Shelly perform her tricks!

Top notch guys and gals at H&H! Got guns and lot's of Hunting Supplies and Dog Supplies there! Will…read morebuy from them again!

Rented kayaks from these guys for an overnight canoe camping trip. Great prices and the gear was in…read moregreat shape. They own some campgrounds along the river that make this trip an amazing adventure. Afterwards, they pick you up and bring you back to your car. Nice guys. Great service. Would definitely use them again.

Very disappointing experience. None of the washing machines had hot water, there were no laundry…read moreproducts available for purchase, and one machine took my money without working. I spent about $10 washing my clothes with cold water and drove 30 minutes to get here. What made the experience even worse was the manager's rude behavior. When I raised my concerns, she started yelling in front of other customers and my daughter, which was very unprofessional. The only positive thing I can say is that the dryers worked well. Unfortunately, after this experience, I will not be returning.

Web site says they open at 8am. It's 8:50 on Saturday and they still haven't opened. What's up?read more

Natural Bridge State Park is much bigger than I thought. When you get there, you go into the…read moreVisitor's Center/ Gift Shop, pay the small fee and start your hike. The main star of the park is the natural bridge itself. It's probably a shorter walk to the natural bridge than it is around the gift shop. I did the Cedar Creek Trail which is only 1 mile long and relatively flat from the natural bridge to the end at the waterfall. The trail is paved a lot of the way and well maintained the rest. Along the way there is a small cave that you can explore, a creak to just sit and relax, and lots of historical markers along the way. I had no idea that Thoms Jefferson once owned this land and the natural bridge itself. There is an urban legend that George Washington carved his initials in the bridge (along with a gazillion others). This hike is quite relaxing and easy to do. We saw a deer along the trail that was less than 10 feet from me and could care less that I was there. There are several other hikes that time didn't permit me to take. These trails will take you to other waterfalls, caverns and even a 2 mile frisbee golf trail. The natural bridge is a must see as it is absolutely gorgeous but next time, I will make time for the rest.

Such a cute little area with the natural bridge. There is a Virginia state fee for adult to enter,…read moreit's nine dollars per person. If you've actually bought something from REI, the receipt concern as a free admission to the park. You'll have to check the fine print. I don't know if there's a minimum spin, but I know that last I went to REI one of the front desk workers told me that the receipt would serve as my admission. And indeed covered it so I paid $0 more entrance to the park To get to the start, you have to go down some stairs, but I did over here a couple of groups at depending on if you need, they can drive you to the start. Natural Bridge had a couple of chairs so I'm assuming that a tour or they are just spots for people to rest. If you continue walking down the trail, you'll also find some other school spots like the saltwater cave, the ghost river, and Lace Falls. When I went a couple days ago, there has been a drought which has caused lace falls to be a bit smaller than normal. The ghost River was a surprisingly cool attraction. As soon as you start walking close to the hole, you can feel the cool breeze and hear the gush of the water. Where the river starts and where the river hint, we have no idea but it's a cool thing to check out.

This trail, not quite finished as of this writing, has highs and lows. A rail to trail that runs…read morealong a small river, it does deliver some fantastic views and is a flat and wide path that is amenable to biking and walking. It is free and has multiple entry points. On the downside, Covington is dominated by a cardboard manufacturer. I just moved from another place that had a similar factory, but for those without such experience, something involved in this industry smells strongly of wet dog, and the smell spreads widely. So at least on part of this trail, you've got that to contend with as well as a surprising number of flying insects for being up in the mountains. And while the trail runs by the river, everywhere you look there are signs saying that if you step off the trail, including trying to get closer to the river, it's private property and you can't. I don't begrudge whoever actually owns the land for owning it, but I wish some arrangement could have been worked out that involved more access and less passive-aggressive hostility. So I have a mix of nice pictures from a wonderful fall evening as well as a sense that some things could be better.

We were headed to spend a weekend night in Hot Springs and decided to stop in Covington to take a…read morehike, so we stopped at the Jackson River Trail... Wish we would have done more research on this place before stopping here to know that it's really not a "hike" and more of a walk. It's an old railroad bed, which is nice, but nothing fun and exciting about a truly "off-road" hike to this place. Also, the first ¾ of a mile is nasty and it's through houses, etc and nothing exciting. But after that, really from just before the Petticoat Junction to the north is beautiful and we were happy to finally come upon this area. The Jackson River is closer to the trail in this area and a beautiful stream to walk along. The banks of the trail in the first part, from the parking area in Covington to the Petticoat area are nasty and loaded with trash and pollution, the town of Covington or some volunteers really should clean it up and force the local residents to "police" their back yards better! Overall, we did it... won't waste time with it again.