The National Park Service announced that the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center at Milepost 384 will open to visitors using donated funds from the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, with additional support provided from Eastern National and the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. The Visitor Center will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, January 26-27, and Friday through Sunday, February 1-3 and February 8-10.
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the primary philanthropic partner of the Blue Ridge Parkway, has donated funds to cover the costs of National Park Service staff during the partial shutdown of the federal government due to the lapse of appropriations. In addition, reopening the Visitor Center allows Eastern National, the vendor, to resume park store operations and the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area to resume its regional information services at the site.
“We are pleased that reopening will allow Parkway and partner staff to continue working together to provide a high quality visitor service and experience,” said Superintendent J.D. Lee. “We appreciate the Parkway Foundation’s generosity to provide this significant visitor service.”
The Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center provides a complete orientation point to the entire 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway through an award-winning film and interactive exhibits. Visitors can explore exhibits that highlight the region’s natural and cultural diversity, economic traditions and recreational opportunities; watch a 24-minute film, The Blue Ridge Parkway-America’s Favorite Journey, capturing a father-daughter trip along the motor road that incorporates history and contemporary regional culture; and learn more about the Parkway and surrounding region at the information and park store areas. Should the government shutdown end before these scheduled dates, normal winter operations would resume.