By Molly Manning
Virginia draws notice for attractions like the Blue Ridge Mountains, the James River and other historically significant sites — but the lovers’ state also boasts some quirkier attractions not to be overlooked.
Natural Bridge’s Dinosaur Kingdom II warns that this is “definitely not your father’s dinosaur park.” The park combines prehistoric animals and Civil War history, with the likenesses of Abe Lincoln and Stonewall Jackson wrangling (or being wrangled by) dinosaur figures, all of which are life-size.
For less history-inclined visitors, there are opportunities to mine for fossils, dig for dino bones, feed a raptor or even marry a dinosaur… if that’s what you’re into.
“If you grew up loving Jurassic Park and anything Sci-Fi you will see the goofy humor in all this park has to offer,” one review reads.
On the topic of dinosaurs, Dinosaur Land in White Post is home to 50 life-sized dinos, and immerses visitors in “the wonders of the prehistoric era.” The park has been beckoning visitors from the highway for 25 years and teaches its history through self-guided tours.
If dinosaurs aren’t weird enough, what about a 30-foot-tall nutcracker head? A tar silo in Orange has been revamped as what would be the world’s largest nutcracker — if he could actually crack nuts — since 2005.
With pupils made from saw blades and a 1979 Chevy hat visor, he’s hard to miss. Check him out around the holidays when he’s lit up with Christmas lights to get the full effect.
“It’s an odd thing to see from the road but get up closer to it to admire its real majesty,” one visitor said.
Mount Rushmore is a bit of a hike from VA, but Virginia Beach does have Mount Trashmore. The 165-acre park was the first landfill park in the United States — it is meant to mirror Haginodai Park in Japan.
The mountain itself was created with compacted waste and soil, making use of a pile of trash and employing other environmentally conscious practices throughout the park. There is another man-made mountain, two lakes, playgrounds and a skate park.
For fans of the supernatural, the Cohoke Light in King William County has been baffling Virginians for decades. It has been described as a floating ball of light above the train tracks, appearing and disappearing, sometimes approaching like a train.
While some point to bioluminescent organisms as a cause, others believe the glow belongs to a decapitated trainman or even a full ghost train car of Confederate soldiers who never made it to their destination.
Colonial Ghosts describes the light: “Whether the enigmatic glow above these haunting Virginia train tracks is that of a phantom train or some phenomenon science has yet to explain, either concept is equally disconcerting. To those who wish to see the light for themselves, beware. You just might find yourself face to face with a headless trainman — or something far worse.”
An icon of the city — especially during spooky season — the Richmond Vampire has to make the list. The Church Hill Tunnel was deadly from its 1870’s start — the tunnel caved in several times as it was being built, killing workers and leading to its abandonment.
When the tunnel was being restored in 1925 the western end collapsed, trapping six people inside. People say the Richmond Vampire was then seen fleeing to Hollywood Cemetery, where he resides in the mausoleum marked W.W. Pool.
Tour guides of the cemetery have paused for decades at Pool’s crypt to whisper “Here lies the Richmond Vampire. Or perhaps he never lies at all.”