Natural Tunnel State Park. Courtesy Virginia State Parks

In Duffield, the Heart of Appalachia, lies Natural Tunnel State Park. It’s a beautiful setting year ’round, but something really exciting for visitors of every age happens around this time of year: 8 Days of Christmas!

Eight Days of Christmas at Natural Tunnel occurs December 9, 10, 16, and 17, and is a light show with a twist: experience the lights from the chairlift! Thousands of bulbs and animated figures are delightful sights as you descend. The fun doesn’t end when the chairlift does. There are carolers and other entertainers by campfire for your enjoyment. Add a cup of hot chocolate to this peaceful night and you’ll realize you’re in a real winter wonderland.

Care to stay? There are still cabins available for this weekend, but the weekend of the 16th is sold out.

Park Fees:

• Weekday Parking: $2
• Weekend Parking: $3
• Chairlift: $3; under age 6 is free
• Off-Season Nightly Cabin Rate: 2BR $88; 3BR $110; 6 BR $275

Natural Tunnel State Park. Courtesy Virginia State Parks

Getting There:

1420 Natural Tunnel Parkway
Duffield, VA 24244

Natural Tunnel State Park is about 13 miles north of Gate City and 20 miles north of Kingsport, TN. From I-81, take U.S. 23 North to Gate City (about 20 miles). The turn-off to the park is at mile marker 17.4 on Rt. 23. Take Natural Tunnel Parkway about one mile east to park entrance.

Quick facts about Natural Tunnel:

• The Commonwealth of Virginia acquired the tunnel and 100 surrounding acres in 1967, and later acquired an additional 850 acres. The park was opened in 1971.
• The tunnel is 850′ long and 100′ high inside.

Stroll through Virginia’s galleries to find the perfect piece for the aficionado or hard-to-buy-for on your list. You’ll be amazed at the handiwork the Commonwealth’s artisans conjure up. From ironworks to canvases and hot glass, the gift opportunities are spectacular.

Torpedo Factory

Thursday, December 1 from 6 to 9 p.m. the artisans of the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria will host an Open House. The event is Hawaiian themed, so please dress accordingly while you shop the studio for affordable, original artwork. Live music and refreshments cheer up the atmosphere, and the Center would be most grateful if you’d bring  a non-perishable food donation for the Carpenter’s Shelter – Northern Virginia’s largest homeless shelter.

First Friday is an event you’ll find (sometimes only during the warmer months) across Virginia. Take advantage of this monthly gathering and get some of your shopping out of the way. This Friday’s First Friday and other special Friday night events include:

- Olde Towne Portsmouth, 5-8 p.m.
- Old Town Winchester, 6-9 p.m.
- Uptown Martinsville, 5-11 p.m.
- The Artisan Center in Martinsville, 4-8 p.m.
- Crafter’s Village Arts & Crafts Show in Rocky Mount, 2-8 p.m.

This weekend, December 2-4, visit The Art League in Alexandria for their special Ceramic and Pottery Show and Sale.

The Del Ray Artisans Gallery, also in Alexandria, is hosting their 16th Annual Holiday Market this weekend, too. Twenty artists offer pottery/ceramics, photography, jewelry, cloth, paper crafts, and glass products for your shopping pleasure.

Appalachian Arts Center

In Waynesboro you’ll find the P. Buckley Moss Museum. Pat Buckley Moss will be at her nearby home, The Barn, this weekend signing prints and meeting her collectors. If you’d like to purchase a gift and have it personalized as a Christmas gift, this is your only chance! Hours for meeting Pat are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Shop the Museum from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Saturday.

The Jacksonville Center for the Arts in Floyd is hosting its 17th Annual Winterfest Arts and Crafts Festival this Friday and Saturday. Feel free to bring the kids – there are activities for them!

Visit the studio of potter Nan Rothwell this Saturday and Sunday as she hosts an Open House. A portion of the proceeds from the weekend will benefit Las Vidas Mejoradas, public health projects in the Peruvian Andes.

Other Notables:

- Heartwood: Southwest Virginia’s Artisan Gateway, Abingdon
- Appalachian Arts Center, Cedar Bluff
- Sun’s Traces Gallery, Barboursville
- Nancy Thomas Gallery, Williamsburg
- Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts
- Sunspots Studios & Glass Blowing, Staunton

For more arts and crafts shopping opportunities, visit Virginia.org.

Gordonsville Tree Lighting

How fleeting those moments are. You know the ones. A child’s eyes tell all – wonder, amazement, joy, and a speechless love. See that sparkle appear when you take your child or grandchild to a parade or tree lighting this holiday season.

Gather ’round the community tree and sing carols with candles in hand. The warmth of togetherness is unmatched when you take time out, join hands, and celebrate a season of abundant love. Take part in one of these annual tree lightings this year:

• November 25 – Candlelight Processional and Lighting of the Community Christmas Tree in Lexington
• November 26 – Buchanan Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony
• November 29 – Light Up Shirlington
• December 1 – Buena Vista Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting
• December 2 – Yorktown’s Illumination and Christmas Tree Lighting
• December 4 – Gordonsville Memorial Tree Lighting
• December 4 – Orange Community Memorial Christmas Tree Lighting
• December 5 – Roanoke County’s Christmas Tree Lighting
• December 9 – Shenandoah’s Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

Virginia’s 100 Miles of Lights begins in Richmond, moves on to Williamsburg, and then lands in Newport News, where the light show is a two-mile drive-through and then some.

Hollydazzle

Celebration in Lights takes place in Newport News Regional Park beginning November 24. The park encompasses 8,000 acres, with two beautiful reservoirs that reflect the more than 750,000 bulbs you’ll see. Kids and adults alike will delight in the whimsical figures – 70 animated – with themes that include “Battle of the Ironclads” and “Santa’s Enchanted Kingdom.”

Perhaps a little-known fact, Celebration in Lights is Virginia’s first and longest-running drive-through light show. See the beauty through January 1 for $10/car or $60/bus.

On December 2 a dazzling event aptly dubbed Hollydazzle will take place at City Center at Oyster Point. It’s one of the most unique holiday displays you’ll find, with special effects, fireworks, and music. This is a free event.

For families seeking an original Christmas, see Star of Wonder: Mystery of the Christmas Star at Virginia Living Museum between November 23 and December 31, with the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It’s a planetarium event that follows the Star of Bethlehem, just as the Magi did. $21/adult and $17/child (museum admission + $4) Show times very; please check theVLM.orgfor exact times.

Star of Wonder at Virginia Living Museum

“Since 1965, the museum has journeyed in the footsteps of the Magi seeking the identity of a mysterious star which foretold the coming of a king… Over the years, the scientific thinking has changed, archeology has revealed new clues, and our understanding of who the Magi might actually have been has grown. Our best theory for what the sign of the wise men might have been has changed, too. Now, it is time for us once again to update our understanding. The show was completely revised in 2008 to offer a truly immersive look at the journey of the Magi while examining the latest clues and seeking once more to understand the appearance of the Star of Bethlehem.”
- Virginia Living Museum

 Perhaps packaging some of this fun into a weekend travel package will make the planning easier. If so …

Point Plaza Suites and Conference Hotel is offering admission to Celebration in Lights along with a snack bag of tasty treats and breakfast for two  from $89/room.

Eager for more 100 Miles of Lights info? See Virginia.org/100MilesofLights/.

Grand Illumination at Colonial Williamsburg

Yesterday I gave you the scoop on Richmond’s amazing lights for the 100 Miles of Lights event that covers multiple cities every year. Today, Williamsburg’s up!

Kick off the festivities in Colonial Williamsburg on December 4 with the Grand Illumination event. First, it’s free – no ticket or reservation is required – and second, there are THREE fireworks displays and multiple stages of musical performances. The show starts at 5:15 p.m. Arrive early for good parking.

If you care to stay the night, there are enticing travel packages to be had, and they cover more than what you might think.

Christmas Town at Busch Gardens is entering its second year. If you’re imagining just a few lights to decorate BG, think again. There are now FIVE MILLION lights (up from a mere two million last year), a 50′ Christmas tree with animated lights, and I hear the park even smells like Christmas with the scent of warm sugar cookies and pine wafting in the wind.

If you “do” Christmas Town, know these things in advance:

Christmas Town at Busch Gardens

1. You must buy the peppermint fudge hot chocolate. It’s mandatory and you won’t be sorry. (Really it’s not mandatory, but let’s pretend it is.)
2.  There are real penguins. You will fall in love, no questions asked.
3.  Santa is there, and he’s a good Santa, too. Not a mall Santa at all. And he’s building toys.
4. Elmo and the Sesame Street Forest of Fun gang are in on the Christmas action, too.
5. The shows are heartwarming, traditional, and just what you expect at Christmas time.
6. While not all of the rides are available in the winter, plenty are, and the one you mustn’t miss is Flight of Lights.
7. The dining menus change to reflect a traditional Christmas meal.
8. Christmas Town is not open daily. The schedule:
- Begins November 25
- Friday and Saturday, 3 to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 3 to 9 p.m.
- Daily from December 16 through 31, 3 to 10 p.m. Exceptions: Close at 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve and closed Christmas Day.
9. Christmas Town is an affordable gift (and will no doubt be very much appreciated). A single evening ticket is $24.99. If you can and want to go three consecutive nights, I suggest the Discovery Ticket for $32.99.

Back to those travel packages …

 A Williamsburg Christmas Experience * Three days of unlimited admission to Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Gardens * Choose your own accommodation * from $119.99/person for two nights

Christmas in Williamsburg from Country Inn & Suites * Two tickets to Busch Gardens for one day * $20 restaurant gift certificate valid at over 60 area restaurants * Christmas gift * breakfast * from $139/night

Decked Out with All the Trimmings * Three-day Discovery Ticket to Busch Gardens * Two Busch Gardens Parking Vouchers * Dining certificate for a traditional meal and hot chocolate served in a souvenir mug * Choose your own accommodation * rates dependent upon number of guests and lodging choice 

Hungry for more 100 Miles of Lights info? Go to Virginia.org/100MilesofLights/.