From our beloved rocky perches that act like theater balconies overlooking wondrous peaks, to classic hotels and haunts, numerous landmarks have long called us to their glory. Some places change, some stay the same. And some? Well, they take on new character with each generation. Enjoy our journey – from then … to now.
ROCK CITY, SKY BRIDGE
World War II soldiers and members of the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (W.A.A.C.) pose in the 1940s at Rock City’s Sky Bridge, an arched stone structure at the attraction, open since the 1930s at Lookout Mountain, Ga. (Both photos courtesy of Rock City Gardens.)
BILTMORE ESTATE, ASHEVILLE, N.C.
Construction of the Biltmore Estate was under way by 1889 but still not complete when it opened in 1895 as the home of the wealthy George Vanderbilt. For decades since, the massive mansion has remained an attraction in the mountains of Asheville, N.C., with its fountain-centered courtyard providing a focal point for photographers. (Vintage photo courtesy of The Biltmore; contemporary photo by Joe Tennis.)
CHIMNEY ROCK, N.C. OPERA BOX
Ladies wearing their Sunday best pose in the early 1900s at Chimney Rock’s Opera Box. This vantage point, as photographed above by Steven McBride, remains an ideal perch to enjoy views of Lake Lure and the Hickory Nut Gorge. (Both photos courtesy of Chimney Rock State Park.)
GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN, N.C.
Since its construction in 1952, the Mile-High Swinging Bridge at Grandfather Mountain in the High Country of North Carolina has been a timeless place to catch a breeze. The 228-foot suspension bridge spans an 80-foot chasm. (Vintage photo courtesy of Grandfather Mountain; contemporary photo by Joe Tennis.)
TABLE ROCK STATE PARK, S.C.
A diver takes a leap in the 1940s at South Carolina’s Table Rock State Park near Pickens. For the modern scene, park ranger Cindy Morris photographed a diver at nearly the same spot, and says, “I thought it was just so cool to capture the then and now.” (Both photos courtesy Table Rock State Park.)
TWEETSIE RAILROAD
The steam train of Tweetsie Railroad at Blowing Rock, N.C., runs on a track stretching three miles through woods. Above, the can-can girls stop often in Tweetsie’s make-believe town to pose with guests of all ages. (Vintage photo courtesy of Tweetsie Railroad; contemporary photo by Joe Tennis.)
State Route 91, TENN./VA.
Tenn./Va. 91 enters Washington County, Va., from Johnson County, Tenn., a little more than a mile south of Damascus, Va., in this 1949 shot. Here, the road has since been widened and become a mountain two-lane blacktop; and the welcome sign has been replaced with a more modern, glossy one. (Vintage photo courtesy of Robert N. Monroe, Virginia Department of Transportation; modern photo by Joe Tennis.)
DOLLYWOOD, TENN.
Dolly Parton puts the finishing touches on the Back Porch Theatre in 1985 at Dollywood, a theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., located near the singer’s hometown of Sevierville. Nearly 30 years after the park opened in 1986, Parton continues to wow crowds on stage when she returns each spring for grand opening festivities. (Vintage photo courtesy of Pete Owens, Dollywood; contemporary photo by Joe Tennis.)
HUNGRY MOTHER STATE PARK, VA.
Members of the Civilian Conservation Corps – the “Park Boys” – built Hungry Mother State Park in the mid-1930s during the Great Depression. Lying north of Marion, Va., the park features a 108-acre lake with a sandy beach. Today, the park continues to attract thousands of visitors annually. (Vintage postcard courtesy of George Stone; contemporary photo by Joe Tennis.)
INCLINE RAILWAY, CHATTANOOGA, TENN.
The Incline Railway opened for business in 1895 in Chattanooga, Tenn. Rail cars offer a panoramic view on this structure, now largely considered a thrill ride by tourists, but deemed a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark. (Vintage photo courtesy of Incline Railway; modern photo by Joe Tennis.)
BREAKS INTERSTATE PARK, VA./KY.
Kentucky Gov. Earl C. Clements receives a grand tour in 1949 of what is now the Clinchfield Overlook on the Virginia side of the Breaks Interstate Park. Straddling the Kentucky-Virginia border, Breaks opened in 1954 and includes several overlooks that often attract camera-clickers. (Vintage photo courtesy of Breaks Park; contemporary photo by Joe Tennis.)
BARTER THEATRE, ABINGDON, VA.
The Barter Theatre retains the classic exterior that went up in the days of bartering food items to get in the door, starting in 1933. The landmark on Main Street in Abingdon, Va., occupies what was once a church, built in the early 1830s. (Vintage photo courtesy of Barter Theatre; contemporary photo by Joe Tennis.)
NATURAL TUNNEL, VA.
Used for more than a century by coal-hauling trains, the 850-foot-long Natural Tunnel stands in southwest Virginia, between Clinchport and Duffield. Today, it’s part of a state park. To get there, hike a half-mile to an overlook, or dangle free for six minutes on a chair-lift above the Stock Creek Gorge, where mesmerizing walls of limestone rise about 400 feet high. (Vintage postcard courtesy of George Stone; contemporary photo by Joe Tennis.)
VIRGINIA CREEPER TRAIL
At 2,390 feet, tracks across the highlands of Taylors Valley imposed certain dominance on the land. The two-story Taylors Valley depot has since been torn down; a railroad camp car now stands in its place; the railroad has been transformed into the bike-friendly Virginia Creeper Trail. (Vintage photo courtesy of Virginia Tech; contemporary photo by Joe Tennis.)
MOUNTAIN LAKE, VA.
Various hotels have graced the shoreline of Mountain Lake in southwest Virginia’s Giles County since 1857. William Lewis Moody had the current sandstone hotel built in 1936, offering modern accommodations, decades before the hotel became the site of scenes in 1987’s “Dirty Dancing.” (Vintage photo courtesy of Mountain Lake Resort Hotel; contemporary photo by Joe Tennis.)
GREENBRIER RESORT, W.VA.
This vintage photograph shows The Greenbrier as the West Virginia landmark looked when it opened on October 1, 1913. Even then, the resort had been in existence for more than a century. Today, in the modern hotel, events like fireworks remain a draw to the resort. (Both photos courtesy of The Greenbrier.)
GREENBRIER RESORT GAZEBO
As a getaway, as early as 1778, visitors came to The Greenbrier in West Virginia with the belief that drinking or bathing in certain kinds of mineral waters would be akin to a fountain of youth. A striking gazebo on the main lawn marks the resort’s famous spring. That gazebo, in turn, has become a trademark of this resort. (Both photos courtesy of The Greenbrier.)
