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..to Visit Rivermen for Bridge Day: |
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It’s the only day of the year that walking on the Bridge and jumping from the New River Gorge Bridge is legal. |
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Watching the BASE jumpers can be as exciting as shooting the whitewater rapids of the Lower New River. |
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It’s last chance to get wet and wild on the New River for 166 days. |
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The most convenient parking spaces for the Bridge Day Weekend crowds. |
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Beautiful fall foliage between booming waves. |
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Bridge Day at the New River Gorge Bridge near Fayetteville, WV occurs each year on the third Saturday in October as a tribute to the construction of the New River Gorge Bridge in 1977. Spanning 3,030 feet, this engineering triumph is the longest single-span steel arch bridge in the western hemisphere taking three years to complete and costing nearly $37 million. The first official Bridge Day was celebrated in 1980 to commemorate the building of the New River Gorge Bridge, which allows travelers to traverse the gorge in less than a minute eliminating a 40 minute detour.
ONE OF AMERICA’S “TOP 100” FESTIVALS
Bridge Day has grown into a huge regional event with visitors arriving from near and far to participate in the myriad of events that take place on the New River Gorge Bridge and in the nearby town of Fayetteville, WV. Bridge Day features organized walks/hikes, parachuting and rappelling demonstrations, music, and a variety of vendor booths not to mention all the antiquing and shops in Fayetteville. Join the Hillbilly Hikers for an official VOLKSWALK. Two well-marked walks take you across the bridge into historic Fayetteville or deep into the gorge and back. The historic Fayetteville Theater offers lively entertainment at 8 p.m. every weekend evening.
BASE JUMPING
The biggest spectacle by far is watching hundreds of Base Jumpers take a flying leap over the side of the New River Gorge Bridge to meet the swift waters of the New River below. This freefall lasts only a few seconds from bridge rail to splash down; so successful execution requires trained expert jumpers and a well-orchestrated team of water safety, communications and emergency personnel. Behind the scenes, or rather below them perched on the catwalk beneath the bridge, are expert rappellers who execute rescue operations in the Gorge if necessary. Jumps take place for six hours (9am to 3pm EST).
RIVERMEN BRIDGE DAY PACKAGES
You can enjoy Bridge Day easy and conveniently with one of our Rivermen Whitewater
Bridge Day Packages. Rivermen offers some of the best deals for rafting on the New River Gorge on Bridge Day. You’ll have the best seat in town for watching the BASE jumpers and we’ll raft the Lower New River Gorge and stop just above the New River Gorge Bridge for lunch, giving you plenty of time to get an eyeful of colorful parachutes, insane jumpers and extreme rappellers coming from the New River Gorge Bridge. Close out your day with a stay at the all-inclusive New River Gorge Adventure Center resort with top dining, lodging and in-camp entertainment.
BRIDGE DAY LINKS AND INFORMATION
Event Websites
http://www.bridgeday.info/
http://www.wvbridgeday.com/
http://www.officialbridgeday.com/schedule.html
Fayette County Chamber of Commerce
http://www.newrivercvb.com
(304) 465-5617 or (800) 927-0263
Fayetteville Visitor Center
http://www.visitfayettevillewv.com
1-888-574-1500
Southern West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau
http://www.visitwv.com
(304) 252-2244 or (800)VISITWV
New River Gorge National Park
http://www.nps.gov/neri/bridgeday.htm
1-800-927-0263
