Sharp Top Tour Road and Nature Center: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Blue Ridge Parkway
Regions 1, 2, & 4 Park Cultural Landscapes Program. 2014. Sharp Top Tour Road and Nature Center: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Blue Ridge Parkway. Cultural Landscapes Inventory Report. 550210. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. NPS Southeast Regional Office, Atlanta, Georgia / CRIS-CL Database
Inventory Unit Description: The Peaks of Otter Sharp Top and Nature Center component landscape, one of eight component landscapes within the Peaks of Otter developed area, is located south of State Route 43 and east of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the state of Virginia. While construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway through the Peaks of Otter area began in 1939, this component landscape has seen land use related to recreational tourism since the 1850s. Sharp Top Mountain has long been a recreationist draw, and as such has seen near constant use and physical improvements. The Sharp Top and Nature Center component landscape is comprised of two physically separated areas— the Nature Center complex and Sharp Top Mountain summit. Although physically separated, both areas reside on the same mountain—bottom and top respectfully—and are connected by a road. The Nature Center Complex encompasses a developed area at the base of Sharp Top Mountain which accommodates visitor access, parking, and a bus service to the summit. A former bus terminal building is now used as an education center within this developed complex. At the end of Sharp Top road, there is a stone shelter and bus waiting area. A trailhead leads visitors along the rocky summit to dramatic overlooks. This component landscape is significant under Criteria A, C, and potentially D, contributing to the period of significance identified for the parent landscape—Peaks of Otter developed area 1939–1965. That period encompasses initial parkway construction through completion of proposed developments consistent with early master plans for the site. Parkway design principles are conveyed throughout the developed area, including the Sharp Top and Nature Center component landscape, tying it to the broader 469-mile linear historic landscape. In addition, Peaks of Otter affords several of the key components that early designers considered important for motorists to experience when traveling the corridor, including opportunities for visitors to connect more deeply with the region through recreation and education, and to avail themselves of food, lodging, and other amenities.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Regions 1, 2, & 4 Park Cultural Landscapes Program
- Date of Issue
- 2014-03-24
- Publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
- Units
- BLRI , SER
- Keywords
- bus shelter, bus terminal, conservation, education center, historic designed landscape, landscape architecture, parkway development, recreation, rustic architecture, Sharp Top Mountain, tourism, transportation