Lighting of the Tunnel

The event launches five weekends of light displays, chairlift rides down to the tunnel, live music, refreshments and a chance for kids to visit with Santa Claus, if they have been good, of course.
The event has grown every year.
“Normally what we do is have large halogen lights that we turn at the mouth of the tunnel to shine onto the rock face,” said Megan Krager, the park’s education specialist. “We do have a couple of lights inside the tunnel to light up the tunnel to allow individuals to see inside the tunnel itself.”
All the fun gets underway at 6 p.m. and lasts until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays until Dec. 23. Natural Tunnel will also have Christmas lighting every Thursday starting on Dec. 1. Thursday hours will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The park will also be offering a special deal to kick off tunnel lighting season. For one day only, today, each person who brings in two non-perishable food items will receive a free chairlift ride.
“The food that is collected will be counted and distributed to different food pantries and food kitchens right here in the Duffield community,” Krager said. “All the food does stay local.”
Last year, the park collected more than 1,200 items that helped two food pantries in the community.
Thousands of Christmas lights will guide visitors down the chairlift to the boardwalk and out to the mouth of the tunnel. There will be a wide variety of Christmas scenes and displays. As visitors go out to the boardwalk, there will be a number of Christmas lights down the path and arches for people to go under.
On Friday and Saturday nights, there will be live entertainment, which could be anything from local bands to church groups. Santa will be at the park Thursday through Saturday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
There will also be historians from the Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Association at the Carter Cabin, an original structure from the Rye Cove fort that has been relocated to Natural Tunnel, to talk about the history of the cabin. They will be in period dress and talk about what Christmas was like more than 200 years ago.
“The path to the Carter Cabin is lit,” said Krager. “Individuals will have the opportunity to cross a covered bridge going on out to the Carter Cabin itself. … By having that extra program added to the main program, it has amplified the program, and more individuals have been seen around the mouth of the tunnel.”
Parking will be $5 per vehicle. Visitors are asked to park in the picnic area. The cost of a round-trip ticket on the chairlift will be $4. Individuals who wish to hike down the trail and ride the chair lift back up will be allowed to do so. The cost of a one-way ticket will be $3. It will be cash only for concessions at the mouth of the tunnel.
Natural Tunnel State Park, spanning 946 acres, is located off U.S. Highway 23-N, 15 miles northwest of Gate City and 25 miles from Kingsport.
For more information about Natural Tunnel’s Christmas Lighting events, call the park office at (276) 940-2674.