By Vickie Holt
About twelve years ago or so, Robert Nickell was sitting down with some time to kill. On the coffee table next to him was a book written by Dr. Donald Perry. Dr. Perry is a Biologist famed for studying the rain forest canopy of Costa Rica. The book was called “Life Above the Jungle Floor”, and it not only catalogued several new species, but it also inspired the 1992 film, “Medicine Man”, starring Sean Connery.
Perry’s work appeared on the covers of Scientific American, Smithsonian, and New York Sunday Times magazines, and was featured in Newsweek, Life, Geo, Paris Match, and Quick of Germany, as well as many other publications and documentaries worldwide.
What made Perry’s work so unique was that, in 1991, he was the first biologist to go up into the canopy ecosystem. No one had ever done it before, and because of it, several new species were discovered. Among them was a monkey no one had ever seen because it lives its whole life high in the trees. There were also two new snake species no one had ever seen.
“It was really interesting,” says Nickell. But the part that interested him most was the intricate system of ropes, platforms, and hammocks Perry had created so he could spend prolonged amounts of time in the treetops. Perry had built the world’s first prototype zipline and was the first researcher to ever use one to study the rainforest canopy.
After the research was over, however, he didn’t know what to do with it. The entire infrastructure was still there, with ropes stretched tree to tree. Finally, Perry had decided to create a canopy tour where visitors could pay $45.00 to be manually hoisted into the treetops. They would then then pull themselves along, hand over hand, from platform to platform.
After learning about the tours, Robert Nickell went to Costa Rica, had a go, and thoroughly enjoyed it. He was also privileged to meet Dr. Perry, personally! Robert tells us he was a nice guy.
Being engineer-minded and in the construction business at the time, Robert began thinking that if the ropes were pulled really tight between the trees, and if better pulleys were used, someone could just zip along the lines instead of having to pull hand-over-hand.
Robert decided to present his ideas to a couple of property owners in Costa Rica. He didn’t have to try very hard to convince them. “They thought it was such a great idea that they just went for it. They just did it!” And that’s how Robert Nickell designed the world’s first proper, recreational zipline.
After that first zipline had been built, another thought came to Robert’s mind. “I need to be doing this!” And that was all it took. It wasn’t very long until Robert’s ziplines were being commissioned and built all around the world.
He designed and/or built in China, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Peru, Scotland, Wales, Mexico, and more. He also built the first and biggest (to this date) zipline in Canada. Located on the east coast, North Atlantic Ziplines is huge, with its longest line stretching over two-thousand feet from mountaintop to mountaintop.
Among many other places, he also built a zipline facility for Sir Richard Branson on his privately-owned Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands. Three years after it was built, Necker Island got hit by a devastating hurricane. Days later, the billionaire called Robert personally to tell him the only thing left standing on the island was his zipline.
Eventually, Robert wanted to build in the United States. This time, however, he wouldn’t be building for an investor. This time, Robert aimed to own and operate the facility, himself. It would be located in North Carolina, and it would be the first the country had ever seen.
Almost immediately, there were problems. Insurance was impossible to get. Nobody in America had ever heard of ziplines, and from the sound of it, no one wanted anything to do with them.
Building inspectors had no way to inspect them because there was no one qualified. It was suggested that if he could get an engineer to sign off on the project, things could move forward. Even then, it was difficult finding an engineer willing to look at it. No one in America was familiar enough with what a zipline should be to judge the quality of the design or the completed structure.
Finally, however, Robert found an engineer who gave his design the stamp of approval. He was then approved by the county and began to build. After that, he obtained a conditional use permit, but soon hit another roadblock.
The state said that because there was no precedent for this type of facility, and because there were no inspection standards and no regulations, he would have to obtain a million dollars in insurance! Robert called every insurance company there was. Nobody would touch it. He’d been building ziplines all over the world for almost twelve years and there had never been a single incident or accident. Robert was baffled by the resistance. After all, insurance is written every day for amusement parks, water-sport parks, public auto-racing facilities, ski resorts, and all other manner of adventure sport businesses.
He just couldn’t understand the reluctance. So, he opened for a year with no insurance. There are no state regulations for facilities that operate for free, so for the first year, his zipline was a non-commercial experiment. The facility operated on donations; advertising to churches. Their first customers were dozens of field trips and church groups.
After a year of no accidents or incidents, Robert returned to the insurance companies to challenge the denials based on no history or precedent. “Please insure me,” he asked. Finally, in 2006, he was able to get insurance and America’s first zipline officially opened for business. Then it took off and exploded!
The local Fox news station came out and filmed a segment that aired during the evening news. The piece was so popular that calls poured into the station! There were also hundreds of hits on their website, with comments asking for more information. As a result, Fox re-ran the story three times a day for a whole week. Signature Magazine in North Carolina also did a story, and it was the most-hit story on the magazine’s website in five years! Hundreds of people came for ziplining after having seen that article.
These two pieces of media coverage made Robert’s zipline so popular that he went from getting about sixty hits a week on his website to getting about 350,000 hits a month! Apart from speaking to churches during that first year, Robert never advertised that zipline park. He never needed to.
Upon reflection, Robert says he didn’t build in the United States until 2006 because he’d always thought the perception was that ziplines were for jungles and rainforests. He really didn’t think anybody in America would be interested. But as they, “if you build it, they will come,” and boy, was that famous movie quote on the money!
Not only was Robert responsible for the first zipline in America, as well as the first in North Carolina, he was also behind the first ziplines in Tennessee, West Virginia, Missouri, Arkansas, California, and more! Most were built for other investors, but he also built two more for himself; one in Missouri and one in Arkansas. He has since sold the ones in North Carolina and Missouri, but he still owns the one in Arkansas and it’s still doing great!
Robert and his family had moved to Branson, Missouri to build Zipline USA after having sold the first one in North Carolina. At the time, Zipline USA was the biggest in the world. It covered 120 acres of land and had twelve cables; one of which was three quarters of a mile long and 350 feet high – stretching from mountain top to mountain top. It’s still one of the biggest in the world, and still probably the biggest in United States for land area and length of the cables. “With close to five miles of cable,” says Robert, “it’s a heck of big zip line”.
Robert then set his sites on Virginia. Having spent his childhood just across the North Carolina border in Stewart, Robert was often brought to Floyd with his family, many times visiting Mabry Mill. Robert fondly remembers dancing at the Country Store when he was young; before it was the thing to do. He’d come to the jam sessions where folks would just sit around play music. In later years, he’d drive all the way from Winston-Salem to dance and clog in Floyd because there was nowhere to do it back home.
“I’ve always loved this area since I was seven years old,” says Robert. “Even then, in the back of my mind at age seven or eight, I was thinking man I’d love to live up here. It’s beautiful. And you know just how life comes full circle…it just comes back around.”
Robert says that he and his wife, Joanna, looked all over Virginia to find a location that would support a large zip line, but they just couldn’t find the right land in the right place. They looked at Nelson County, Amherst County, Augusta County, and Montgomery County. They even checked Damascus and Abingdon, but multiple issues, including zoning, kept them returning them to Floyd. “We found a good piece of land out near Copper Hill,” says Robert, “but it was at the end of six miles of narrow dirt road. The traffic would have made it a nightmare for customers.”
More and more, the multiple return trips began to convince Robert that his favorite childhood destination was the perfect place for his Virginia-based zipline park. “We spent a lot of money going back and forth, looking for land. And we spent over $1000 at Floyd Motel!” he jokes. “But that’s a good place, we like it a lot.”
They finally settled on the location at 3253 Black Ridge Road SW because it was situated only a mile off the Blue Ridge Parkway. “It just seemed like the right place to do it.” They broke ground earlier this year at the beginning April, and by the end of June, everything was built, complete, and ready to open. Everyone was amazed!
On June 29, 2019, Buffalo Mountain Ziplines – the biggest zipline park in Virginia – opened to the public. Along with Joanna, Robert runs the facility with his nephew, Laith, his son, Joseph, and daughter, Makayla. In addition to finding a home for his zipline park, Robert also found a new home for his family; a little house on Slate Mountain, about two miles from Mabry Mill…and Robert couldn’t be more tickled about it!
A month later during FloydFest 2019, close to eighteen hundred people tried Robert’s temporary set-up that included two, 60-foot high lines that stretched 385 feet, each way. “It’s hard to say no to free ziplines”. With such excellent promotion, Buffalo Mountain got a solid start, and now averages two tours a day during the week and more on weekends.
Robert says that the zipline is already contributing to the community and its economy! Not only does he hire local employees, but people who have come to the area for the first time after seeing the zipline on Facebook have been completely blown away by the beauty of this region. And the folks at Buffalo Mountain Ziplines – especially Robert – are always happy to tell new visitors about the Country Store, Mabry Mill, the hiking trails, the music, the shopping, the art, and everything else there is to do and see Floyd.
At Buffalo Mountain Ziplines, guests can soar through the treetops on cables that reach as high as 150 feet above the forest floor while traversing distances up to 2400 feet! Suitable for adventurers ages three and up, experiences include the Blue Ridge Adventure Tour which features eight ziplines for almost two hours of high-flying fun! 
There is also the Rocky Knob Treetop Tour which can accommodate those with tighter schedules. In just forty-five minutes to an hour, this tour features the park’s first five cables, and is perfect for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and birthday parties!
For ages eight and up, Buffalo Mountain also offers the Full Moon Tour! Even seasoned zipliners may find this nocturnal ride a new experience. This tour features eight cables, as well as a host of Floyd’s night-time wildlife. Afterward, guests can also enjoy making s’mores and roasting marshmallows around a campfire.
A minimum of two guests is required for booking. For more information, details about the tours, booking, pricing, and group discounts, visit www.buffalomountainziplines.com online!
Looking forward, Robert hopes to create more zipline locations throughout Virginia, as most are concentrated in the north; closer to Washington, DC. The plan is for some of these to be commissioned by investors, while others will be owned and operated under Robert’s growing zipline company.
He also wants to further develop Buffalo Mountain Ziplines in Floyd by adding more lines and features. The details are still hush-hush, but when building the ziplines, Robert discovered the site where the last moonshine still in Floyd County was busted, decades ago. He tells us that on the Buffalo Mountain Ziplines property is an area littered with the shrapnel from where authorities used dynamite to destroy the still, as well as the structure that housed it. The foundation of the building remains, as does the moonshiner’s specially-ordered car; now rusting and riddled with bullet holes.
Robert hopes to create a partnership that would result in a Moonshine Zipline Tour that would allow guests a birds eye view of the artifacts while zipping over them, followed by a walk-through tour and commentary.
Because there has never been a moonshine museum erected in Virginia, Robert also envisions creating one as part of the main building at Buffalo Mountain Ziplines. It would be complete with artifacts, old photographs, and lots of information. Robert is very excited about these plans and hopes to make them all a reality next summer. In fact, if you have any artifacts, photos, or information pertaining to the old moonshine era that you would like to donate to this future museum, please contact Robert Nickell by calling 540-200-5234, emailing zip@buffalomountainziplines.com, or just stop by Buffalo Mountain Ziplines!
Stay tuned to further issues of Floyd Virginia Magazine for all the news and updates on this exciting new attraction in Floyd!
Rain combined her knowledge of all things organic, her commitment to the environment, and her extraordinary business skills with my knowledge of the clothing and T-shirt industry. Together, we created a line of organic cotton clothing with positive messaging that was Made-in-America. We made it our company’s mission. As we like to say; we were “green” when green was still just a color! We began our company from an extra bedroom at home. Within two years, however, we had a 3,000 square-foot warehouse that was buzzing all day long.
We have sold nationally to Whole Foods Markets and REI Outfitters. We were even carried by a few branches of Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Dillard’s department stores. Over the years, we have sold to more than seven-hundred and fifty different retailers. And thanks to the internet, we had customers all over the world.
Thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts, for all the positive feedback and support you have given us for the past fifteen years. As we enter our final year of business, we will be offering tremendous bargains on our remaining inventory. Please come in to say hello and farewell, and perhaps pick up just one more of those super soft organic cotton T-shirts you have loved for so long. We look forward to seeing you and sharing our gratitude in person. As we say goodbye, we ask that you always Respect Labor, Respect the Planet, and Respect Yourself. That has been our company motto for these past fifteen years.
Originally from Wisconsin, Tim and Julie are coming to Floyd from their most recent home in Lake Norman, just north of Charlotte, North Carolina.
To Tim and Julie, however, family was also very important. Before making the commitment, they wanted their children and their children’s spouses to see the place. The kids were excited, but possibly a little skeptical when they heard the story of the winery. Once they visited Villa Appalaccia, however, they understood. “This place is totally you!” they all agreed. Not only did they accept the idea, they loved it. So much so that daughter Alicia and her husband also plan to move to the area.
During their first season, Tim and Julie met a lot of Villa Appalaccia’s long-time, regular patrons, and they loved hearing everyone’s comments and suggestions. Because the Blocks believe that communication with customers and community is very important, Julie has also begun sending out a monthly newsletter during the season; letting people know what’s going on at Villa Appalaccia.
For now, while continuing to make improvements to the winery’s various amenities, the Blocks plan to maintain Villa Appalaccia’s reputation for fine, high-quality wines. They will also keep the ambiance and the feel customers have come to love. They want the winery to remain a fresh, comfortable place to spend time.
Villa Appalaccia is located at 752 Rock Castle Gorge in Floyd, Virginia: between mileposts 170 and 171 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. They feature Italian style wines, and bread and cheese plates.
In 2006, the town purchased a desolate piece of farm-land from the Lineberry family. The plan was to create a place to get away. A place to enjoy and reminisce. A multi-purpose space for all ages in the community.
Many who shared this goal gathered community input, raised funds, and organized projects. Finally, they brought volunteers and professionals together to build the beautiful park that exists today.
With assistance from the Town Committee, Partnership for Floyd constructed the scenic Library Trail; creating a pathway leading from the Jesse Peterman Memorial Library to Warren G. Lineberry Community Park. The two organizations plan to explore ways of extending the trail throughout the Park, as well as around the Jesse Peterman Memorial Library. This would create additional natural-surface walking trails to engage more residents and visitors.
The Events Committee have designed a family environment in which young children can play in the Park while the adults relax and enjoy the new improvements. These bi-weekly events include great live music, movies, inflatables, face painting, food, and fun activities for the entire family. Adults, children, neighbors, and friends can all come together, listen to music and watch movies.
Thanks to a very supportive community, the Events series has grown; gaining momentum every year. Beginning June 6 and concluding on August 29, the 2019 series has an action-packed agenda of activities and fun for the entire family. The full schedule will be released in April, so be sure to check for updates online at www.FloydSmallTownSummer.com, or on Facebook at floydsmalltownsummer.
By the time that stretch of the Parkway was completed, the little store and gas station was ready for business. It was a place where travelers could rest and replenish. Borrowing from the identity of the area, Boyd and Spangler called their store Tuggles Gap. These men, however, were more than just business partners. They were family. General Boyd’s daughter, Irene, had married Ward Spangler’s son, George. In the years that followed, George and Irene added the restaurant and motel buildings. They ran the business for almost fifty years while raising their family and living in the basement of the restaurant. This was during the heyday of the Blue Ridge Parkway, before air travel became common. Most Americans stayed close to home for vacations; visiting where they could reach by car.
Reminiscent of bygone days, Tuggles Gap still offers weary traveler a home-cooked meal served with a smile and a comfortable place to pass the night. Today, there are two motel buildings, as well as a sixty-seat restaurant, that serve the community of Floyd and its visitors. The inside of the restaurant features thirteen interior doorways created when additions and expansions were built onto the original structure. Amazingly avoiding collisions and spills, the restaurant staff navigate through these narrow passages in a dance that has become known as the Tuggles Gap tango.
The restaurant menu features Southwestern American and traditional American favorites, along with the occasional selection of eclectic specialty dishes. The restaurant is proud to get some of their fresh fruits and vegetables from the area’s farmers, where localized agriculture is a way of life for many. The Tuggles Gap motel is home to twelve comfortable and affordable rooms that are kept fresh and clean for visitors seeking rest. When you stay overnight at Tuggles Gap, you will wake to the smell of fresh coffee and your cooked-to-order breakfast, wafting from the restaurant. For those simply seeking to re-fuel, grab a snack, and get back on the road, Tuggles Gap is still the place to stop. They sell premium and regular unleaded gasoline, as well as a variety of on-the-go snacks and drinks.
Tuggles Gap is sitting atop one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world; in the serenity and beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. With its scenic vistas and the pastoral loveliness of its farmlands and orchards, many would consider it paradise. If you close your eyes and listen closely, you can imagine the soft footfalls of long ago.
example, there is a framed, charcoal drawing behind the white oak counter near the cash register. The drawing is by talented local artist, Emily Williamson, and was created in a few hours one balmy Autumn day in 1999.
In the midst of Floyd County, is the small-yet-significant town of Floyd. This lively town sparkles with amazing and unique shopping opportunities. Among of all these jewels, however, is an unexpected treasure. The Gallery of the Floyd Artists Association can be found in “The Station”, downtown Floyd, at 203 S. Locust Street. That’s just across the street from the famous Floyd Country Store; the hub of local Country Music activity. Now entering its twelfth year, The Gallery was founded in 2007 by six members of a weekly drawing group.
Working together, they built their business in a renovated space below the Sun Music Hall, in The Winter Sun building. It was a great location, and the space came complete with large, framed panels to show their work. Before long, the group began offering adult and children’s classes, holding receptions with local musicians, and exhibiting the work of local guest artists.
For more information about these events, the work of the members, gallery classes, membership, being a guest artist, or for directions, please visit the new web site online at www.anewleafgallery.com. Displays at The Gallery include paintings in oil, acrylic, and watercolor; many featuring local landscapes, barns, and mountain pastures. The artists also provide note cards, book marks and prints containing their work. The Gallery also features occasional guest displays of local pottery, felting, wood turning, metalwork, leather pieces, and other original, three-dimensional work.
They are also thrilled with their new look and their new name, and eagerly await visitors each day. They love sharing their enthusiasm and talking about all the talented local artists featured on the walls. The members wish to invite everyone to this wonderful area so they can experience the fine art of so many talented members and guests. They also invite everyone who appreciates fine art to join them for all the regular events and new exhibits. To receive regular information about events, leave your email address at the counter when you visit.
One of these boys presented to the Omnibuild carpenters on the history of the circular saw. The other presented on how a router could be used with a jig to scarph lumber into strong sections; long enough for a mast. These two students had been interning at “The Boat Shop”; helping to build a 22-foot sailboat that the school will take to the Chesapeake Bay on their year-end trip in May.
This is what reimagining education looks like in Floyd. Springhouse Community School offers an independent, learner-centered 7th-12th grade program. The mission of the school is to reimagine the purpose and practice of education. This boat-building project started with a conversation between Jenny Finn, Head of School at Springhouse, and David Reece who is an educator, sometimes carpenter, and lifelong lover of all things nautical.
Courses quickly took shape around the effort. Opportunities with the school’s nascent Community Internship Program became apparent, and with generous donations from community sponsors, as well as a successful Kickstarter campaign, the project set sail. In some of the multi-disciplinary courses this year, students at Springhouse are exploring concepts in math and science through the lens of the sailboat. They are also learning about sailing and the nautical world. In classroom explorations, students may build scale models of sailboats while computing the dimensions from plans for the actual boat.
On another day, they may be found weighing ten students at a time in a class-made plywood box by marking the level of submersion and calculating the displacement. Other students might be researching the coastal ecology of the Chesapeake Bay, or learning to calculate distances on a nautical chart. Learning by doing is one of the four core practices at Springhouse.
Students can quickly find theoretical concepts relevant, as the ideas take on physical and practical expression. Concepts in physics are not just represented with a formula, they are experienced. Math problems are not just for a worksheet, they are tied to real and tangible projects. Seventh and eighth grade students at Springhouse are out in the community, doing internships once a week. Students in grades nine through twelve intern two days per week. Some intern with places like the National Park Service, Floyd Parks and Recreation, and Slaughter’s Grocery. Others intern at “The Boat Shop.” Springhouse didn’t have a workshop or maker-space, so one was created from and old dairy barn that was offered for the project.
But it gets pretty cold in Southwest Virginia. To keep warm, the students built a space inside the barn that could be heated with a wood stove; essentially a tunnel of plastic sheeting over light framing. The boat-building is well underway. Every aspect of boat construction from lofting and joinery to sail-making and finish work is being carried out by students who are continually challenged to learn new skills.
At the end of the day, they come back to the school, usually covered in sawdust, eager to share what new progress has been made. To earn academic credit, every student must complete a project connected to their internship with the support of a mentor. They must then present their work to a relevant audience. That is why the minivan arrived at the construction site that day. Who better to appreciate a presentation on the history of the circular saw than a group of people that use the tool every day?
In addition to sharing the history, this student also spoke about his first-hand experiences with the tool. “Before this internship, I had never used a circular saw and it was very scary the first time I used it. It helped that I was spotting one of my friends using it, so I knew what to expect.” The work crew chuckled in an encouraging way as they lent warm attention to the young student.
As the presentations wrapped up, the students were clearly relieved. But they were also proud to have presented their work to people outside the immediate school community. Afterward, they debriefed their presentations with the mentor; discussing what went well and what they could improve upon when they present their next projects in the coming trimester. After a tour of the construction site and a glimpse into real-life work in the trades, they headed back to the van; keen to get back to the boat, and real-life work of their own.