Corie Lynch, The Greenbrier Sporting Club’s winter intern, presents the third installment of her series of “Reasons I Love The Greenbrier…And So Should You.”


The first time I toured The Greenbrier’s bunker was in 1998, but I was 9 years old and Sesame Street was my favorite show.  Needless to say, I didn’t exactly grasp the significance of the bunker and the depth (no pun intended) it added to The Greenbrier’s history.  It was built in the 1950s as an emergency relocation center for the U.S. congress in the event of a national crisis. It was kept classified for more than 30 years, but now the vault door is open and the bunker makes a great tour. The other day I took the 90 minute tour with a lovely couple from New England and was surprised at how much I didn’t know about the bunker. For example, it cost $14 million to build, and some places are 60 feet below the ground. President Eisenhower even scheduled visits to The Greenbrier to secretly talk about the production of the bunker.  And all this time I thought President Eisenhower simply enjoyed relaxing by the mountains and playing a few rounds of golf.  So, if you are looking for an interesting, 3-D history lesson, the bunker tour is the place to get your fill.  Why settle for reading about it when you can experience this national treasure yourself?