Lake Lure Flowering Bridge (LLFB) is known for its lush landscape and diverse wildlife. With over 30 gardens nestled along a blooming pedestrian bridge, the North Carolina-based attraction invites all kinds of life.
The gardens all serve their own purposes, each one as beautiful as the next. Some are filled with flourishing pollinator plants for local wildlife to consume, while others cater to curious children ready to learn more about nature.
But one garden, in particular, welcomes visitors with a rainbow entrance — and it continues to leave them speechless.
Local artist, Amy Wald, created the Rainbow Bridge in May of 2022. According to Spectrum News, Wald was strolling along the LLFB shortly after losing her dogs, Molly and Barkley, when she came up with the idea.
Having come across an empty spot in front of the River’s Edge Dog Garden, Wald was instantly reminded of a poem she’d read about animals’ spirits crossing a rainbow bridge.
So, she decided to build one.
Wald constructed the bridge and painted a vibrant rainbow across it. She attached Molly and Barkley’s collars to the railing, in addition to 10 of her previous pets’ collars.
She posted comforting signs around the bridge explaining its purpose and the poem that inspired it, then waited for more pet parents to find it.
It didn’t take long for the community to discover the Rainbow Bridge and adorn it with their late pets’ collars.
Word continued to spread about the Rainbow Bridge, and soon, people from other states were driving over just to see it.
One visitor, Anna Lopez, traveled from Florida to visit the Rainbow Bridge.
Having recently lost her dog, she was hoping to find solace and a place to honor him at the bridge.
In the end, the bridge brought her even more comfort than she’d imagined.
“The first thing I saw when I came to the bridge was a dog tag with my dog’s name on it, Chester,” Lopez told The Dodo. “I felt like Chester wanted me to be there.”
Lopez was taken aback by the Rainbow Bridge’s beauty and tranquility, but she wasn’t the only one left stunned.
Her friend’s dog, Ketsia, also seemed to have an emotional reaction to being on the bridge.
“Ketsia looked at and sniffed the collars and harnesses. A few seconds later, she got up on the guardrail and got in the ‘prayer’ position,” Lopez said. “It’s like she knew why we were there and what the bridge represented.”
Another visitor, Ryan Everhart, noticed a change in his pup, Jude, as soon as they got to the bridge.
“He’s usually on the go, but his energy shifted as soon as we walked upon the bridge,” Everhart told The Dodo. “He gave every single collar a sniff tribute.”
Everhart has since been inspired to build a similar rainbow bridge in his hometown, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Today, the Rainbow Bridge houses hundreds, if not thousands, of pet collars and was recently expanded to allow for more.
It’s not easy to maintain the ever-growing amount of memorials placed at the Rainbow Bridge, but the LLFB crew wouldn’t have it any other way.
“We hope that by leaving tags behind, people will leave some of their grief, as well,” LLFB wrote on their website. “[T]he paw prints fade as the pet crosses the bridge and, in Amy Wald’s words, ‘goes on to whatever that magical place is, wherever that safe and happy place is.’”
