BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY, N.C. -- The Bluffs restaurant on the Blue Ridge Parkway will be back open to the public Saturday. The restaurant held a soft opening Sunday for parkway donors.

This has been a moment that many have been waiting for since 2010. The restaurant opened for the first time back in 1949. When it closed, many pushed for it to be reopened.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation fund raised for four years, raising $1 million to make that happen.

The foundation says they did as much as they could to replicate what it looked like years ago.

"We have worked to restore the interior to match the original interior.  We rebuilt the serving counter. We replaced the stools to match the original stools. We carefully cleaned the existing period light fixtures. We tried to recapture the charm of the Bluffs restaurant," says development officer Jordan Calaway.

Calaway says they have added items to the menu, but brought back favorites as well.

Since they are limiting seating due to COVID, they are asking guests to make a reservation before arriving.