VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Drive down Independence Boulevard in Virginia Beach, and your eye can't miss the colorful coach parked outside of REI.
"I was a third grade school teacher, and you are cooped up in classroom all day, looking out the window," said Suzanne Moss.
Now retired, the former teacher teacher had a yearning to get outdoors. So, in late 2016, she founded The Nature Bus.
"My agenda for the bus is to help connect people with nature," said Moss.
What she created was kids and adults experiencing tailored tours. Naturalists oversee flora and fauna talks, state park hikes, yoga or painting in the forest - even whitewater rafting excursions.
"We were really building a lot of momentum," she said.
Then came March, and COVID-19 put the brakes on the once-bustling bus.
"The wheels have not moved," said Moss. "In Phase 3, businesses now can begin to find a way to navigate these times, but for the bus it's impossible people have to be seated side by side."
The Nature Bus is parked in a time so many want to explore to ease the stress of the pandemic.
"So, we created virtual tours," said Moss. "If you need a moment in your hectic, busy day to sit on your couch and watch our virtual tours, we take cameras into so many places."
When the bus gets rolling again, they will install acrylic partitions and give guests temperature checks hand sanitize and masks.
