The Covered Bridge Festival (Minus the Covered Bridges)

I’ve heard a lot of great things about the Covered Bridge Festival that attracts thousands of Indiana residents and tourists every October. A couple of my friends have been a few times, but it seems like an event for families and tour bus groups. But, I heard there was some great shopping and I was determined to find it – whether I saw a single covered bridge or not.

So, my future sister-in-law and I ventured this past Saturday to the west side of the state for the famous Covered Bridge Festival in Parke County (about an hour away from Indy).

Our first stop was the town of Rockville. Vendors lined the streets and the lawn of the courthouse selling crafts and baked goods. It seemed liked everyone stood in one line going from booth to booth. I wasn’t impressed.

After calling a friend for directions, we made our way to the village of Mansfield. This was the place to be! The charming village was nestled in the rolling hills of Indiana’s fall foliage. There were hundreds a vendors with food, crafts, antiques, and home décor. The people watching was spectacular and the deals were unbeatable. I would also recommend trying the kettle corn! Traffic coming and going was ridiculous, but we enjoyed the scenery and the sunset across the farm fields.

We walked away with three bags of Amish noodles, a purse for each of us and a Colts’ dog blanket for my niece (aka my brother’s 5 year old weinheimer and chocolate lab mix). And, for the record I saw two covered bridges. Next year I hope to find time to go on the driving tour of the county and see more covered bridges.

The festival will run now until next Sunday, October 17. Next year’s Covered Bridge Festival will be October 14-23, 2011. See you there!