Madison County, Iowa, has only six, but those inspired the title of Robert James Waller's best-selling romance novel, The Bridges of Madison County and the hit movie starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. Rockville, seat of Parke County and headquarters of the Covered Bridge Festival, is about 55 miles west of Indianapolis. U.S. Highway 41 runs north to south. Arrive early, because traffic gets heavy quickly during the festival. 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Admission is free.
Camping is available at Turkey Run State Park and Raccoon State Recreation Area. Many of the visitors stay in Indianapolis, one hour away, or in Lafayette and Terre Haute and other parts of central or western Indiana. Maps for driving tours of the bridges are available at the visitor's center on U.S. 36 in Rockville. The Parke County Covered Bridge Festival, which this year runs from Oct. 9-18, features food, crafts and entertainment, as well as tours of the bridges. Lynk, who is also executive secretary of Parke County Inc., the nonprofit foundation which sponsors the festival, estimates there will be up to 2 million visitors over the 10 days of the festival.