Consider this a public service announcement from your friends at MattChat.
1) Rockville is definitely not the cat's meow of the Festival. It is busy/crowded and has lost much of its charm as the years have passed.
2) If you do end-up in Rockville, the corn fritters being sold on the courthouse square are fantastically awesome.
3) Best sit-down place for lunch: UNDER THE ARCH Restaurant in Marshall Indiana; the history that surrounds you on the walls of this beautifully-restored building is phenomenal
4) While in Marshall, grab a photo of yourself under the large arch downtown; it was built in 1921
5) And while we are on the subject of photo opp's, a picture of yourself in front of a window inside a covered bridge is a cool shot
6) There are many Amish living north of Rockville, so be alert for horse-drawn buggies
7) Mansfield or Bridgeton? Bridgeton or Mansfield? If you only have 1 day, do Bridgeton.
8) The Steam Corner Flea Market is fun to walk around but has lots of booths full of cheap MADE IN CHINA stuff. We now skip it each year.
9) Best flea market of the area: head north to Veedersburg. The flea market is just south of I-74 on the west side of Route 41.
10) For 4 years straight, 1 vendor in Bridgeton has been selling stress relief balls that look like a woman's breast. No, I have not ever squeezed one. (the stress ball, that is)
11) In Bridgeton, there is a free parking lot in the heart of town at the Methodist Church; get there early, as it fills up fast; there is a box for donations, if you are so inclined
12) Billie Creek Village: tourist trap; spend your money and time elsewhere
13) There are 10,004 jogs in the road between Bridgeton and Rosedale
14) Like portapotties? Well, unless you have a camper or break into someone's house, public-use toilets that flush are few and far between.
15) Further potty comment: there is a flushing public toilet at the rear of the old Bridgeton School; there is a donation bucket, if you are inclined to contribute to the TP fund
16) Yet another potty comment: the Rockville Courthouse has nice facilities -- flushing ones -- in the basement
17) There are always lots of great garage sales and mini-flea markets sprinkled along the country roads between the towns of Parke County; be watching for slow traffic around them
18) We've never done it, but I'll bet camping at Turkey Run State Park during the Festival would be a blast. Tour Parke County for a couple days, then walk the beautiful trails and take in the fall scenery at Turkey Run
19) If antiquing is your thing, don't miss Turkey Hill Farm Antiques way north of Rockville near Turkey Run; part of the store is in a beautifully-restored farmhouse up a long lane
20) Another good spot to antique: "Aunt Patty's" on the square in Rockville
21) At one point in history, the village that is now Bridgeton had a really bad reputation and was named Sodom
22) You'll see "CROSS THIS BRIDGE AT A WALK" on the covered bridges; that message is for horses, not you, so feel free to run across
23) If you love ham-n-beans, there are opportunities to buy/consume them pretty much every direction you turn (BYOB: Bring Your Own Beano)
I sure hope that some of these 23 tidbits of info will help you out in some way if and when you head over for the Covered Bridge Festival.
It's worth the trip.
Out for now......
Matt
p.s. here are some photos from our Parke County visit last October: