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Covered bridges are fun to look at, but they are even better when lunch or a slice of pie is close by. Indiana has plenty of wooden spans tucked into tiny towns, and some of them sit steps from a diner, bakery, or snack shop.
This list covers five stops where you can cross a historic bridge, then follow the road to something homemade. Some are bridges you can drive through, one is a canal aqueduct that looks like a bridge, and one is a festival that brings the whole town out.
Bring an appetite, bring a camera, and plan a slow day. Hours can change, so check before you go, especially for the eateries and the festival dates.
1. Historic Roann Covered Bridge, Roann, IN
Roann is small, with a population under 500, and its covered bridge sits right over the Eel River at 6000 Roann Lukens Lake Rd. It is a single-lane span shared by cars and people on foot.
The bridge is open around the clock, and there is a free parking lot plus free street parking. That makes it an easy stop for a short stroll, and a picnic spot too.
Kids do well here, since there is room to walk and look around without much fuss.
The food stops are about 0.3 miles away in the town center. Lynn’s, at 170 N Chippewa St, is a hometown eatery with generous portions of hearty comfort food, serving breakfast and lunch.
Bailey’s Pizza Parlor, at 190 N Chippewa St, also offers homemade bakery goods. Its sugar cream pie and blueberry cream pie are the ones to look for.
Hours may vary, so check before you go.
2. Historic Duck Creek Covered Aqueduct, Metamora, IN
Here is a bridge that is not really a bridge. The Duck Creek Covered Aqueduct in Metamora was built to carry canal boats, and it is the only covered aqueduct in the United States.
Metamora is a historic canal village in Franklin County with fewer than 200 people and many original buildings from the mid-1800s. The restored canal helps explain how freight was hauled before railroads existed.
The site is open 24 hours and is good for kids.
Just down the road at Duck Creek Crossing, The Blue Umbrella Bistro and Bakery sits at 19068 S. Main St. It is a homey, family-run spot for breakfast, sandwiches, and desserts.
Scratch-made cinnamon rolls and fresh bakery items are the draw. Check hours before heading out.
3. Historic Bridgeton Covered Bridge, Bridgeton, IN
Bridgeton packs a waterfall, a working mill, and one of the best known covered bridges in Indiana into a tiny Parke County village. The bridge is at 8132 Bridgeton Rd and is open 24 hours.
During the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival, the area fills up with visitors. Parking includes a free lot, plus paid lot and paid street options.
Kids do well here too.
Right next door at 8104 Bridgeton Rd is Bridgeton Mill, an operating grist mill that sells fresh ground flour and cornmeal. It has a snack shop with hand dipped ice cream, plus fresh baked bread made from flour the mill produces.
Sandwiches come on fresh-milled buns.
There is also a gift shop, so you can browse after you eat.
4. Covered Bridge Restaurant, Cayuga, IN
Pie first, bridge second, or the other way around. At 5787 N Main St in Cayuga, the Covered Bridge Restaurant sits right beside the Eugene Covered Bridge over the Big Vermilion River, so you can walk through the span after eating.
The menu is home-cooked comfort food, from breakfast to dinner, with over a dozen kinds of homemade pie. It also has coffee, a good tea selection, a kids’ menu, and high chairs.
Expect about $10 to $20 per person.
The dining room is casual and historic, with license plates on the wall. There is table service, takeout, and a private dining room for groups.
It does not offer delivery.
Hours are listed as 8 AM to 8 PM daily, though they may vary, so call ahead at 765-492-7376. Free parking is usually plentiful.
5. Cumberland Covered Bridge Festival, Matthews, IN
Antique tractors, a car show, and live bands give this festival its personality. The Cumberland Covered Bridge Festival is held near Matthews at 11160 County Rd 990 E, around a historic span over the Mississinewa River.
Vendors line the grounds, and fair food is part of the draw. Horse rides for kids have been part of the fun.
Restrooms are on site. For dates and details, check the festival website or call 765-998-2928.
Matthews is a rural Grant County community of roughly 500 people. The bridge itself is a quiet, out-of-the-way stop that can be driven through.
For a sit-down meal, Browns Sweets and Eats is at 717 Massachusetts Ave. It is a bakery and diner with gourmet cookies and cakes, plus locally sourced breakfast and lunch. Hours may vary.
