Parke County Covered Bridge Festival
The Parke County Covered Bridge Festival is a fall festival featuring arts & crafts and food which draws over 2 million people a year. It begins on the 2nd Friday in October and lasts 10 days. The festival is countywide and involves nine different communities in Parke County, Indiana.
This countywide festival always starting on the 2nd Friday in October is nationally known as one of the largest fall festivals. Enjoy visiting 9 communities throughout the county with a wide array of shopping and a variety of food that is sure to please everyone. 2005 winner of Travelocity “Big Secrets Local Finds”
Headquartered on the courthouse lawn in Rockville, Indiana, since 1957, you will find food served by many of the non-profit organizations of the county that use funds from the Festival to promote their organizations throughout the year. A large tent and streets around the courthouse filled with crafters and vendors for your shopping delight are open daily from 9 am to 6pm. Some have been here since the festival began. Free entertainment will be scheduled on the south side of the courthouse throughout each day.
Bus tours leave the square daily from the tour booth located on the northwest corner of the square. Guided tours take you through the county to make stops at communities in the county and, of course, to see Covered Bridges along the way. Tickets are $8.50 for adults, under 12 is $5.00 and lap sitters are free. Choose from one of three routes, Red, Yellow or Brown. Each route is unique and different. The Red route tours the southern part of the county with stops in Bridgeton and Rosedale. Yellow travels north through country farm communities, Turkey Run State Park, Tangier, where they serve their famous "Buried Beef," and stops at Bloomingdale, a Quaker Community. The Brown Route travels west, where you learn the history of the Wabash & Erie Canal with a stop in Montezuma and historic Mecca with a one-room schoolhouse and a tent filled with all handmade products. You will see 5-6 bridges on each route.
Antique stores and shops around the brick lined streets of Rockville invite you stop by for a visit. You never know where you might find that one of a kind item you have been looking for, or something no one else has. The Covered Bridge Art Gallery on the north side of the square is open daily for your viewing of local artists display
Billie Creek Village is a turn of the century village located 2 miles east of Rockville on US 36. The home of 30 historical buildings and 3 Covered Bridges is open daily with attractions and special events. Admission is $5.00. You might like to take the shuttle from the Old Jail (tourist information center at 127 S. Jefferson St.) to Billie Creek and leave your car parked uptown. The tractor shuttle runs continuously through the day
Bridgeton offers a wide array of crafters and vendors, a gristmill, the 1878 House, and Case Log Cabin.
The Historic Mansfield Roller Mill, Mansfield Bridge, and hundreds of vendors and crafters are open daily.
The Old Jail at 127 S. Jefferson Street and the Old Railroad Depot (ample bus parking and restroom facilities) at 401 East Ohio are home to Parke County’s tourist information centers. Visit one of the locations for all of your Parke County information. Please contact Parke County Incorporated at P.O. Box 165, Rockville, IN 47872 or email pci@ticz.com for a map of the county with marked covered bridge routes, lodging listings, and schedule of events so that you may plan your visit during the Festival or at another time throughout the year. We are here to help you plan your visit to the "Covered Bridge Capital of the World".