Covered Bridge Festival

With three covered bridges still in existence, Blount County carries the title of Covered Bridge Capital of Alabama, and as a tribute to its roots, a one-day festival is held every year in downtown Oneonta. Typically held the second Saturday in October, the Covered Bridge Festival offers plenty of family fun including arts and crafts, a car cruise-in, live music, great food, tours to the covered bridges and more. The festival is sponsored by the Blount-Oneonta Chamber of Commerce. The centerpiece of the Covered Bridge Festival is the arts and crafts show in downtown Oneonta’s entertainment district. Throughout the day, festivalgoers can browse vendor booths filled with homemade treasures, from handcrafted jewelry and artwork to wood creations and unique décor. Beyond shopping, visitors can admire a wide array of cars, trucks and antique farm tractors during the Cruise-In. The festival stage will showcase nonstop local entertainment with performances by local musicians and performers. Families will especially enjoy the free Kids Zone, featuring inflatables, cornhole games and face painting, while food lovers can indulge in a variety of flavors at the food court on Railroad Avenue, where food trucks and local vendors will be serving up crowd-pleasing favorites. The Blount-Oneonta Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring bus tours to two of the three covered bridges (Horton Mill and Easley) along with a stop at Palisades Park for the Quilt Show (admission to Quilt Show charged). Tours depart at 9:30 a.m., 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. from the Public Library and reservations are required by contacting the Blount-Oneonta Chamber office at ramona@blountoneontachamber.org. Before heading to the festival Saturday morning, festival goers are invited to stop by the pancake breakfast at Lester Memorial Methodist Church from 7 to 10 a.m. to fuel up. Tickets are $10 per person for eight years old and up and $5 for seven years old and younger and benefits the Blount County Children’s Center. Festival hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.