Covered Bridge Museum (The Bennington Center for the Arts)

When we planned on visiting The Covered Bridge Museum and Bennington Center for the Arts, in Bennington, VT, our aim was really just to see the Covered Bridge portion.  However, the side of the museum that was an art gallery was the highlight.  There were numerous paintings done by local artists in many different styles.  When going in, you're given a piece of paper to choose your favorite for a contest they are holding.  This made it a much more enjoyable experience as you got to almost act as a judge in an art contest.

The 2nd half of the museum walks you through the history of Covered Bridges in Vermont and the rest of the country.  There are numerous photographs from all over that show you how they vary.  If you're a fan of covered bridges, this is definitely a good place to visit.  However, any non-aficionados may opt to pass.

One really nice portion of this was also a "library" of books that show all the covered bridges in different states, broken down by counties.  This lets you determine where covered bridges are near your own home, to give you a fun little side trip to do at home.