Swann Covered Bridge Blount County, Alabama
Have you ever experienced one of those perfect road trips where everything just falls into place?
Last spring, my parents’ traveled from Ohio to Alabama so my family could show them some of the reasons we had grown to love Alabama (and why we miss it now)- keeping in mind the interests of both my mom and dad. Not necessarily an easy feat, but the day fell together perfectly and turned into one of those amazing days that I’ll cherish forever.
I planned to take the day and travel to Blount County, northeast of Birmingham, where three of the thirty covered bridges in the state can be found.
Our favorite, Swann Covered Bridge, was built in 1933 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The bridge, with a total span of nearly 330 feet, stretches above the Locust Fork River, making it the longest surviving bridge in the state of Alabama as well as one of the longest in the United States.
Though the bridge is easy to find off State Route 79, just outside Cleveland, the road is closed at the top of the hill, making the bridge inaccessible. Since I had followed the directions printed on the brochure that I’d picked up at the visitor’s center, I did park my van with a couple other vehicles and we walked down the hill to the bridge. The walk to the bridge was about a half mile or so and though the view approaching the bridge was beautiful, I was uncomfortable leaving my van behind so we didn’t linger and enjoy it as much as we could have.
I did find a website (after our visit) that stated that the bridge is accessible from the west. You can find the directions and read more about the Swann Covered Bridge – Blount County, Alabama at their site.
Have you visited Swann Covered Bridge in Blount County, Alabama? Maybe you can share the directions you followed?
This post is linked to Photo Friday at Delicious Baby and Friday Daydreaming at R We There Yet Mom?
© 2012, Tonya Prater. All rights reserved.
D Swann says
May 22, 2012 at 2:04 pmthank you for posting this. i have heard about this bridge for several years and am lucky enough to have a job that sends me all over the country. I will be leaving for alabama in a few weeks and will have to visit the bridge, i would love to know more about it. i know my family has a connection just for the fact that i am a swann and have traced back to george washington swann my ggg grandfather. any long lost reletives out there? i will also visit graves gap cemetery any info would be of great assistance.
thanks again
Tonya says
May 23, 2012 at 10:23 pmI’m sorry, I can’t give you any additional information on the bridge or the area. I was only in the area long enough to see the bridge and all them information I have is what I researched and pretty much shared here. I hope you’re able to see the bridge and are able to find the connection with your family! There are plans to reopen the bridge so who knows? Maybe it will be open to vehicles when you’re there and you can drive over it. Happy Travels! 🙂
donna says
May 25, 2012 at 1:52 pmI have a trip planned for fathers day weekend I will post what I find. Thank you again for all your kinds words.
Tonya says
May 25, 2012 at 7:17 pmGreat! I can’t wait to hear what you find. While you are there you may also want to visit Palisades Park. http://www.blountcountypark.com/ I haven’t been there personally, but many of my Alabama friends have been and they claim that it is beautiful. It is only minutes from Swann Bridge.
donna says
June 16, 2012 at 8:31 pmHi again! I was able to find the Swann Bridge today! My husband and my nephew and I took a day trip to find the bridge and take alot of pics! Actually the bridge is no longer open to the public but being the bold people we are and since our name is Swann, I figured if someone tried to stop us from walking to the bridge we could explain why we were there. My nephew actually walked across it and took a video which I will post on my facebook page as soon as I can. We were on a mission to find our reletives grave sites as well and stopped and talked with some locals who were happy to help. So glad we got to spend some time with our past, an unforgetable day thats for sure! We were very tired after a long afternoon and long car ride but hope to go back before we have to leave alabama. Will try to visit Palisades Park then. Thank you for all your time and kind words.
If you would like to see our pics please email me. Thank you again!
Tonya says
June 22, 2012 at 7:11 amDonna, I’m so glad to hear that you did make it to Swann Covered Bridge! It sounds like you had a great time discovering some family history. Aren’t the people in Alabama awesome? We met the friendliest people!
Judith Golden says
November 2, 2018 at 6:00 pmi just found this page. George W Swann is my gg grandfather, I so hope the bridge is still there.
Tonya Prater says
November 29, 2018 at 11:32 pmWow Judith! That is really cool! I moved from Alabama about eight years ago and haven’t been back but at that time, the bridge was still there and was in such a beautiful setting. Have you ever seen it? I just looked it up on Google and found reviews from people who had visited as frequently as one month ago.
InACents says
May 7, 2012 at 10:17 pmI saw it was near “Cleveland” and got excited as I had not seen this bridge yet. Wrong Cleveland. 🙂
Tonya says
May 8, 2012 at 11:39 amSorry about that! 🙂 Were you thinking Cleveland, Ohio or one of the 15 other Cleveland’s that happen to be scattered around the US?
I have plans to visit the covered bridges in Ohio a bit later this year. Any suggestions on which ones I shouldn’t miss?
InACents says
May 19, 2012 at 8:23 pmUnfortunately, as a Cleveland Native, I have little knowledge of the Ohio covered bridge locations, although I’m sure if I spent a little bit of time searching I could figure something out. 🙂
Tonya says
May 19, 2012 at 10:00 pmI’ve not been, but my parents’ both recommend the covered bridge festival in Astabula. I believe it’s held every year in October. I have to admit, covered bridges aren’t something that I’ve searched out in the past but they are fun to photograph. I think I may just tag along this year.
[email protected] We There Yet Mom? says
May 7, 2012 at 2:22 amWow- what a beautiful bridge- I would expect all of these to be up in the New England area. Thanks for linking up this week!
~Becca
Sonja says
May 4, 2012 at 1:35 pmGorgeous.
Nicole says
May 4, 2012 at 1:21 pmWow, what a great shot and very beautiful too!
Lisa @ Gone with the Family says
May 4, 2012 at 11:56 amSuch a beautiful bridge! We saw one a number of years ago in New Brunswick and will be back that way this summer so hopefully can find it again.
Lucia says
May 4, 2012 at 1:35 amWow! the longest covered bridge in the States…what a beauty. Thanks for sharing. I had no idea this was in Alabama, but I’ll keep it in mind during future road trips because I’d love to see that in person. Are you allowed to walk over the bridge?
Tonya says
May 8, 2012 at 11:45 amYes, you are allowed to walk over the bridge. If you’re planning a trip to Alabama, you may be interested to know that the highest bridge over a US waterway is nearby- Horton Mill Covered Bridge. We enjoyed seeing that one too. Have fun! 🙂
walkingon travels says
May 3, 2012 at 11:24 pmI LOVE covered bridges. We spend summers in New England so I am always on the hunt. Happy Friday!
Tonya says
May 8, 2012 at 11:46 amWe’re hoping to head to New England this fall- I may just have to ask you where to find the best covered bridges in New England when the time comes. 🙂