The town of Newfane, Vermont and the Newfane Country Store are located approximately 15 minutes northwest of Brattleboro on Route 30.  Downtown Newfane is picturesque, the quintessential New England town.   The stately and beautiful white buildings take you back in time.  This small village offers wonderful photo opportunities.

The Newfane Country Store is one of my favorite country stores in southern Vermont.  When you walk through the door you are brought back in time.  The experience begins with a welcoming greeting by their friendly staff.  In the front room the walls are covered in floor to ceiling built in shelves with counters in front of them on both sides.  The counters display their homemade fudge and the built in shelves hold a plethora of Vermont made products.  The next room is jam packed with small isles fill with old fashion toys for children and other great trinkets.  The next room offers handmade quilts, candles and other home items.  Finally the last room offers the cutest baby products.  The Newfane Country Store is just the kind of place you want to stop and poke around in.

The West Dummerston Covered Bridge crosses over the West River.  This two span town lattice truss bridge is typical of the covered bridges in Vermont and was built in 1872 by builder Celeb B. Lamson.

What sets the West Dummerston Covered Bridge apart from the many others in Vermont?  Well it is the longest still operational covered bridge in Vermont.  It is 271 feet long and 22 feet wide and what a sight to see!  This historic landmark was rebuilt in 1998 and is fully operational today.

The West Dummerston Covered Bridge is a treasure here in Southern Vermont and should not be missed.  One of the most frequently asked question we receive as innkeepers regarding covered bridges is…why are they covered?  Well, our research seems to indicate that the bridges were built covered to keep snow and ice off of them.  As you may know ice forms faster on a bridge than a road due to the cold air flowing under it, so that seems to us to be a reasonable answer, but of course there are several theories out there.  Today they are mostly preserved for historical significance.

The best part about this gorgeous architectural structure is that it is only minutes from Brattleboro, VT.  Which of course makes it a just a short drive from our B&B, Forty Putney Road. So weather you are interested in the covered bridges of Vermont, or just taking a scenic drive down route 30, be sure to pause and cross over the Dummerston Covered Bridge, as travelers have been doing for over 130 years.