Old Salem Covered Bridge

"We delight in visiting the Old Salem Covered Bridge during the Christmas season, especially at night when its rustic charm is accentuated. The bridge serves as an enchanting backdrop for capturing memorable photos. However, we harbor a sincere desire for Old Salem to infuse even more festive spirit into the holiday ambiance. Perhaps during special occasions, such as Christmas, the bridge and its surroundings could be adorned with additional seasonal embellishments."

"My favorite part of the covered bridge….Christmas, third time coming from out of town to take pictures. Just wish they would put the timer for the lights to come on at 5:00 pm. Also wish Old Salem would be more festive, there were no bands or any Christmas music playing nothing going on outside at all. Sad that the gift shop was closed down. Taverns been gone, now the gift shop. Hope it gets better here because we love Old Salem"

"Beautiful piece of history in Winston-Salem lots of beautiful bricks to viewing the historical gardens and yards"

"Built in 1998 for nearly $2m, this is a modern covered pedestrian bridge and it is named for the road that it covers, Old Salem Road. It is located at the site of North Carolina's first Moravian community and is next to the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts. I found it interesting that it is the first covered bridge built in North Carolina in nearly a quarter century, and is one of only three in the State. From the American Society of Civil Engineers (North Carolina) web site, "It is a timber Burr arch truss bridge (named for early 19th Century American bridge builder Theodore Burr) which compliments the characteristics of Old Salem's Moravian heritage. The structure spans approximately 120' over Old Salem Bypass with 17' vertical clearance over the roadway, and a 12' walkway. The bridge is framed with two massive Burr-arch trusses, 15'-10" in height with a 5' rise. The arches spring from two cast in place concrete, stone-faced abutments. The western landing of the bridge has stairs and a wheelchair ramp, meeting the American with Disabilities Act requirements, providing access to the bridge from the strollway. East of Old Salem bypass, the structure connects to an elevated concrete walkway leading to the stairwell and ramp, which connects to Main Street." It is a spectacular photo opportunity and in fact, a family was having some professional portraits done when I was here. Sorry to disturb y'all!"

"The bridge is beautiful. My personal opinion is they put up tacky light/ stars that take away from the beauty of the bridge. The visitors center is only open Wednesday- Saturday. The windows appear to be plexiglass and have been worn by the weather. I didn't realize this was a modern bridge (1998). This is not a piece of history."