The 500-mile long Connecticut River Byway is a scenic corridor of highways, byways, and waterways along the Connecticut River in Vermont and New Hampshire. Ten special and unique towns serve as ‘waypoint communities’ along the Byway. With their origins as early crossroads and commercial sites, these towns have been welcoming travelers since the days of flat boats, stagecoaches, and steam engines.

Today, these communities have built or are building new waypoint interpretive centers, or are adapting historic buildings, to provide Byway travelers with information about dining, lodging, events and attractions, as well as interpreting the natural and social history of the region.

Among the many treasures of the Byway are more than 50 covered bridges in Vermont with four spanning the Connecticut River, including the world famous Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge – the longest wooden bridge in the United States and the longest two-span covered bridge in the world.

Visitors will also find cultural attractions like the Cornish Colony Museum in Windsor featuring the work of Maxfield Parrish. The art of sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens is on display at the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, NH. There’s also the Brattleboro Museum and Arts Center in Brattleboro and The Great River Arts Institute in Walpole, NH.

Outdoor enthusiasts will delight in the 17 state parks in the region and the Connecticut River Birding Trail. Visitors of all ages may want to try their hand at Valley Quest, a series of more than 125 treasure hunts stretching across 40 towns in the Connecticut River Valley in Vermont and New Hampshire. Quests, making use of hand-drawn maps and riddle-like clues, lead to hidden special places, such as remote lakes, old cellar holes, favorite trees, and forgotten cemeteries.

By traveling the Connecticut River Byway you can experience the richness of two states with one very memorable journey.

To learn more or to further explore this scenic byway go to www.ctrivertravel.org.