Take a Moment to Reflect, Marvel at These Bridges

Gather at parks and public spaces near these 6 connectors across the country

Some bridges encourage strolling across. Others are designed with nearby benches and landscaped areas from which to view a bridge’s architecture. Here, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

Getty Images

Robin L. Flanigan,

AARP

Published February 09, 2026

Bridges are both literal and figurative connectors, inviting us to reflect on the in-between.

Some encourage strolling across. Others are designed with nearby benches, landscaped areas and places to ponder — making viewing perfect for the 29 percent of adults 50-plus who are traveling with a disability or condition that makes traversing difficult, according to AARP.

These six bridges are celebrated for their striking architecture, historic significance — or both — and are close to other local attractions. In addition, many offer scenic areas to stop, rest and contemplate the experience.

(From left) In Cathedral Park in Portland, Oregon, visitors get views of St. Johns Bridge’s dramatic concrete Gothic arch piers and the full span.

Provided by Portland (Oregon) Parks & Recreation

1. St. Johns Bridge, Portland, Oregon

A historic landmark spanning the Willamette River, the graceful, 5.8-mile steel suspension bridge is named after the historic community of St. Johns, a quaint neighborhood in North Portland.

David B. Steinman built St. Johns Bridge, with its 401-foot Gothic-style towers and dramatic concrete Gothic arch piers in 1931.

Steinman chose the distinctive “verde green” color to complement the surrounding forested landscape, a hue that ultimately became a common bridge color across the country.

Steinman — who, along with his associates, was responsible for designing more than 400 bridges on five continents — called this bridge his favorite. He is often erroneously credited with also designing San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.

Cathedral Park, which sits under the bridge, takes its name from the bridge’s cathedral-like arches. There are benches, paved paths and grassy picnic spots for up-close-and-personal viewing. It also hosts the 46th Cathedral Park Jazz Festival in mid-July. Find locally owned shops, pubs, cafes and more in the neighboring St. Johns business district.

Built in 1866 by covered‑bridge builder James F. Tasker Jr., Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge is the longest historic wooden bridge in the U.S.

Courtesy Steve Brown

2. Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge, Cornish, New Hampshire, to Windsor, Vermont

Linking New Hampshire and Vermont, the Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge is the longest historic wooden bridge in the U.S. and the longest two-span historic covered bridge in the world. It was built in 1866 by prolific covered‑bridge builder James F. Tasker Jr.

“Because of its age and its length, it is a magnet,” says Beth Brown-Limmer, president of the Vermont Covered Bridge Society.

The Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge has retained its original lattice-truss design and was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1970.

Kim Chandler, author of Covered Bridges of New Hampshire, often gives talks about the bridges she features and asks audiences to name ones they’ve seen. “I ask, ‘What’s your favorite?’ and this one comes up more often than not,” says Chandler, a member of the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. “It really is beautiful.”

The large crowds make parking during foliage season tricky. When it’s not as crowded, there’s a pull-off on the New Hampshire side and unofficial street parking on the Vermont side, near an old tollhouse. The bridge carries two-way traffic, so pedestrians are cautioned against entering.

In Cornish, check out Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park — the former home, studios and gardens of esteemed American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Park buildings are closed until May 2026, but the grounds are open year-round during daylight hours.

Windsor offers the 14-acre Path of Life Sculpture Garden, which invites visitors to contemplate 18 works of art that symbolize the journey from birth to death.

No two angles are the same on the Main Street Lift Bridge to accommodate an incline.

Courtesy Dustin Grimes

3. Main Street Lift Bridge, Village of Fairport, New York

Spanning the legendary Erie Canal, the Village of Fairport’s lift bridge in upstate New York is one of the most unusual bridges in the world. To compensate for an incline, no two angles are the same — an engineering marvel captured in a Ripley’s Believe It or Not! daily cartoon in September 2022.

The bridge, in a village dubbed “the crown jewel of the Erie Canal,” gets its arched shape from a bowstring truss design that replaced a bridge removed in 1914, when the canal was widened.

It’s a defining landmark in this walkable, waterfront village lined with shops and restaurants. The bridge even earned the title “Best Overall Lift Bridge” on the entire Erie Canal system, for the 2024 season, from the New York State Canal Corporation.

Want to see the Main Street Lift Bridge from the water? Consider a tour boat cruise. Lovers of art, music and food can celebrate the village’s 49th annual Fairport Canal Days festival in early June.

The “International Orange” hue of the Golden Gate Bridge blends well with nearby hills while contrasting nicely with the ocean and sky.

Courtesy Golden Gate Bridge District

4. Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

One of the country’s most iconic bridges, the Golden Gate Bridge is widely considered the most photographed bridge in the world.

Built with union labor and American steel during the Great Depression, the Golden Gate Bridge — San Francisco’s most notable landmark — is an art deco triumph of engineering and design. Consulting architect Irving Morrow’s aesthetic touches included chevron motifs, an elegant lighting technique often used on 1930s-era skyscrapers (such as the Empire State Building), and an “International Orange” hue to blend well with nearby hills while contrasting nicely with the ocean and sky.

“Between the story, the architecture and the surrounding area, it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth,” says Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz, spokesperson for the Golden Gate Bridge District.

Check out the Presidio, San Francisco’s national park site, on the bridge’s south end. The mostly paved, gently sloping Presidio Promenade Trail (with benches and shaded spots along the route) is also popular with shutterbugs. Bonus: You’ll also spot Alcatraz Island and the San Francisco skyline. Don’t miss the protected Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which is home to Fort Point, a Civil War-period fortress.

The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, connecting Nebraska and Iowa, has an S-shaped deck, towering pylons and sweeping cables.

Provided by City of Omaha Parks & Recreation and Public Property Department

5. Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, Omaha, Nebraska, to Council Bluffs, Iowa

The sinuous Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, connecting Nebraska and Iowa, meanders for a little more than half a mile over both land and the Missouri River. Its S-shaped deck, towering pylons and sweeping cables create sculptural lines that make the bridge as aesthetically pleasing as it is functional.

While walking on one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the nation, pause roughly at the midpoint to place one foot on either side of a thin metal strip on the ground. You’ll be straddling two states at once. (Look for the handrail plaque, and don’t forget to snap a photo!)

Named for former Nebraska Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey, who helped secure federal funding for the project, the bridge, which opened in 2008, is accessible for walkers, runners, bicyclists and wheelchair users. Programmable LED lights create dynamic color patterns at night.

Near Omaha’s Old Market district, relax with a lake, fountains and walking paths at Heartland of America Park. The bridge is connected to more than 150 miles of nature trails.

On the Iowa side, a Treetop Walk, offering a scenic view of the Missouri River and Omaha skyline, is part of the Tom Hanafan River’s Edge Park project scheduled for completion sometime in 2026.

A walk across the John A. Roebling Bridge, which connects Cincinnati to Covington, Kentucky, offers an up-close look at its cables and distinctive stone towers.

6. John A. Roebling Bridge, Cincinnati to Covington, Kentucky

John A. Roebling, renowned for pioneering wire rope suspension bridges, designed both the bridge bearing his name and New York’s Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge spanning the Ohio River since 1867 was previously known as the Covington-Cincinnati Bridge. It was renamed after Roebling in 1982.

A walk across the bridge, which was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1975, offers an up-close look at the cables and distinctive stone towers.

A short walk west of the bridge along the Ohio River waterfront brings you to Carol Ann’s Carousel, named for Cincinnati philanthropist Carol Ann Haile. The whimsical, glass-enclosed merry-go-round features 44 Cincinnati-centric characters, including Martha, the last known passenger pigeon, which died at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914.

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Robin L. Flanigan is a contributing writer who covers mental health, education and human interest stories for national publications. She is a former reporter for several daily newspapers, and her work has appeared in People, USA Today and Education Week. She is the author of the children’s book M is for Mindful.

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