Identity summary
2 to 4 days
Spring · Summer · Autumn · Winter
Recommended car
Countryside · Heritage
Variable accessibility
Sweet rhythm
General presentation
Madison County
Covered bridges, rural roads and small town of Winterset.
The Madison County discovery is based on Roseman Covered Bridge, Holliwell Covered Bridge and John Wayne Birthplace. The stay thus alternates between the countryside and the heritage, which gives a concrete picture of the destination beyond its only most well-known site.
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For a stay of 2 to 4 days, a quiet rhythm works well. Also to be anticipated: variable influx depending on the season. A car is usually the easiest way to connect the different sectors. Accessibility varies from site to site and deserves to be verified step by step.
Strengths and constraints
Strengths
- Roseman Covered Bridge
- Holliwell Covered Bridge
- John Wayne Birthplace
Before you choose
- Variable frequency depending on season
- Parking to anticipate in the center
Places worth visiting
A selection to start dreaming and organizing the stay — not an exhaustive list of everything there is to see.
Nature and panorama
Roseman Covered Bridge
The Roseman Covered Bridge is the most famous covered bridge in Madison County, worn by its role in the novel and film that made the area known. Its red silhouette, laid in a quiet valley, attracts film lovers as well as travellers who come to photograph the rural roads of l'Iowa.
Nature and panorama
Holliwell Covered Bridge
Holliwell Covered Bridge spans the Middle River in a more discreet setting than the most photographed bridges in Madison County. Its long red wood structure, surrounded by fields and trees, gives a simple picture of the old rural roads, when the bridges protected the apron from the weather as much as they marked the landscape.
Place indismissible
John Wayne Birthplace
In Winterset, John Wayne's home staged the actor's modest debut before his huge Hollywood career. The nearby small museum gathers posters, costumes, filming objects and memories of westerns, especially for travellers who associate l'Iowa with the mythologies of American cinema.
Place indismissible
Clark Tower
Clark Tower stands in Winterset City Park as a small stone tower with medieval airs, unexpected in the middle of the woods of Iowa. It comes for the viewpoint, the park trails and the somewhat romantic atmosphere of this isolated construction, especially when the leaves frame the view.
Practical tips
This information helps know if the destination matches the planned trip before starting a fuller search.
To go further
More activities
Restaurants, walks, culture, leisure and outings to search without leaving the destination card.
The nearest destinations
The closest ideas on the map, to extend your trip.
Similar destinations
Same landscapes and the same pace of travel, elsewhere in the world.
Escaped to discover
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Shanxi, 🇨🇳 People's Republic of China
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