Madison County

After spending years traveling every summer with a friend I have decided to take several long weekend and go solo.

I would like to go to Madison County %26amp; see the covered brides along with birthplace of John Wayne! Sometime in June - Sept . I know the festival is in October but would like the trip to be a little more peaceful!

After looking at website there is only 1 motel in Winterset.

I need some advise on several things -

1) Is DeMoines a good place to stay and do day trip to Madison County?

2) If so - where should I stay? Needs to be very safe and clean!

3) Other than the covered bridges %26amp; J.W. birthplace what is there to do in Madison County?

4) Other than Madison County any other day trips that could be recommended?

5) Arethere tours I could hook up with once I am there?

I live in Wisconsin and will probably come through Quad Cities unless some one has a more senic route.

Any and all advise will be appreciated!

Madison County

Dear J#60,

Madison Co. will make for a nice solo trip from southern Wisconsin. Here are some answers for you:

1. The Des Moines area definitely would offer many more hotel options. If you stay in the western suburbs, you will only be a 20 - 30 min. drive from Winterset (Madison Co.%26#39;s county seat and where the John Wayne site is).

2. A good option may be to stay in one of the newer chain hotels in the West Glen/Jordan Creek area of West Des Moines. On the map, that is in the southwest corner of the metro area with I-35 and Mills Civic Pkwy. as cross streets. There is a Hilton Garden Inn, a Residence Inn, a Holiday Inn and a Drury Inn that all are 1 - 3 years old. This particular area is in a nice, safe part of town. Another option, just a few miles north along I80/I-35 and Hickman and University Aves. in Clive are several other hotel options. I used to stay at the Comfort Suites and Sleep Inn on Hickman in Urbandale (next to Living History Farms) and they were always clean, safe and decent.

3. There are some wineries near Winterset that might be of interest, but the bridges and John Wayne site are the main draws to the area.

4. Indianola is near Madison Co. (south of Des Moines, just off I-35). It%26#39;s a big hot air ballooning area. Other day trips to consider are:

- For baseball fans, a visit to the Bob Feller Museum near DeSoto, just west of Des Moines.

- Living History Farms in Urbandale (suburban Des Moines).

- If you%26#39;re in the area in Aug., the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines is a ';must,'; though it gets far more crowded than the Covered Bridge Festival.

- The Neal Smith Nat%26#39;l. Wildlife Refuge near Prairie City (east of Des Moines) has a prairie undergoing restoration, along with free roaming buffalo and elk herds.

- Pella, southeast of Des Moines, is a charming little Dutch village. The Strawtown Inn is a good place to eat there.

The route through Illinois and the Quad Cities is probably the fastest and you could visit the Buffalo Bill Cody Museum in LeClaire (Quad Cities area), the Herbert Hoover Presidential Museum in West Branch (near Iowa City) and the Amana Colonies (northwest of Iowa City). The route through Dubuque and Anamosa to Cedar Rapids/Iowa City and then west is more scenic, but the landscape is not greatly different than what you%26#39;ve probably seen in SW Wisconsin or NW Illinois.

5. I%26#39;m not familiar with any organized tour groups, but the tourist information staff are usually very friendly and could probably help you find someone to show you around. None of these areas is large, crowded (except during festivals, etc.) or difficult to navigate so I wouldn%26#39;t worry too much about going it alone.

Enjoy your trip!

Madison County

Maybe you could do some of the River Road on your drive down.

Here is the Madison County website. All the bridges are very accesible and not far from each other.

http://www.madisoncounty.com/county.html

Not sure if you are familiar with the Silos and Smokestacks concept- it is an area designated by the National Parks specifically focusing on agriculture.

Here is the website: http://www.silosandsmokestacks.org/

Enjoy your trip!

Greetings J#60 from Milwaukee. When I accepted my current position here, I was stilling living (and owned a house) in Ames, IA. I did the commute thing for eight months between Wisconsin and Iowa.

I would personally suggest avoiding the Quad Cities route for the Dubuque one. It is much more scenic and you%26#39;re not donating $$$ to the FIBs on tolls.

You can take 151 from Madison into Iowa, connecting with Hwy 20 in Dubuque, heading west to I35 south.

I have written some travel journals and reviews for the internet site www.igougo.com. Here is a link to the Iowa based stuff I%26#39;ve done:

igougo.com/journal-j65817-Des_Moines-Iowa_-_…

igougo.com/journal-j67604-Iowa-Iowa_-_More_T…

Have fun planning your trip. You should have a nice time!

I didn%26#39;t find the festival time to be that hectic. There are a lot of (I think mostly local) people in the couple of blocks in downtown Winterset where they have the festvial, but the rest of the area is not that busy. You could take the guided tour fron the festival and then you would know all about the bridges to return on your own in the evening or next morning.

http://www.mightymac.org/madisonbridges1.htm

On your way across I-80 stop in Newton at the Maytag Dairy and pick up some great blu cheese. (I know - you have chesse in Wisconsin, but this is special)