the bridges of madison county

Really enjoyed our visit to see the Bridges, it was a nice relaxing weekend getaway for my Husband and I .If you love nature then you will love visiting this area.

I loved the movie and have long wanted to tour Winterset, I finally had the chance. I saw all but Hogback Bridge. Even though it was February and there was snow on the ground, it was worth the drive and the muddy country roads. Each of the bridges are amazing - you can actually drive through Cedar Bridge. Be sure to spend time in the beautiful city park - see covered Cutler bridge, the stone bridge and Clark Tower. Huge city park - very beautiful!Francesca's farmhouse is outside of town to the NW on a country road. No markers, but Chamber of Commece can direct you. House is gated and you cannot enter the property but it's neat to see.Spend time on the square - the North Side cafe and jazz club (now Pheasant Run) are there. Great courthouse and original architecture around the square. John Wayne's birthplace is off of the square. *go to the Madison Chamber of Commerce site and print the map. There are canoe trips that float under some of the bridges- looks like great fun in the summer!Charming and romantic little town and there are several bed and breakfasts in and around the town. JASS is the motel from the movie. Justin, Kayla &Steve are the three B & B owners and even though I didn't stay with them due to seasonal closing, they were all incredibly helpful!

One of the most acclaimed movies of the 1990's was "The Bridges of Madison County". In this film, the main bridge is the Roseman Bridge. When coming to Madison County, you can visit the bridge yourself, which also have a gift shop located next to it. If you're a fan of the film, or covered bridges in general, this is definitely a place to come for at least a quick visit if you're in the area.There are plenty of other covered bridges in the area as well, and an excellent map is provided by the Madison County chamber of commerce on their website.

Worth the quick trip off the interstate. Too bad the museum was not open. It was fun to be close to a bridge that was similar the one in "Bridges of Madison County"

I am rating solely on the photographic value of the bridges. So far, I have been to the Hogback, Roseman, and Cedar bridges. The Hogback is the perfect spot for a sunrise photo opportunity. The Roseman has potential to get a nice reflection off the water, but need to be sure water levels are up when you visit. The Cedar bridge has a lot of buildings nearby, so it is not one I likely will go back to.

Loved the movie had to see the bridges! But along the way we stopped in the heart of the city at the Northside Cafe which was in the movie as well and had the most amazing Seafood Chowder! We asked the waitress if we could have the recipe and she took our email address and within a day the owner, Walter, sent us his recipe along with explicit directions on how to make the chowder which really translated to the time, energy and love he puts into his cooking. I would drive to Winterset with a cooler in hand just to enjoy that Chowder and take home a quart as well! The bridges drew us in but the chowder had us talking all the way home.

Ever since I’ve seen Meryl Streep’s character live through those famous four days of happiness with the photographer (Clint Eastwood) I always wanted to see the place: the country side looked so pretty. But somehow I expected more from the bridges, they made such a big story about them. Well, it was a disappointment in a sense, having seen many beautiful covered bridges in New England, I found the ones here lacking in character and all alike. There were 20+ of them, only six are left. Stop in the chamber of commerce on Courtsquare (separate review) and they will give you a free map with all the bridges indicated, then judge for yourself. The stop at the Chamber of Commerce would also lead you to the Court square (many pretty old buildings) and the the majestic Courthouse of Madison County built in 1878. They are in the process of restoring it to its previous glory, impressive marble floors, beautiful wood details.

Maps and directions available at visitor center on town square Check out the courthouse, usually open, while there. Took us about 5 hours to see all the bridges, and walk the town square. Check out the Ben Franklin "5 and dime" too.

A recent trip to Iowa included my first visit (and not to be my last) to the covered Bridges of Madison County. It was a beautiful day for the drive, and the bridges exceeded my expectations. Great architecture and a wonderful glimpse into times gone by. One of the bridges had an adjacent park with a picnic area and restrooms, the other did not, so be aware of the "rusticity" possibilities. Not to be missed, though!

I visited some of the Bridges of Madison County last weekend with my daughter and son-in-law to take some photos for their baby book. A warning to folks on motorcycles and cars that they are particular about, these roads are gravel and sooooooooo dusty. Also, for photo purposes you have to be patient and take your turn while taking photos, as it is a popular venue. There is a bridge at the park in Winterset that is a great option, if you don't want to avoid a car wash. The park also has a stone bridge, log cabin, pavillion and fence that are excellent places to get that special shot.

We came to see the bridges but we saw a lot more. Winterset is quite charming and they are really inviting visitors to come see them. We went to the main web site for Madison County, Iowa and downloaded the map which gave us an idea of what we might want to see when we arrived. This was a very helpful map since it showed the location of the 6 bridges (they are not next together or even in the same general area). Winterset is the home of John Wayne so if you are a fan, there’s a museum tour waiting for you. We saw the old school house and took a tour of the park as well. You can see all of the bridges in a day but we arrived late and saw some one evening and others the next morning. We also managed a trip to the Northside Café where part of the film was shot. Bring your camera because there are plenty of photo opportunities.One of the bridges still allow you to drive over them. It's a short trip and you turn around and come back. If you were a fan of the book or the movie, you'll really enjoy this. If you haven't heard about it previously, it's still nice to see the well preserved bridges that hark to a different era.

We were recently in the mid-west and I had to see the covered bridges. I loved the movie and I was so pleased to take a trip off the beaten path to see the covered bridges. It's just too bad that you can't still drive over them all! They were all lovely preserved and we got some awesome photo's! A once in a lifetime experience I will always remember <3

Grab a blanket, pack a lunch, and make a leisurely day of it touring the six covered Bridges of Madison County made famous in the book and movie of the same name. An added benefit is the picturesque tour through the farmlands of Iowa as you drive from bridge to bridge.

Great covered bridges, really nice to and photograph, well worth the detour.You can also visit John Wayne's birthplace museum in Winterset.

If you have ever read the book or seen the movie of "The Bridges of Madison County" you will not want to miss seeing these wonderful bridges in their natural settings even though several of them has been moved from their original locations. Definitely see Hogback, Holliwell and Roseman. Cedar was nice to visit also as it's the only covered bridge that you can drive through even though it was rebuilt after a fire destroyed it.