IF YOU GO
Madison is an hour and 10 minutes east of downtown Atlanta on I-20. Get off at Exit 114 and head north on 441 straight into downtown. Avoid the 441 bypass and stay on the business route.
Stay
The James Madison Inn. Nineteen-room boutique hotel overlooking Town Park. Day spa available. Rates start at $159. 260 W. Washington St., Madison. 706-342-7040, jamesmadisoninn.com.
The Brady Inn. Bed and breakfast with plenty of porch space located on a quiet, shady lane two blocks from Town Park. Rates start at $129. 250 N. Second St., Madison. 706-342-4400, bradyinn.com.
Eat
Ricardo's Kouzzina. Mediterranean cuisine with a Southern flair, plus a full bar, a rarity in Madison. Dinner entrees start at $12.95. 271 W. Washington St., Madison. 706-342-0729, ricardoskouzzina.com.
The Madison Produce Co. This counter deli and mini farmers market on the square is the place to grab a to-go lunch for your stroll, or you can nosh at a sidewalk table. Sandwiches start at $3.99. 132 E. Washington St., Madison. 706-342-1908.
Visitor information
Madison-Morgan Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center. 115 E. Jefferson St., Madison. 1-800-709-7406, madisonga.org.
Driving in off I-20, it looks like it could be anywhere — gas stations and fast food chains, like so many other interstate exits. But, as you head north, U.S. 441 narrows to two lanes as it curves around into downtown, and a new world emerges — or an old one, as it were.
This is the real Madison: shady, quiet streets lined with historic homes, a town square surrounded by red brick buildings from another era that house mom-and-pop shops, as well as one of the oldest and prettiest courthouses in Georgia.
Just over an hour east of Atlanta, Madison is a small town with a rich history and some high culture. It’s ideal for a quick weekend escape from the hustle and bustle, even during the dog days of summer — a respite from the sweltering city streets, a place to idle away the days in an unhurried manner, where the Southern humidity seems to add to the allure of the place rather than subtract from it.
And Southern hospitality is readily found on the town’s sidewalks and in its shops. The best way to go sightseeing in Madison is casual strolls from an inn near the square. Park the car and don’t worry about getting back behind the wheel until you leave.
There’s a myth about Madison that, during the Union army’s Civil War March to the Sea, Sherman found the town so beautiful he refused to burn it. Madison is definitely that pretty, but, in truth, it was saved because of politics more than anything else. Joshua Hill, a pro-Union former senator who had a home in Madison, made a gentleman’s agreement with the general to spare the town.
The end result: The Madison of today contains an astounding array of antebellum era homes and buildings, unlike other towns left in Sherman’s wake of destruction.
The best place to begin your exploration is at the welcome center on Jefferson Street, across from the post office on the town square. Pick up a map of the architecture walking tour and head out. There’s also a driving tour, if you’re so inclined, but the 1.4 mile walk provides the best overview of Madison, because you can linger and really get a feel for the place and its history.
The houses all seem to have names and historical markers out front. If nothing historic happened at a house, it still will have a plaque giving the name and the date it was built. Architecture buffs will be in heaven since so many different styles are represented, from Plantation Plain and Greek Revival to Neoclassical and Beaux Arts.
It might feel like you’re walking through a theme park at times, so it’s important to keep in mind that most of the homes on the tour are lived in. Residents are used to seeing tourists, but confine your gawking and photo taking to the sidewalk. An official tour of homes, where you get to see inside many homes, is offered twice a year — during the holidays and in the spring.
One of the larger, more eye-catching buildings in town is the circa-1895 Madison-Morgan Cultural Center on Main Street. The red brick Romanesque Revival building, with a still-working bell tower, was one of the first graded rural schools in the South. Today, it serves as a major focal point for arts and culture in the region. There’s an art and history museum on site and the auditorium offers plays and concerts on a regular basis.
A newer dose of culture is waiting at Ricky D’s across from the courthouse. It looks like a 1950s soda and ice cream shop from the outside, but closer inspection reveals a small movie theater connected to a wine bar. In business only a few months, Ricky D’s dishes out homemade frozen custard up front, screens indie and art house films in its 50-seat theater in the middle portion of the building, and pours fine wine and craft beer in a speakeasy-like bar in back.
An early 19th century publication described Madison as “the most cultured and aristocratic town on the stagecoach route from Charleston to New Orleans.” Almost two centuries later, travelers don’t arrive by stagecoach anymore, but that route through town still exists, covered in asphalt now, bringing modern souls to a place where you can watch the latest in independent cinema and gaze upon old buildings that look the same as they did in years past.
Before you leave, you’ll already be making plans to come back for one of those home tours to complete your Madison experience.
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