A little overdue on this must-see place to visit…last September when the seasons were in limbo, not quite the end of summer and not nearly fall, we traveled through Iowa. We had just left our workamping gig at Prairie Berry Winery and were traveling to our new job as lot managers for pumpkins and Christmas trees in Memphis, Tennessee.
I have a thing for bridges and seeing the cluster of covered bridges in Madison County, Iowa was on my to-do list. Besides touring the old-timey structures, we were planning on seeing some other tourist-worthy spots nearby.
Campground
Since we were visiting a few destinations around Madison County, we decided to set up camp in a central-ish location, Winterset, Iowa. City Park Campground was just the right place. The small 30-something site campground was a mere $22 per night for a full hook up site and there were plenty of sites open when we arrived during the week. Reservations are allowed but we did the first-come, first serve option and registered at the entrance.
The campground is a part of Winterset City Park which has a number of fun features including a hedge maze, picnic areas, one of the 6 famous covered bridges and a limestone castle-looking tower (Clark Tower) that can be reached by foot or car down a tree covered path.
Visitor’s Center
The Visitor’s Center in downtown Winterset was our initial stop after settling in at the campground. First and foremost, the center has brochures and maps about the covered bridges. There was a very knowledgeable lady at the information desk who answered all of our questions and even gave suggestions on other places to visit.
She mentioned that many scenes from the movie The Bridges of Madison County were filmed in and around Winterset. She rattled off several filming locations as the movie played in the background on a flat screen TV. Apparently the movie is replayed throughout the day, everyday. I think I would go nuts but the receptionist seemed pretty sane when we spoke with her.
Covered Bridges
Information on each bridge and their locations can be accessed online here, but we had our hard copy brochure from the visitor’s center to refer to as we proceeded on our self-guided tour. The 6 bridges are all that remain in the county and some degree of renovation has been done to each. It’s hard not to get a great picture of these erected time capsules.
Check out our video and the photos we took of the covered bridges.
The Bridges of Madison County Filming Sites
Levi was a good sport and watched the romance movie with me before we got to Winterset. We wanted to have a reference point for the different film locations. We walked out of the welcome center onto the sidewalk and passed a couple of businesses before arriving at a film site, a small cafe called Northside Cafe. A scene with Clint Eastwood was shot at the counter. We posed for a picture and then had the eatery’s special, pork tenderloin sandwiches with old-fashion root beer! Yum!
Another noteworthy location we went to was Francesca’s house. It is partially burnt down and sits behind a locked fence with a security camera and several warning signs. We took some pictures of the house…from far away…trying to zoom in through the overgrown landscape. Even though we were far away from the front door, it was still neat being so close to the main set where two well-known actors worked…at least I thought so.
Country Roads
Driving around, getting to each bridge and movie set was a fun experience in itself. The country roads were flanked with cow pastures, corn fields, barns, and blue skies. It was a rather quaint, scenic, and relaxing drive down the back roads.
Missed Detours
There were a few places we decided not to go to for one reason or another. I really wanted to visit the Winterset Cidery with its sample cider and onsite apple orchard. It was closed on the days we were visiting. Also every October, the town of Winterset hosts a weekend event, Madison County Covered Bridge Festival, with plenty of celebrations, crafts, bridge tours, and food. John Wayne Birthplace Museum was another advertised must-see in Winterset.
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As always…safe travels and happy trails!
