Madison, Indiana "The Prettiest Small Town In The Mid-West"

I received a comment from Kathy on our trip to French Lick.  She understood me to write that we didn't like our trip to French Lick.  I apologize to you, Kathy, if that was the impression I gave.  We enjoyed our visit to French Lick we were just a little disappointed that some parts of the town had been closed up and it seemed a little "lost" at this time.  We really enjoy all small towns and have visited many in Indiana over the years.  French Lick was picturesque and had a lot of lovely old homes to see.  Plus, the whole Larry Bird attachment.  I hope that clears things up!

Today we visited another small Indiana town that bills itself as "The Prettiest Small Town In The Mid-West."  It was just a 25 mile drive south of North Vernon to Madison.  This town was settled in 1809 and is on the banks of the Ohio River.  It boasts 133 blocks of historic buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

We took our picnic lunch and Annie and went to check out this jewel of Indiana for ourselves.  We have been to a lot of historic towns throughout the country but we have never seen one that is so well preserved as this one.  Plus, it seems to be thriving rather than dying.  The preserved architectural details on some of the buildings on Main Street and the other streets are fantastic. 

(click on photos for larger view)

We wandered around for a while just window shopping.  With Annie along we don't go into a lot of places, but she likes to come along.  We saw a wonderful fountain on a side street and it was huge.  After looking at the wonderfu downtown area, we went back to the car and drove around looking at some of the homes in the area.

By this time we were needing our lunch.  We found another river front park in this town like we found in Rising Sun, so we sat and ate our picnic while we watched the barges go by.

There are motels, B & B's, restaurants galore, and lots of shopping to be found in Madison.  I'm sure on the weekends the town is really bustling with visitors.  Today it was pretty empty.  The sidewalks downtown were almost empty.  They have lovely flower beds along Main Street with beautiful blooms to appreciate as you walk along.

Tomorrow morning we have the start of a long day.  We will be driving from North Vernon to Owensville, Missouri.  All on Highway 50.  We are really enjoying the ride!  (check my RV Park Review below this post)

Until next time.....so long for now!