Beautiful fountain located right in the center of town. It's surrounded by meticulously manicured…read morehouses and was a perfect mini-stop on our trip through town. It's just a short walk or drive from Main Street and there is also free street parking.

GO AGAIN: Yes, this was worth seeing, as was Madison, IN. Beautiful fountain and great town for…read morewalking around.

Such a sweet little house designed by one of the most noted early architects of Indiana. Where else…read moreare you going to find a SLIDING front door?! This is a little gem, beautifully preserved. Check out the fun purple and green wallpaper in the dining room. Also the HUGE windows. Just amazing.

Wonderful tour. Our tour guide was so knowledgeable and made the tour very interesting. If you're…read moreever in town, I recommend it.

A fantastic way to spend an hour! The one hour home tour is absolutely worth the admission price…read more Purchase tickets at the Madison Visitor's Center located across the street. Parking is ample along the street bordering the home. Our tour guide proved exceptionally friendly, patient, and knowledgeable. No bathrooms in the home, so plan accordingly.

First time here! So well set up and diverse vendors…read more It made for a lot of sights on home made crafts and items for sale. Many food trucks diverse in food types for all. Many musicians staged at different places along the blocks and blocks of vendors. Glad we tired this events Until next year!

Love the Madison Chautaqua Festival One of the best…read moredisplays of original artwork from throughout the surrounding states. Wine gardens and food everywhere lining the streets of Madison and the Ohio River! Of course I go for the art but there is one food vendor in particular that I have to visit and it's Miss Piggy's pork chop sandwiches! Without the best I've ever eaten..and the ribs are great too! It was a really hot summer day so I ate lightly and drank heavily! The wine garden had a delicious Sangria that made the heat tolerable, the more you drank the cooler the day ! If you really want a nice piece of original art this is the place! From stained glass, jewelry or Americana you'll find it here. The festival is great and so are the homes that line the roads of old Madison. Excellent preservation at its best! I never miss this event and I assure you if you go you'll return!

For Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I thought I'd pull up a review for a piece of Black history in…read moreIndiana. To my surprise, Eleutherian College is unreviewed. Sometimes, you just stumble into the coolest places. Eleutherian College, founded as Eleutherian Institute, was founded by local anti-slavery Baptists in Lancaster, Indiana (about 10 miles north of Madison). The school began instruction as a secondary school on Nov. 27, 1848 and was known for admitting students without regard to ethnicity or gender - this included freed and fugitive slaves. In 1854, it was renamed Eleutherian College because it began offering college-level coursework. It closed in 1874 and the main building became a private school and then a public high school. It is now operated by a non-profit organization. Eleutherian was the second college in the U.S. west of the Allegheny Mountains and the first in Indiana to provide education to students of different races. The three-story stone chapel and classroom building was built between 1853-1856 and currently serves as a museum for local history. In 1993, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and became a National Historic Landmark in 1997. In the decade before the Civil War, African-American students comprised 1/4 to 1/3 of total enrollment. At one point, enrollment reached 150 students. Interestingly, no Black students were enrolled past 1861. During the Civil War, the grounds were used for military training. The main building was used for meetings/concerts. You can actually tour inside and work continues in terms of renovation. The Lancaster area during this time was known for its anti-slavery sentiment. While I know Eleutherian has had some renovation done, my und Noteworthy graduates include Moses Broyles, who became pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Indianapolis and an organizer of the Indiana Association of Black Baptists Churches in 1858. Broyles was a slave from Kentucky who purchased his freedom as an adult. Notable female students included Sarah B. Hoyt, who also studied at Oberlin College. She became a teacher and later served as a high school principal at Newport, Kentucky. Also, Rebecca J. Thompson, who completed studies at the Young Ladies Institute, which later became Shepardson College in Granville, Ohio, was chair of the mathematics department at Franklin College (Indiana) for thirty-eight years. She retired from Franklin College in 1910. It's worth noting that as a historic building accessibility is limited. It's likely possible to get to the first floor (some assistance may be needed). For the exterior, the main building was constructed in the Greek Revival style. The three-story building has a rectangular plan that includes a square bell tower (belfry) centered above a gable-fronted main entrance. The gable roof includes a triangular-shaped wood pediment above the third-floor windows. The building's windowsills, lintels, and corner quoins are finished limestone, which contrasts to the rough-hewn stone walls. The north (front) facade of the building has three bays wide with two wooden doors flanking a single, ground-floor window. East and west facades are identical, with four double-height windows below four more on the third level. The south (rear) facade has two windows at the third-floor level. In terms of interior, the main building has a small entryway leading to a two-story chapel that runs the length of the building. The chapel includes double-height windows and a balcony, which crosses the north side of the room. The chapel ceiling is covered in wood panels. Stairs at each end of the entry hall lead to the upper floors. The second story includes two classrooms above the entryway and five additional rooms on the third floor. Stairs in one of the third-floor rooms leads to an unfinished attic. A ladder in the attic leads to the belfry tower. The cast bell was manufactured by J.A. Kelley of Franklin Brass Bell Factory, Madison, Indiana. This is a pretty significant part of Black history in Southern Indiana leading up to the Civil War. All of Madison is worth a day trip and that day trip should include a stop at Eleutherian. Contact Historic Eleutherian College, Inc. for more information!

We decided to spend some time in Madison on the way up to Columbus. it was a beautiful sunny day…read more The city has made some very nice improvements around the city. Since the new bridge has gone in the road to the downtown area has been reworked so it is no longer all the turns through the neighbors hoods. Now it it is a nice fairly straight road. The downtown area seems to be coming back to life as there are a number of new businesses that have opened up. The last time we were here it almost looked like a ghost town. We took some time to go visit the Broadway Fountain, the Visitor Center, some of the neighborhoods and the James Lanier house. The neighborhoods have also had a lot of activity. So many of the homes have been refurbished and now look like they would have in the day when they were built. Even the gas lights are on the major corners. We can't wait to come back when the weather warms so we can walk the downtown streets and go in all the shops.

We visited Madison this past weekend with my two brothers and their spouses. We thoroughly enjoyed…read moreMadison. The preservation of the historic structures is amazing, and it gave the city a historic charm that you seldom find anywhere else. It had an abundance of antique shops, gifts and craft shops, and a variety of restaurants. We took the free walking tour of several of the historic buildings and it was entertaining and informative. Again, the preservation of the historic character of this town is worth the visit. They also had an event where old time racing boats were competing on the Ohio River. We watched some of that and it was fun if you're into that type of thing. I took one star off for a single reason. The noise of automobiles with poor mufflers along with loud motorcycles up and down the downtown streets made it very difficult to hold a conversation at a sidewalk Cafe. I would recommend the city institute some type of noise ordinance and strictly enforce it, because the noise detracts from the charm of the town. With the amount of violators they would ticket, I imagine the revenue would pay for a lot more historic preservation.!

Visited Madison yesterday and stopped at the visitor center 1st. Staff are helpful and there's…read moreplenty of tourist info to go thru. There is a nice video of the history of the town and river. It's a great location as it's next to the Lanier Mansion and walkable to the river. Plenty of free parking in the area which is great.

A wonderful information center to learn about Madison. Clean, modern bathrooms make this a wise…read moreplace to visit. Friendly staff can greatly aid with planning your Madison experience. Ample brochures featuring local restaurants, museums, and things to do really helped. Parking is plentiful too!

I stopped to see all the art they have in this cute town of Madison. These are true artists in this…read moregallery. Lots of unique pieces. I found Danny Palafox art the most interesting. I bought a few magnetic pieces of his. I wanted one of his paintings. Im going to get one soon. There were some artists there. I enjoyed the variety they had.

Huge variety of watercolors, pastels, oils/acrylics, ranging from tiny to huge in size, some…read morestatuary, word craftsmen work, and a wide variety of all. Strongly recommended; it's all local artists and plentiful original art. There is portraiture, landscapes, some modern/undefined works, post cards, statuary, and it's not all river-themed as one might expect.