Madison County is famous for its six covered bridges, made even more so by the novel and film The Bridges of Madison County. The bridges — Roseman, Cedar, Holliwell, Hogback, Imes, and Cutler-Donahoe — are scattered across the rolling farmland south of Des Moines and can be visited by car in a half-day loop, or by bus tour during the annual Covered Bridge Festival in October, when the town of Winterset celebrates the harvest with food, crafts and bridge tours.
Winterset itself is a quiet county seat with a classic town square anchored by a Victorian limestone courthouse. The house where John Wayne was born is now a museum. South of town, Winterset City Park holds Clark Tower and another of the covered bridges. It is a pleasant stop on a drive through rural Iowa.