What to See in Winterset, Madison County, Iowa
On a recent press trip to Iowa, four other travel writers and I visited a unique and lovely destination that I could not wait to share with you.
Winterset, Iowa, home of the famous Bridges of Madison County, is a big draw for the Midwest.
Not only was it home to the legendary John Wayne, but its fame from the novel and movie revolving around its covered bridges made it known to the world. Visit Winterset, Iowa and see the beauty for yourself. 
John Wayne Birthplace
Born Marion Robert Morrison in 1907, John Wayne became a Western film giant and still reigns supreme today. Explore a museum dedicated to “The Duke’ and see his restored home. My dad is a John Wayne mega fan so I was happy to take pictures and purchase a souvenir for him while I was there. Museum prices are $15 and it has interesting memorabilia from his life and career.
While I was in the museum, I ran into visitors from Australia, Canada, Georgia, and California. One man was buying four new T-shirts to replace the ones he had worn out from last year! Over one million people from around the world have visited the birthplace and museum of this Hollywood legend.
Bridges of Madison County
Only six of Madison County’s romantic bridges remain today: Imes, Holliwell, Cedar, Culter-Donahoe, Roseman, and Hogback (the longest). The 1995 Oscar nominated award-winning movie and book “The Bridges of Madison County” brought Academy Awards wins to Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep for this sensational love story set over a four day period.
Dozens of tourists visit these picturesque beauties daily. The bridges are in excellent condition and tours are available. Bring your selfie stick so that you can get both you and the bridge in your shots. Due to its movie fame, the Roseman is the most popular bridge, built in 1883.
What to Eat in Winterset, Iowa
While in Winterset, I highly recommend that you grab breakfast at The Bakery Unlimited and eat lunch at Northside Cafe, a tasty little spot in the middle of town.
The Bakery Unlimited
The Bakery Unlimited (on John Wayne Drive) has some of the best pastries and bagels I have ever eaten. This mom and pop shop gets a big round of applause for their tasty donuts and warm, homemade bagels. My Asiago bagel was a real hit and there was no way that I was going to pass up a glazed donut.
Donuts are my weakness and these sugary sweets were some of the best! One of The Bakery Unlimited’s most popular items is an apple fritter. Several of my friends tried them and they agreed. The Bakery Unlimited’s staff is incredibly friendly. I found the cozy little bakery utterly adorable.
Northside Cafe
At Northside Cafe, be sure to sit on the seat that Clint Eastwood made famous (4th from the door at the soda fountain) and have your picture taken. This darling historic family-style eatery, right in the town square, serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Northside Cafe’s menu features a variety of famous Iowa tenderloin sandwiches and lots of comfort food items.
We tried The Duke Tenderloin (smothered with luscious mushroom and beef gravy), Chicken Quesadilla, and Loaded Mac and Cheese. Save room for a delectable dessert, such as the sweet and tart Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp.
Other Places to Add to your List
Winterset has several adorable shops that you will want to visit. so be sure to save some time for that. Pieceworks Quilt Shop, Montross Gift Shop, Madhaus Gallery, Heartland Fiber, and Ben Franklin were a few of my favorites.
The ladies at Pieceworks Quilt Shop were working on beautiful pieces and I really wanted to sit down and hang out with them all day. There were photographic spots around town as well, such as the courthouse, town square, and scenery.
Winterset: A Unique Midwest Destination
Winterset, Iowa is one of those quintessential small towns that bring you joy by visiting. I can see why so many people were there to soak up the charms of this unique destination.
Iowa has many great offerings, like these amazing bridges of Madison County. Keep Winterset, Iowa in mind for your next vacation destination or weekend getaway.
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Winterset, Iowa Photo Gallery:
There were hundreds of swallows congregated under the edge of this bridge.
Thanks to the Iowa State Tourism for hosting my familiarization trip. All opinions and reviews are 100% mine and unbiased.
Check out our other unique destination posts:
I love visiting small towns. Such charm…
You and me both. They are my favorite. It only took me 46 years of life to figure that out. 😉
Winterset seems like a truly picturesque and amazing place, Melody and Taylor! What are your highlights of this place! What shouldn’t we miss there?
Definitely a cool place. Seeing the covered bridges was definitely top of the list but those tasty pastries were a close second. LOL
Love the covered bridges! It’s been a long time since I have been to Iowa. Thx for the great post.
Thanks so much! I have another big post coming out about more fun things we did in Iowa. Loved it there!
I’ve never been to Iowa before and would love to see those covered bridges. The bridges look beautiful but the food looks even better! Great post.
Thanks so much Jane! I knew Iowa would be beautiful but we found so much to see and do there, too. 😉
Wow, I would like to go Kayaking and it seems like a really relaxing place to visit, with activities to do to not keep you bored. It looks really picturesque
I’m ashamed to admit I’ve never heard of Winterset, but I guess that’s why we need to read blogs! I certainly didn’t know John Wayne was from there, and had no idea his original name was Marion. Haha. I’d love to visit that museum.
No worries here…neither had I! 😉 It was cool visiting the museum and house. He still has quite a fan base.
Oh looks like a lot of fun! Those donuts look delicious. Perfect snack time after a day exploring all the bridges.
My grandpa would LOVE that John Wayne Museum. We watched McClintock all the time as kids. I would love those donuts and that covered bridge! Beautiful!
Awesome! Mine, too. That bakery had it going on and was so cheap comparatively speaking from my Florida prices. 😉 Iowa was beautiful and I have another article coming out soon about more great spots to explore in Iowa. 😉
I just saw John Wayne and I knew right away I wanted to visit. While I did not read the Bridges of Madison County book I saw the movie and thoroughly enjoyed it. That would be the second reason, if I needed one to visit Winterest.
Wonderful! It was a special place and I’m glad I got to visit. It is so nice spreading the word about towns like this with friends and readers. 🙂
I love that you start this with a water tower pic. For me, that’s small towns. Always gotta have a tower. I love the vibes of Madison County, not just the bridges. Looks like I see some familiar faces in these photos, too! Btw, do you think the Bakery Unlimited will ship some of those doughnuts a few states over? I’m hungry now. Thanks, Melody, for the hunger and for sharing this!
Haha. I wish they did ship. I’m still thinking about those epic bagels and donuts. 🙂 Awesome, I love water towers, too. I think I have enough to publish a post about towns with them. LOL Iowa was a great place to visit. You should check it out sometime. I’m enjoying the Midwest this year.
I love asiago bagels, so I would definitely be heading to The Bakery Unlimited before exploring the rest of Winterset. I’ve never really been into westerns, but I still think it’d be pretty cool to visit the museum dedicated to John Wayne.
I vote that you add the Midwest to your travel plans soon! It has been a great year for Wherever I May Roam exploring all of these destinations. 🙂
Yummy food and covered bridges. I need to do more than stop and check out the grasslands in Iowa. This town looks like it has great food as well a some cute sites.
Definitely! Thanks for checking it out. 😉