Outside the revamped Northside Cafe in Winterset, Iowa
Madison County Iowa and it’s famous covered bridges may soon see a resurgence of tourists thanks to the soon to be Broadway Musical based on Robert James Waller’s “Bridges of Madison County” novel. The musical is debuting this summer at the famous theater festival in beautiful Williamstown, Massachusetts.
After the novel and then the movie came out in 1995 – which was filmed on location in Iowa with Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep, no less – people flocked to the area to visit the bridges. I took at least one English friend besotted with the novel to tour the area back in the mid 1990’s. If and when visitors return, they’ll find some added attractions and improvements in the county seat of Winterset – including the Northside Cafe, the old small town cafe that was used as a film location for the movie and is under new ownership with the same charm but much better food! There’s also some nice shops around the square and an English-style maze in the local park. And there’s a big move afoot to revamp the John Wayne Birthplace/museum – a humble little white house (see photo below)- into a mega-John Wayne Museum.NYTimes story on Bridges of Madison County on Broadway!
TakeBetsywithyou 