Note: If you would like to print any of these tours, we suggest printing two pages per sheet of paper in landscape mode.
Walking Tour: Art Treasure Hunt
Use this map and read the art treasure stories below to learn about Winterset public art and history. Developed for the 2021 Covered Bridge Festiv
Walking Tour Booklet: Winterset’s Timeless Treasures
As you stand in the Winterset Square, imagine that you are in the midst of an outdoor art gallery. The Courthouse is a priceless work of art nestled in the center. The buildings in all four directions are each a unique monument to history, created by an artist with a vision that has become a timeless treasure.
This walking tour will introduce you to a few of these gems and the artists who crafted them, providing you with a passport to the past.
Walking Tour: Artistic Nests
This guided tour will take you through some of Winterset’s gallery/studio spaces located in historically significant buildings around the Courthouse Square. If available, the artists and business owners are happy to talk about their work and answer questions. Their artistry includes hand-made jewelry, glass creations, distinctive, hand-dyed fibers and stores dedicated to unusual gifts and a quilter’s paradise.
Walking Tour: Madison County Courthouse & Courthouse Historic District
Held each year on the second full weekend of October, the Madison County Covered Bridge Festival offers man opportunities to step back in time. The Historic Preservation Commission, partnering with the Madison County Historical Museum, leads tours of the Courthouse historic District. Times for Saturday and Sunday tours are posted on the north Courthouse lawn and in the Festival newspaper. You will hear a brief history of the Courthouse, highlights of the buildings within the Courthouse Historic District, and tales of the lives they touched.
Community Attractions
Iowa Culture App
