This Lively Georgia Hub Offers Stunning Museums, Parks, And Shops In One Of The 'World's Most Beautiful Towns'

Madison's local tourist board has worn its accolades, handed out by a variety of publications for over 160 years, with pride. For well over a century, the media has celebrated the town's beauty, with Madison earning the title of one of the "most beautiful towns in the world". As such, for those flying into the chaos that is Hartsfield-Jackson, Madison must be suggested as the perfect escape from the world's busiest airport. Get away from the long customs queues and bustling baggage carousels found in Georgia's capital and instead bask in Madison's small-town charm. Its history is on display in its museums and its inviting green spaces. Perhaps the pick of the town's museums is the Morgan County African-American Museum, which celebrates the region's African American cultural legacy, and is just $5 for adults to enter (at the time of writing).

Driving into Madison is necessary as it sits just over 60 miles away from the aforementioned airport. A visit to this quaint town can be part of a wonderful road trip around The Peach State, with the prospect of a gorgeous waterside getaway at Lake Sinclair just over a 45-minute drive away. While in Madison, be sure to allow time for a leisurely stroll in its inviting shopping district, where one can be certain that they will leave the town armed with the perfect souvenir or gift for a loved one.

For a town of just over 5,000 people, Madison's museum scene is one so impressive that even cities far larger cannot compete with it. The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center has a host of exhibitions that teach visitors about the area's regional history, with plenty of objects pre-dating the 19th century. Visitors are immersed in a history of the Deep South with architectural displays, arts and crafts, and even a restored schoolroom from 1895 that will transport visiting children to a different era. Heritage Hall shows how the high society lived prior to the Civil War. For fans of ghost stories, the mansion also has a variety of eerie tales associated with it. As a contrast, a 7-minute stroll from Heritage House down to South Main Street will take visitors to The Rogers House & Rose Cottage, which shows a far more humble reality of what life in Madison was like for everyday Madisonians during the same era.

Away from its museums, Madison is blessed with welcoming outdoor spaces. A tranquil place to relax is Round Bowl Spring Park, which forms part of the Madison Historic District Wellness Trail. For a more active public park, visit Hill Park. There, racket sport fans can enjoy games of tennis or pickleball on its courts free of charge. Meanwhile, on a family outing, the little ones can traverse its playground, while adults set up a picnic or barbecue at the park's designated tables.

Those after nature options outside the town should head to Hard Labor Creek State Park, where hikers and horse riders alike can enjoy the park's whopping 24 miles of trails. Visitors can swim in the woodland park's lakes during the summer months as well as enjoy its 18-hole golf course. Animal lovers who have dreamed of a trip to the Serengeti can find the next best thing just four miles away from Madison's center. Georgia Safari Conservation Park offers the opportunity to see some of nature's finest beasts, from rhinos to giraffes, in the wild.

After enjoying a dose of relaxation either in the great outdoors or in one of Madison's spas, such as Pure Bliss Spa or Just Breathe Day Spa, the town invites its tourists to participate in some retail therapy. In the late 19th-century Belmont Hotel building, Laughing Moon is found. With an emphasis on Georgia-made products, shoppers can peruse a variety of unique items on both its main floor and in a former hotel room upstairs. Open every day of the week, antique lovers should visit the 12,000 square feet J&K Fleas An'Tiques store, where visitors can browse antiques dating back to the mid-19th century. For a more intimate spot, there are still plenty of quirky collectibles to be found at The Junque Corner. Antique obsessives should head half an hour up the road to the antique shop Mecca of Monroe for even more vintage treasures.