Madison, Indiana

Walk out a gangplank and sit on an open-air river barge on the shore of the Ohio River. Gingerly sip mint juleps whiling away the time watching commercial river traffic and pleasure yachts cruise by. Occasionally, a paddle-wheeler will churn by on its way from Cincinnati to New Orleans. The towering bridge over to Kentucky is one of the longest surviving iron structures in the United States. Madison has an abundance of beautiful commercial and residential architecture. Madison's downtown area was designated one of the largest National Historic Landmarks in the United States—133 blocks of the downtown area is known as the Madison Historic District. A half dozen high-quality antique stores are sprinkled across downtown. Don't miss Clifty Falls State Park, just a hop, skip and jump from downtown. If you're headed north from Madison, take the Ohio River Scenic Byway and be sure to stop in the cute village of Vevay, Indiana. Madison is the county seat of Jefferson County. Madison has a powerboat racing tradition dating back to at least 1911. In 1929, the city began holding an annual race, later called the Madison Regatta beginning in 1948.