Thanks to a gentleman's agreement between Gen. Sherman and a local politician, the city of Madison was not burned to the ground by Sherman's army. Most of the historic homes are on the main road (Highway 441) as you drive into town. In general, the homes are private and can't be toured, but their exteriors are something to behold. (Two home tours are offered each year, usually in May and December. Check with the state's tourism bureau for dates.) You can visit Heritage Hall, an 1811 Greek Revival home that now houses the County Historical Society.
Another site to tour is the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center. This historical museum occupies an 1895 building that was one of the first graded schools in the South. The original students called the school a castle, and it must have seemed so to children who had attended one-room school houses.
Madison also hosts a well-regarded theater festival each August. Madison is 50 mi/80 km east of Atlanta.
