In a state finest recognized for peaches and movie units, one tiny city is quietly stealing the highlight — with assist from French croissants, antebellum structure and giraffes that paint.
Madison, Georgia — with a inhabitants simply over 5,000 — was just lately topped the prettiest place to reside within the state by Southern Living.
Situated about 60 miles east of Atlanta, the city has lengthy been admired for its well-preserved historical past, however is now having fun with a contemporary wave of consideration due to a rising roster of contemporary points of interest that complement its old-world appeal.
Based in 1809, Madison boasts one of many largest historic districts in Georgia, dwelling to sprawling mansions that survived the Civil Warfare and as soon as fueled a booming cotton financial system.
A preferred 1.5-mile self-guided strolling tour leads guests previous Greek Revival estates, weathered church steeples and native museums that hint the area's roots.
Amongst them: a small home that when belonged to a previously enslaved lady who went on to construct the property for herself and her kids, now a touchstone for native African-American heritage.
However this isn't only a museum city in sepia tone.
In recent times, a brand new wave of companies has reanimated Madison's compact downtown.
A French-style patisserie serves up crusty baguettes and ethereal croissants to lengthy morning traces. A former gasoline station now homes a bustling café. And a retro roadside motel has been reimagined for weekenders searching for classic aptitude with WiFi.
Nonetheless, essentially the most idyllic addition may be simply outdoors city limits: the Georgia Safari Conservation Park, a sprawling 530-acre facility that made Time journal's World's Best Locations listing for 2025.
Equal components wildlife protect and academic middle, the park affords guests a uncommon likelihood to come back face-to-face with greater than 40 species of unique and endangered animals — from buffalo and zebras to giraffes that have interaction in psychological stimulation workouts like portray and puzzle-solving.
Company can tour the grounds with educated guides, sleep in a single day in luxurious tents overlooking the plains or go to the custom-built 10,000-square-foot barn the place animals work together with caretakers.
The park doubles as a refuge, too — working with Zoological Catastrophe Response groups to deal with animals displaced by hurricanes, floods and wildfires.
