Getting started: as this is a farming community with attractions spread far and wide, a rental car is the most convenient way to travel. However, traveling to and enjoying Madison County without your own car is a viable option. Numerous taxi companies work within the county and Madison offers a number of small, walkable villages in which to base your stay.

If you're traveling to Madison without a car, you'll want to take Amtrak or Greyhound to Utica, where you can catch a twice-daily, one-hour Coach USA bus into the Madison County town of Hamilton. No buses or trains are available from Syracuse. Once in Hamilton, local taxi companies can take you where you want to go.

Once you've arrived, an enjoyable way to begin your stay is to take a scenic drive through Madison's rolling countryside. Gently sloping, open fields dotted with country houses and red barns seem to appear around each bend as the rolling terrain provides stunning open views of the New York State countryside.

You'll also want to stop in at one of Madison County's numerous agricultural attractions.
Our Farms is among the most popular, with its four-acre corn maze, hay rides, and catapult capable of launching pumpkins 200 feet in the air. Our Farms also offers children's horseback rides and a petting zoo. (Note that attractions are seasonal, so you may want to call ahead to find out what's available during your visit.)

And for an agricultural experience you don't find everyday, head over to BMR Acres to visit a South American Alpaca herd. Alpacas resemble a cross between a sheep and a camel, and are native to the Andes Mountains of Peru, Chile, and Bolivia. BMR Acres is dedicated to educating the public about Alpacas and lesser-known animals such as miniature Southdown baby doll sheep, miniature donkeys, and Bantam Silkie chickens. Alpaca fiber products are also available for purchase.

For more traditional farm fare, try Nelson Farms Country Store. Nelson Farms Country Store is part of a larger operation which helps individuals take their home recipes from kitchen counters to store shelves. The program assists with all aspects of bringing a new food product to market and the Nelson Farms Country Store showcases these new, hard-to-find and, most often, produced in New York State products.

Beer lovers also may want to stop by Foothill Hops Farm, a two-acre hop farm and shop where volunteers can learn about the hop cultivation process as well as volunteer to help harvest and plant the hop crop. Hop products such as shampoo, tea, hop pillows, Italian seasoning, and hops for your own home brew can be purchased at the farm.

A slice of Madison's history is also on display at the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum. The Chittenango boat landing was built in 1855 and was once a bustling stop along the Erie Canal where mules, men, and 100-foot boats paused to rest and repair as they made their way across the state. The site features a welcome center with a video of the landing's history, a museum-style education center, a full-sized, partial reconstruction of a grain boat, and the three original dry docking stations.

And just for the sheer beauty, don't miss the 167-foot waterfall at Chittenango Falls State Park (pictured, left). The park offers miles of walking trails and numerous views of the falls, including one from a foot bridge near the base of the waterfall. The falls can also be viewed from the top just steps from the park parking lot and mere feet from where the roaring current tumbles over the edge. Picnic tables and bathrooms are also provided.

Beyond Madison's natural beauty are a also few surprises that make a multi-day trip enjoyable, including surprisingly beautiful windmill farms, the International Boxing Hall of Fame, and the Stone Quarry Hill Art Park.

The county is home to cutting-edge energy technology in the form of dozens of elegantly-designed, 328-foot-tall, white windmills—also called turbines—which are strikingly attractive against their rural backdrop. Viewed at sunset, the windmills make an extraordinary image against the reddening sky, rolling hills and tall trees. (See lead photo above). Visitors can view the surprisingly quiet spinning turbines—consisting of 213-foot-tall stands and 113-foot-long blades—from just a few feet away at the F.R.E.E. Center, which offers picnic tables along with lots of turbine lore. (A larger visitor facility is in the works.)

The International Boxing Hall of Fame is another unexpected delight. Inside this small but well-designed space you'll find busts of the fists of most of boxing's major figures, including Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, and Joe Frazier as well as the largest known fist—more than 14" from wrist to the tip of a clenched knuckle—in boxing. A pair of Joe Louis' gloves and many of the original fight promotion posters and flyers are also on display.

The Stone Quarry Hill Art Park (left) is also a unique attraction dedicated to the preservation of natural space and the exhibition, performance, and creation of art. The park offers 108 acres of nature and art spread over four miles of hiking trails. Sculptors, performance artists, painters, potters, dancers, and musicians from around the world perform and display their work at the park. The park also features public education programs, an indoor gallery, and a shop. Call or check the park's website for artists and programs.

Though much or the county remains rolling farmland, Madison also offers quaint small towns such as lakeside Cazenovia and Hamilton, the home of Colgate University, with its walkable downtown and collegiate feel.

Renowned bass fishing, boating, swimming, and camping are also offered at the 79-square-mile Oneida Lake. The lake is the largest lake contained wholly within New York State and is host each summer to a professional bass tournament.

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For a scrumptious, luxury-filled getaway, try the 8,880-square-foot mansion (and former vacation spot of Teddy Roosevelt) known as the Notleymere Cottage Bed and Breakfast (left).

This recently renovated, five-room, 120-year-old shingle style manse over looks Cazenovia Lake in the village of Cazenovia. Each of its five luxury rooms and suites are decorated in a unique style and include a gourmet breakfast. Manicured gardens, lake views, and a 1,700-square-foot porch make Notleymere an ideal luxury getaway.

Also on Lake Cazenovia is the ivy-covered Brewster Inn mansion. In addition to the restored Victorian splendor of its lobby and rooms, the Brewster Inn offers an award-winning gourmet restaurant and wine collection and beautiful lake views, and also sits within walking distance of Cazenovia village. Nine rooms and suites are available in the main inn, with eight rooms available in Brewster's restored carriage house.

Travelers searching for antiques may want to stay at the 150-year-old early American Ye Olde Landmark Tavern (left). This five-room inn offers large, comfortable rooms with canopy beds, early American antiques, private baths, and wireless internet access. The inn also offers a restaurant and bar and is within walking distance of at least seven antique stores!

Within walking distance of Colgate University and the shops and restaurants of charming downtown Hamilton is the Colgate Inn. This 45-room colonial inn offers guests a richly decorated, recently renovated interior, comfortable rooms, a cozy restaurant and tavern, and access to the university's 18-hole golf course. Banquet and party facilities are also available.

These are just of few of Madison's numerous inns and bed and breakfasts. Alternative options include chain hotels such as the Days Inn in Cazenovia and the Super 8 Motel in Oneida.

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Great service, fine dining, and an award-winning wine list can be found at the elegant Brewster Inn in Cazenovia. The inn has won the Distinguished Restaurants of North America Award of Excellence each of the last four years and the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence 15 years in a row. Unique menu items such as the truffle-encrusted big-eye tuna and porcini-rubbed venison loin are served in an elegant dining room with large windows over looking Lake Cazenovia. The restaurant also offers tapas and tavern menus and a separate but well-appointed tavern also overlooking the lake.

Country-style chandeliers, exposed wood beams, and a big fireplace surround you with country charm in the newly renovated main dining room of the Colgate Inn in Hamilton. Diners enjoy such interesting menu items as pistachio-encrusted salmon and chicken cavatappi. The inn also features a casual Tap Room featuring a bar menu of salads, chicken wings, nachos and quesadillas. And on weekends the basement Rathskeller Bar offers a pub menu and live music.

For a more laid-back atmosphere and heaping helpings of seafood, head over to Johnnie's Pier 31, on the banks of Lake Oneida. This family-owned restaurant with a lake-view dining room and deck offers an extensive seafood menu including Brazilian lobster tails, Alaskan king crab, and half-pound servings of imported frogs legs and scallops. Steaks, ribs, pasta and a small children's menus are also offered.

And for a good old country breakfast, stop in at Emma's on Main in the heart of Cazenovia. This country cafe opens each morning at 6:30 am, to offer hot coffee, friendly service, and hearty eggs, bacon, and home fries along its old-fashioned food service counter and high-backed wooden booths.

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Madison County tends to be pretty quiet come nightfall. But on weekends you'll find live music at the Colgate Inn's Rathskeller Pub. Livelier nightlife, including live shows, gambling, and an array of restaurants can be found about a 30-minute drive away at either Turning Stone Casino or the Vernon Downs horseracing and gaming complex.

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AIR: The heart of Madison County is an approximately 45-minute drive from the Syracuse Hancock International Airport. Direct flights from New York City, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, and Newark range from one hour and 10 minutes to one hour and 52 minutes.

BUS: Greyhound (800-231-2222) provides daily service from New York City to Syracuse and Utica, NY. Coach USA (800-647-6471) provides twice-daily, one-hour buses from Utica to Hamilton and Hamilton to Utica.

CAR: Drive times from Manhattan and Hoboken, NJ to Cazenovia are approximately four and a half hours, with Albany, NY requiring two and a half hours, Syracuse 45 minutes, and Boston five hours.

CAR RENTAL: Car rentals are available at the Syracuse Hancock International Airport from Alamo / National (800-227-7368), Avis (800-331-1212), Budget (800-527-0700), Dollar (800-800-3665), Enterprise (800-325-8007), Hertz (800-654-3131). Thrifty Car Rental (800-847-4389) is located outside the airport but provides shuttle service to and from the airport.

TAXI: Century Transportation (315-455-5151) provides rather expensive taxi service from the Syracuse Hancock International Airport to Madison County. Rates include $63.60 into Cazenovia and $117.50 to Hamilton. Numerous taxi companies are also available within Madison County.

TRAIN: Amtrak (800-USA-RAIL) offers trains from New York's Penn Station and most major area cities to Syracuse and Utica, NY.

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Many of Madison County's attractions are seasonal and/or small family-run operations, so it's a good idea to decide what you would like to see and confirm those attractions are available before you go.

Madison County Tourism

For a detailed map of Madison County, click here