A few miles off the interstate lies a detour to another era, one with a more relaxed pace and state of mind. Here, scenic, less-traveled country roads lead to small town Main Streets, crystal clear springs and wild, dreamy rivers. Pulling into Madison, Florida it first appears you’ve reached a place that time has left alone. A celebrated courthouse surrounded by palms and moss-draped, oak-lined streets creates a picture-perfect image harkening back to those collectible postcards of 70 years ago.

This is truly the kind of place where you don’t need a vacation to recover from your vacation. A visit to this unpretentious, unchanged part of Florida where the Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers meet genuinely recaptures the nostalgia of vintage Florida, a Florida many still long to experience. Fortunately, they can in Madison County.