Antique shops fill the upstate New York countryside in Madison
Madison was once home to Mott’s apple cider mill, but its modern reputation is built on old-fashioned things. “It’s very, very big in antiques,” says Tina Livermore, Madison’s town clerk. The Madison Bouckville Antique Show is a major annual event that draws hundreds of visitors and vendors to the town, about 40 miles southeast of Syracuse. While Madison is named for its central village, its 2,700 residents are spread throughout the surrounding countryside and other small villages like Bouckville and Solsville.
Madison offers historic homes and rural multiacre properties
Bungalows and National homes from the early 1900s sit on lots measuring up to a third of an acre near Madison’s town center. Sidewalks border some streets, and many properties include paved driveways and detached garages. Farms and forests take over the landscape on the outskirts, where ranch-style and A-frame houses occupy multiacre properties. Many rural roads are narrow and hard to navigate when snowbanks pile up in winter. Cottages and small ranch-style homes cost $90,000 to $160,000, and Cape Cods, A-frames and larger ranch-style houses are priced from $200,000 to $350,000. Secluded homes on multiacre or waterfront properties fetch prices from $380,000 to $560,000. Madison has a CAP Index Crime Score of 2 out of 10, below the national average of 4.
Working up an appetite at Madison’s many antique shops
Bargain hunters spend weekends prowling through Madison’s collection of antique shops. Madison Inn Antiques is crammed with books, glassware and other tchotchkes, and train memorabilia is the specialty at Whistle Post Antiques. Mornings begin with diner-style breakfast at The Madison Hop, a recent addition that’s become a local favorite. Down the road, Ray Brothers BBQ offers pulled pork, ribs and hot links with all the fixings. The Hotel Solsville dishes up comfort food washed down with draft beer, and live bands often play on weekends. Dollar General sells the basics, but Price Chopper in Hamilton, about 5 miles away, is the go-to grocery spot.
Madison Bouckville Antique Week has grown over the years
Hundreds of antique dealers show up for Madison Bouckville Antique Week every August. “Years ago, it was just Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but now it’s the whole week,” Livermore says. Vendors and food trucks set up near Cider House Campground in Bouckville. A small-scale version of the same event takes place in June.
Small classes and inter-district sports teams define student life
Students attend Madison Central School from prekindergarten through Grade 12. The school has a student-to-teacher ratio of 11 to 1 and receives a C-minus rating from Niche. Student athletes blend with Morrisville-Eaton Central School District for some sports. “We do merge with a couple of other schools for football and wrestling,” Livermore says. “Soccer and basketball are our biggest.”
Transit options and health care in Syracuse and Hamilton
Most of Madison’s shops and restaurants are on U.S. Route 20, the town’s main thoroughfare. The route is the best starting point for the 40-mile drive to Syracuse and the closest major airport. Community Memorial Hospital is about 7 miles away in Hamilton, and the county offers a Mobility Management Program to help with transportation. Madison Transit System has a bus route that stops at the hospital and Price Chopper, but the closest stop is Heritage Farm in rural Bouckville, so most people drive to make the connection. Colgate University, also in Hamilton, is about 7 miles away, and SUNY Morrisville is about 10.
Outdoor fun at local fishing spots, hiking trails and swimming beach
Madison Lake Town Park’s small swimming beach and playground are free for residents. The nearby school playground is a popular hangout spot even when classes aren’t in session. Cider House Campground is across the road from hiking and cycling trails along the Chenango Canal, where anglers cast lines for trout. The campground has rustic cabins and tent and RV sites, with a few RVs available for rent. Residents also enjoy access to Lake Moraine, a reservoir abundant with chain pickerel, largemouth bass and yellow perch.
