Guide to Madison

General Wisconsin things to do

Drink a Spotted Cow
This farmhouse ale from New Glarus Brewing is unfiltered, light on hops and easy drinking at around 5% ABV. There’s hardly a tavern in the state that doesn’t have a tap devoted to this classic, and, like all New Glarus beers, it’s sold only in Wisconsin.

Try a brandy old fashioned sweet
In 2023 Wisconsin officially declared this the state cocktail, which it was definitely unofficially anyway. In Wisconsin, brandy is the default liquor for an old fashioned; “sweet” is made with a wash of lemon-lime soda (7UP or Sprite); ask for “press” and it will be mixed with club soda for something less sweet. You can go wild and order it sour (with grapefruit soda) but that’s a bit of an outlier.

Eat cheese curds
These are popular fresh (the fresher they are, the squeakier they are), or breaded and battered and fried for a bar appetizer. For fresh, check out the Dane County Farmers’ Market on Saturday morning (see below). For fried, The Old Fashioned, 23 N. Pinckney St., (again, see below) is tops.

Photo courtesy Fete De Marquette
Photo by Sharon Vanorny for Destination Madison
Photo by Joe Koshollek
Photo courtesy Dane County Farmers Market

Madison things to do/see

Fete de Marquette is the place to be July 10-13, in McPike Park, 202 S. Ingersoll St. on the near east side. This free fest features a huge slate of bands, with plenty of blues, Cajun and zydeco.

Want to get out on Madison’s lakes? Rent a kayak, canoe, paddleboard or paddle boat at Brittingham Boats, 701 W. Brittingham Place in downtown Madison. You can stay in Monona Bay or paddle under a bridge and into Lake Monona, which spreads out over more than 3,000 acres. There are also full moon paddles on July 9 and July 10 (these sell out fast so sign up now if interested), with a band playing from a floating stage and kits for preparing your own s’mores on their floating fire pits.

If you are looking to take in a wide range of the sights in the downtown area in a compact time frame, and without a car, Madison Adventure Tours offers guided eBike tours. The route is about 10 miles, and includes landmarks like the Wisconsin Capitol (natch) and also offers views of lakes Mendota, Monona and Wingra. The rides are for ages 14 and up, and depart at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. daily from 600 Williamson St.; helmets and eBike training are provided. Book online here.

Capitol tour/observation deck
You can easily find the Capitol — it’s the tall, pointy building at the center of the Capitol Square. Tours run Monday through Saturday at 9, 10, and 11 a.m. and 1, 2 and 3 p.m., with an additional 4 p.m. tour Monday-Friday. Sunday tours are at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. All tours leave from the information desk in the center of the rotunda; if your group is larger than 10, reservations are required here. The observation deck on the 6th floor will give you an awesome view of Madison in all directions. It’s open weekdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and Sunday noon-3:30 p.m. The only trick is finding your way up to it in the somewhat mazelike building. Official directions say to “Take the west hallway (north side) elevator to the 4th floor and then follow signs up two additional flights of stairs to the viewing deck.” If you’re having trouble finding the right elevator, ask.

Fromagination
12 S. Carroll St.
This top-notch shop features an extensive selection of Wisconsin cheeses. Staff is incredibly helpful. If you want an insider tip: Uplands Pleasant Ridge Reserve. Your life will change forever for the better.

Art Fair On and Off the Square
Summer brings not one but two huge gatherings of visual artists to downtown Madison on July 12-13. The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art offers Art Fair on the Square, featuring more than 400 juried artists from around the U.S., music stages, and much more ringing the state Capitol. The Wisconsin Alliance of Artists and Craftspeople presents Art Fair Off the Square, down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Monona Terrace (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright!) with about 140 artists from Wisconsin. More info at mmoca.org and artcraftwis.org.

Dane County Farmers’ Market
While this, the largest producer-only farmers’ market in the U.S., usually rings the Capitol Square on Saturday mornings, due to the Art Fair’s presence on the Square this weekend, a slightly scaled down market moves to Breese Stevens Field, 917 E. Mifflin St., 7 a.m.-noon. Breese Stevens was built with local sandstone during the Great Depression thanks to the Civil Works Administration. But face it, you’re really here for the fresh, squeaky cheese curds and Stella’s spicy cheese bread.

Hang out at the Memorial Union Terrace
Smack center on the southside of Lake Mendota is UW-Madison’s Memorial Union Terrace, 800 Langdon St., where students, professors and families flock when the weather gets warm. Get a bite to eat at on-site casual options Der Rathskeller (comfort food with a Bavarian twist) or Strada (pizza and pasta bowls), and one of the dozens of beers on tap at Der Stiftskeller, and plop down at one of the brightly-colored tables facing the lakeside — it’s quintessential Madison stuff.

Photo courtesy State Line Distillery
Photo courtesy Caribou Bar
Photo courtesy Cardinal Bar

Drinks and Night Life

Craft cocktail crawl
Draw your own route between these easily walkable near-east-side cocktail havens; your journey altogether will be less than a mile.

  • Old Sugar Distillery, 931 E. Main St. Suite 8: Order a Honey Badger, made with a distinctive honey liqueur.
  • Imaginary Factory, 1401 Northern Court: Maybe Madison’s weirdest bar serves undefinable cocktails made by an enigmatic bartender. Also features a ping pong table!
  • State Line Distillery, 1413 Northern Court: Right next door to Imaginary Factory, State Line makes its own booze on premises. The coffee liqueur is an award winner.
  • Gib’s, 1380 Williamson St.: Truly artistic drinks are served here, where you can chill on the porch or wait for a table at the exceptional Grampa’s Pizzeria next door.

Micro brewery crawl
You’ll get a bit more exercise with this still easily walkable near-east-side explore. If you start at Young Blood, just off the Capitol Square, and work your way east down the isthmus to hit every one, it’s a two-mile trek.

Dive bar crawl
These bars are reminiscent of a more working-class Madison, and perhaps give a taste of the classic Up North bar as well. This crawl is a marathon at 3 miles. Maybe check out a B-Cycle.

  • The Paradise Lounge, 119 W. Main St.: Lawmakers mix with metal heads at this joint just off the Capitol Square.
  • The Wisco, 852 Williamson St.: The near-east side volleyball crowd congregates here for canned macrobrews and good vibes.
  • The Caribou, 703 E. Johnson St.: Cozy, comfortable, reliable, the ‘Bou is home to grad students and a great burger.
  • Baldwin Street Grille, 1304 E. Washington Ave.: A true dive shouldn’t have food this good!
  • Mickey’s Tavern, 1524 Williamson St.: One of the city’s comfiest neighborhood hangs. Try the Sexy Fries!

LGBTQ

  • Shamrock Bar & Grille, 117 W. Main St. One of the oldest LGBTQ bars in Madison, and you get a little taste of dive bar here as well.
  • Woof’s, 114 King St. A real bear den with a nice sidewalk beer garden and dance music.
  • Five Nightclub, 5 Applegate Court. The largest LGBTQ venue in the area with drag and fetish events. You will need to take a cab.

Dancing

  • Cardinal Bar, 418 E. Wilson St. In an historic hotel, the Cardinal hosts DJs and Latin bands, along with a nice cocktail bar.
  • Sotto, 303 N. Henry St. 21st century vibes just off State Street. Expect students.
Photo Courtesy Green Owl Cafe
Photo courtesy Harvey House
Photo by The Nix Company on Unsplash

Dining

Dining if you’re still spending that sweet Personals revenue

  • Tornado Steak House, 116 S. Hamilton St. A vintage interior that’s part mid-century modern, part cabin, pairs with top-notch steaks, hash browns and wedge salad. Don’t overlook the pan-fried walleye.
  • Sardine, 617 Williamson St. The patio more or less overlooks Lake Monona, but the French bistro interior is also welcoming. The seared salmon and the duck confit salad are perennial favorites.
  • Harvey House, 644 W. Washington Ave. This high-end, 21st century version of a Wisconsin supper club serves some fun interpretations of classic fare. Wisco pick: walleye. The bar has a fine collection of nightcap concoctions worthy of the title “supper club.”
  • Fairchild, 2611 Monroe St. Itaru Nagano and Andrew Kroeger won the James Beard award for Best Chef-Midwest in 2023 for their new classic farm-to-table cuisine. Pasta is house-made, and there’s an impressive cocktail program. Worth the taxi or Uber ride to the near west side.

Dining if you’re writing for a scrappy nonprofit newsroom

  • Ian’s Pizza, 100 State St. Sold by the slice or the whole pie; the salads are also very good. For five years, Isthmus had an office on the third floor of this building and Ian’s was basically the house cafeteria. Fun slice of the week flavors like clam chowder or Italian meat sandwich are usually excellent, no matter how weird they sound. Lots of vegan options.
  • Taiwan Little Eats, 320 State St. Taiwanese street food: Tainan braised pork, jiayi chicken, sweet potato fries, milk tea.

    Paul’s Pel’meni, 414 W. Gilman St. There’s only one thing on the menu, the small Russian dumplings called pelmeni, stuffed with either ground beef or potato or get a half and half order (recommended). Essential is the accompanying sauce, an unusual and vibrant curry-cilantro.

Most Wisconsin

  • The Old Fashioned, 23 N. Pinckney St. on the Capitol Square, is designed to look like an Up North tavern, and it gets everything right. Cheese curds, walleye, a Sheboygan bratwurst, and summer sausage sandwich are all on point.
  • Plaza Tavern, 319 N. Henry St.
    This is the real deal. Order a Plazaburger, play some pool.

Vegetarian
Some of the best vegetarian eats can be found at Himal Chuli, 318 State St., a Nepali restaurant on State Street. Just Veggiez, 540 State St., is vegan; Mad Rabbit Cafe, 805 Williamson St., and the Green Owl Cafe, 1970 Atwood Ave., offer vegetarian and vegan.

Photo by Nick Garcia
Photo courtesy American Players Theatre
Photo by Travel Wisconsin

In the Area

Maybe Uber or BCycle to
The Biergarten at Olbrich Park, 3527 Atwood Ave., will take you a ways from downtown. But the distance buys you some serenity at this lakefront beer garden, which serves a variety of local ​​beers, ciders and seltzers, alongside staples like brats and soft pretzels. If you really want to live up the summer vibe, bring a volleyball and hit the nearby sand courts.

Picnic Point, 2000 University Bay Dr.: Hop on a BCycle bike at the Edgewater and head west to the Memorial Union where you can jump on the Lakeshore Path that runs along the UW-Madison campus, past historic dorms, recreational fields and out to Picnic Point, where you can walk out to experience one of the most dramatic views of Madison’s skyline. The jaunt will make your beer or ice cream purchase back at the Union that much more rewarding.

Forward Madison FC at Breese Stevens Field, 900 E. Washington Ave.: Madison’s USL1 minor league soccer team plays at this historic stadium. Come for the football, stay for the coolest kits in pro soccer.

If people stay through the weekend
Taliesin. Go for the architecture! Go for the history! Translated from Welsh, Taliesin means “shining brow.” Billed as the “birthplace of organic architecture,” Frank Lloyd Wright’s home in Wisconsin’s beautiful Driftless Region is open for a variety of tours. New this year is a self-guided tour that allows you to wander the house and grounds at your leisure with an iPad “loaded with exclusive audio and video of Wright himself.” The nearby village of Spring Green has shopping, galleries and a few restaurants, including the Spring Green General Store. Taliesin is an easy and pretty one-hour ride from Madison.

American Players Theatre: This internationally renowned theater company in Spring Green hosts a 1075-seat outdoor amphitheater and the 201-seat indoor Touchstone Theatre. When the conditions are right — bright stars and a cool evening breeze — the outdoor experience is magical. About an hour west of Madison, there are matinee and evening performances the weekend of the conference but move quickly, seats go fast. The tradition is to picnic before the performance, either with food and drink you bring or by ordering ahead.

House on the Rock. If you enjoy gaudy and bizarre displays of excess, this is your place. Prepare to spend several hours here if you want to visit all of the buildings on site that contain the various items and spectacles obsessively collected by Alex Jordan over several decades. If you watched season two of Starz’ American Gods you might already be familiar with what is touted as the World’s Largest Carousel, an 80-foot wide, 36-ton ride fitted with 182 chandeliers and a menagerie of 269 fantastical creatures. Located south of Spring Green, an easy hour or so ride from Madison.

Paoli. This sweet village just about 12 miles from Madison has become a destination in recent years. There are good restaurants, art, a pub with great burgers, a taproom (usually with outdoor music), brewshops, and even a boutique hotel that is part of the new Seven Acre Dairy Company, a restored dairy factory. It’s all nestled along the scenic Sugar River. If you’re energetic it’s a nice bike ride from Madison, with much of the route on bike paths.

Devil’s Lake State Park, a quick 45-minute drive north of Madison, offers some of the more challenging hiking around. At 9,217 acres it’s the state’s largest park and one of the few rock climbing and bouldering destinations. But even hikers can take the Balanced Rock Trail, a half-mile scramble straight up the quartzite bluffs. There is also swimming at the lake, with sandy beaches at the north and south ends, and rentals available of kayaks, canoes and more.

How to get around
BCycle e-bikes: These bikes, dotted at 90+ stations around the city, come with an electric-assist motor. Paying $7.40 will net you 30 minutes — though if you plan to ride frequently, the unlimited $33.80 month pass may be a better value.

Madison Metro: The city’s bus service is easy to use and you can find scheduling information on Google Maps.
Union Cab: Madison’s largest taxi fleet is reflective of the city’s politics: a worker-owned cooperative dedicated to providing a living wage for its drivers. You can order a cab by calling 608-242-2000 or through their mobile app. And while you wait, here’s some Isthmus coverage of the collective.

Uber/Lyft: Available readily in Madison, as in most cities. Prices are fairly comparable between the two platforms — though expect a significant hike in the evening when the nightlife picks up.