Madison was barely even a village when Wisconsin’s earliest state legislators named it as the new state capital in the early 1800s. Cheeky perhaps, but those pioneers were on to something: They opted for a brilliantly beautiful locale for the seat of government, a landscape of gentle hills, fertile prairies, thick stands of oak and maple, and a chain of four substantial lakes. The downtown, they decided, would straddle a half-mile-wide isthmus between the two largest lakes, Mendota and Monona. Then they built the grand Capitol building smack in the middle of this sliver of land, atop its highest point.
Madison today still basks in this picture-postcard setting, a beguiling city of 200,000 known for its sparkling lakes, world-class university and a much-lauded quality of life that somehow combines small-town pleasantries with a hip, cosmopolitan sensibility. Here are 10 reasons that make Madison–less than 150 miles from Chicago–the perfect fall getaway (all phones area code 608, unless otherwise noted):
1. Farmers Market. A full roster of festivals and events throughout the year is held on Capitol Square, the eight-block green that skirts the State Capitol, but the weekly farmers market is undeniably its most beloved. From 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday morning from the last Saturday in April to the first Sunday in November, about 200 farmers from throughout the region line “The Square” for what is widely considered one of the finest farmers markets in the country.
The setting certainly contributes, but quality and authenticity is the key: Only local vendors are permitted, offering only locally grown produce, meats and cheeses, and homemade baked goods. Join the throng circling the Capitol sifting through piles of sweet corn, sampling aged cheddar, loading down their backpacks with everything from homemade pesto to pumpkins. What’s more, the farmers market is a microcosm of Madison itself, a happy melee of Birkenstocks, baby strollers, coffee carts, countless organizations with card tables and petitions, and politicians vying for handshakes. No phone, but Web site is www.madfarmmkt.org
2. Monona Terrace
Two blocks from the Capitol Square, Monona Terrace arcs out over Lake Monona with a dramatic sweep of blue glass, a community and convention center designed by Wisconsin’s most famous son, Frank Lloyd Wright. Completed in 1997, the convention center was originally designed by Wright in 1938, then debated by the city for decades. Though Wright and others made revisions over the years, the plans always carried a unique cachet: Monona Terrace was one of the few Wright designs remaining that still had available the original site specified by Wright, a man noted for wedding his designs to their environment.
On Saturday mornings, the usual parade of conventioneers gives way to Madisonian Michael Feldman, who broadcasts his witty, irreverent “Whad’ Ya Know” to a live audience and public radio listeners throughout the U.S. For tickets, call 800-WHA-KNOW. Tour the center (guided tours are available daily) or wander onto its rooftop garden for a glorious view of the lake. Monona Terrace, 261-4066.
3. State Street to King Street
Linking the University of Wisconsin to the Capitol, the eight-block-long State Street pedestrian mall offers an amalgam of coffeehouses, ethnic restaurants, bars, bookstores, street performers and outdoor cafes. The tenor changes as you make your way from campus, with student bars and Badger clothing stores evolving into gift shops, galleries and a trio of museums where State Street meets the Square. “Lower” State Street, nearest the Capitol, is also the site for Madison’s budding Arts District, fueled largely by a private $100 million grant. A roster of new museums, galleries and performance centers will soon keep company with State Street’s existing Madison Civic Center and Madison Art Center.
Don’t miss a trip through Wisconsin’s glorious Romanesque State Capitol (free tours begin from the rotunda several times daily Monday through Saturday), which pokes over Madison’s diminutive skyline. Local ordinances prohibit any building from rising taller or directly blocking sight lines to the Capitol dome, so it looms at the end of every street that radiates from the square, framed like a postage stamp.
If you trace an imaginary line from State Street through the Capitol, you reach King Street. King and surrounding streets mark a budding new restaurant district; on the southeast side of the Square; diners can choose an ever-growing array of menus, including Middle East cuisine at The Casbah (119 Main St.; 255-2272), South American flavors and live jazz at Restaurant Magnus (120 E. Wilson Ave.; 258-8787), and inventive regional dishes at the Opera House (117 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.; 284-8466).
4. Take to the lake
Since water greets you at every turn, you haven’t fully experienced Madison until you get out on the water. If you have your own boat, you can launch at any number of ramps at city parks such as Olbrich Park on the east end of Lake Monona or Marshall Park on the west end of Mendota for a nominal fee. A lock links Mendota and Monona, and a channel leads from Monona south to Lake Waubesa.
Paddlers have even more options, including several wetlands areas. Rent canoes from Carl’s Paddlin’ (284-0300) and Rutabaga (223-9300), and watersports equipment–canoes, sailboats and sailboards–from Hoofer’s (262-1630), the outdoor sports club at the UW Memorial Union.
5. Williamson Street/Atwood Avenue area
Williamson, or “Willy,” Street serves as the main artery of Madison’s near East Side, a funky neighborhood that still proudly nurtures the city’s leftist roots. Here you’ll find eclectic little storefront restaurants like Jolly Bob’s Jerk Joint (1210 Williamson St.; 251-3902), nightclubs like the Crystal Corner Bar (1302 Williamson St.; 256-2953), a favorite live music venue on weekends, and alternative community theater at Broom Street Theater (1119 Williamson St.; 244-8338).
Continue down Willy Street to Atwood Avenue, where The Barrymore stands as a showcase to community activism. Neighbors ran the theater’s former X-rated offerings out of town, and today the old movie palace/vaudeville hall serves as one of Madison’s finest and most intimate concert venues. Where Atwood Avenue morphs into Monona Drive, Olbrich Botanical Gardens (3330 Atwood Ave.; 246-4718) features a tropical forest conservatory and 15 acres of gardens.
6. Campus walk
The University of Wisconsin campus hugs the south shore of Lake Mendota for more than 4 miles. With a gravel lakeshore path and plenty of green space and gardens, it’s a lovely spot for a walk. Pick up a map at the Red Gym, 716 Langdon St. Campus tours also leave from here every weekday at 3 p.m. (265-9500; www.wisc.edu).
If you’d rather set out on your own, begin near the west end of campus at Picnic Point, a wooded peninsula that needles out nearly a mile into the lake. Follow the Lakeshore Path east to Babcock Drive, where the impressive Allen Centennial Gardens offer up two acres of meticulous Victorian and English gardens. Follow Observatory Drive east up the hill for a lovely vista of Lake Mendota, then stroll down Bascom Hill, a campus landmark. Conclude your walk at the Memorial Union Terrace, where hundreds of waterfront tables and an outdoor music stage provide the perfect warm-weather hangout.
7. University of Wisconsin football
When the UW Badgers are playing at home, autumn Saturdays also mean football, and UW football means celebration. (Thanks to back-to-back Rose Bowl victories this year and last under Coach Barry Alvarez, they have plenty to celebrate.) Before the game, tailgate parties erupt all around cavernous Camp Randall Stadium, with thousands of red-and-white-clad fans tapping beer kegs and grilling bratwurst. Tailgate activity–complete with live music–centers loosely around the south side of the stadium, near the intersection of Regent Street, Monroe Street and Crazylegs Drive (named for Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch, a star UW and NFL running back and former UW athletic director).
Badger football tickets can be hard to come by for the big games, but not impossible. For schedule and tickets, call 800-GOBADGERS.
8. Cycling trails
The Madison area is a cyclist’s dream, with miles of well-paved, lightly traveled country roads (thank the dairy farmers) outside of town, and plenty of city bike paths for casual around-town jaunts. One of the best is the new Capital City Trail, a paved route that stitches through woods and wetlands along the south end of town, and will soon link up with converted rail trails that traverse the state.
A favorite among cyclists and inline skaters is the path that traces the north shore of Lake Monona. Add a few neighborhood streets (marked with bike path signs) and you can complete a 12-mile loop around the lake. Access the trail at Olin-Turville Park on the lake’s west end, or adjacent to Monona Terrace. Rent bikes and skates from the trailside Williamson Bicycle Works (601 Williamson St.; 255-2421).
9. The UW Arboretum
With tallgrass prairie, wetlands and brilliant stands of oak and maple curving around Lake Wingra, the 1,240-acre University of Wisconsin Arboretum offers a wonderful natural sanctuary in the heart of the city. Though the arboretum is technically a research and teaching facility, it’s a pioneering example of ecological restoration, with much of the work done by CCC crews during the Depression.
Hike more than 20 miles of trails that thread through treasures like Curtis Prairie, with waving stands of 10-foot-high big bluestem grass, and Noe Woods, a tract of century-old oaks, and Gallistel Woods, site of some 1,000-year-old effigy mounds. McCaffery Drive winds through the arboretum to the McKay Visitor Center, where you can pick up maps and other information. The drive is also a popular route with runners and cyclists and is part of a 6-mile loop around Lake Wingra. (UW Arboretum, 263-7888)
10. Golf
Madison’s rolling hills and maple woodlot provide a perfect natural setting for golf, and courses turn even more beautiful in fall. Best of all, tee times open up at some of the area’s most popular courses. Two to try: Odana Hills, a favorite city course (266-4724), and University Ridge, a highly acclaimed championship par-72 on the far West Side (845-7700).
Taste of Madison 2000, will take place Sept. 2-3 on the Capitol Square, featuring food from more than 65 eating establishments and entertainment. For times and more details, call 608-831-1725. For more information about Madison, contact the Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau, 800-373-6376; www.visitmadison.com.
IF YOU GO
LODGING
Along with the usual array of chain hotels and motels, Madison offers some distinctive lodging options within the city limits. A few to consider are these. Prices given are lowest rates and are per room, double. Weekday rates are Sunday-Thursday; weekend rates are Friday and Saturday.
Mansion Hill Inn. This 1858 Romanesque Revival mansion has been painstakingly restored to its original opulence, and is well worthy of a splurge. A good location, too, in a quiet residential area just a few blocks from downtown. Weekday, $160; weekend, $170. 424 N. Pinckney St.; 800-798-9070; www.mansionhillinn.com.
Arbor House. This “environmental inn” on the near West Side promotes urban ecology in an appropriate natural setting near the UW Arboretum and Lake Wingra. Weekday, $89; weekend, $105. 3402 Monroe St.; 238-2981; www.arbor-house.com.
Canterbury Inn. Tucked above a popular independent bookstore downtown, rooms in this unique inn come complete with padded window seats, a comfy reading corner, and a bookcase stuffed with current and classic titles. Weekday, $130; weekend, $160. 315 W. Gorham St.; 800-838-3850; www.madisoncanterbury.com.
The Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club. A traditional type of hotel, the Concourse earns mention for its excellent location just steps from State Street and Capitol Square. Upper levels offer great views too. Rates (weekday or weekend) start at $109. 1 W. Dayton St.; 800-356-8293. www.concoursehotel.com.
— Tina Lassen
