Madison, WI Things to Do and Attractions
Located less than 30 miles outside of Madison, Cave of the Mounds is a national natural landmark. Believed to be more than 1 or 2 million years old, the cave is lined with colorful stalactites, stalagmites, columns and other formations. One-hour-long
Located less than 30 miles outside of Madison, Cave of the Mounds is a national natural landmark. Believed to be more than 1 or 2 million years old, the cave is lined with colorful stalactites, stalagmites, columns and other formations. One-hour-long guided tours are available year-round. Aboveground activities at Cave of the Mounds include a gemstone mine and fossil dig, nature trails, prairie and savanna restoration gardens, rocks and rain gardens and a butterfly garden.
Cave of the Mounds is open daily with seasonal hours. Tours are $15 for adults and $7.50 for children ages 4 to 12. Tours for children under age 4 are free.
Operated by University of Wisconsin Madison, Chazen Museum of Art houses an impressive collection of paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, photographs and applied and decorative arts. The museum specializes in such fields as ancient Greek ceramics,
Operated by University of Wisconsin Madison, Chazen Museum of Art houses an impressive collection of paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, photographs and applied and decorative arts. The museum specializes in such fields as ancient Greek ceramics, Indian miniatures and European and American paintings and hosts touring regional, national and international exhibits.
The Chazen Museum of Art is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM and Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM to 5 PM. Guided tours are offered every Sunday at 2 PM and Thursday at 12:30 PM. Tours and admission are free.
One of the nation's few free zoos, Madison's celebrated Henry Vilas Zoo opened in 1911. Spanning 28 acres, the zoo is home to a variety of animals, birds, reptiles and fish, ranging from polar bears, penguins and piranhas to giraffes and kangaroos.
One of the nation's few free zoos, Madison's celebrated Henry Vilas Zoo opened in 1911. Spanning 28 acres, the zoo is home to a variety of animals, birds, reptiles and fish, ranging from polar bears, penguins and piranhas to giraffes and kangaroos. Don't miss the zoo's state-of-the-art terrariums, showcasing exotic frogs and South American plants. The Henry Vilas Zoo is open daily from 9:30 AM to 5 PM. Admission is free. The zoo offers entire facility rentals, as well as event rentals in its Visitor Center and Conservation Education Pavilion.
The fun, exciting Madison Children's Museum, located on the Capitol Square, encourages children to learn through play in an interactive environment. Exhibits and activities include an art studio, where children can sculpt, paint, draw and weave, as
The fun, exciting Madison Children's Museum, located on the Capitol Square, encourages children to learn through play in an interactive environment. Exhibits and activities include an art studio, where children can sculpt, paint, draw and weave, as well as an authentically-restored 1830s log home, typical of those built by Madison's earliest European settlers, furnished with household artifacts for play. The museum's Wildernest, built for children up to age 5, is a global village made almost entirely out of natural and sustainably-harvested materials, while the four-season rooftop space features a greenhouse, solar oven, gardens and live-animal terrariums.
Madison Children's Museum is open daily from 9:30 AM to 5 PM, with extended Thursday hours until 8 PM. Admission is $6.95 per visitor; children under age 1 receive free admission. The museum features private event space for group rentals.
Housed in Madison's sprawling Overture Center for the Arts, the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art shows nearly 5,000 works of art, including paintings, prints, photographs, drawings and sculptures by some of the most significant American artists of
Housed in Madison's sprawling Overture Center for the Arts, the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art shows nearly 5,000 works of art, including paintings, prints, photographs, drawings and sculptures by some of the most significant American artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. The 51,500-square-foot museum also features a 7,100-square-foot sculpture garden and rooftop restaurant.
The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art is open Tuesday through Thursday from noon to 5 PM, Friday from noon to 8 PM, Saturday from 10 AM to 8 PM and Sunday from noon to 8 PM. Admission is free. The museum features private event space in the sculpture garden, 230-seat lecture hall and beautiful lobby, complete with black granite floors and a dramatic glass staircase.
The breathtaking Olbrich Botanical Gardens has 16 acres of outdoor display gardens, a botanical center and the renowned Bolz Conservatory. Home to more than 650 plants, the Bolz Conservatory features exotic plants, flowers, orchids, free-flying birds
The breathtaking Olbrich Botanical Gardens has 16 acres of outdoor display gardens, a botanical center and the renowned Bolz Conservatory. Home to more than 650 plants, the Bolz Conservatory features exotic plants, flowers, orchids, free-flying birds and a waterfall, while outdoor gardens include serenity, shade, hosta and herb gardens as well as a traditional English sunken garden with an 80-foot-long reflecting pool and a Thai pavilion and garden, complete with ornamental grasses and bamboos.
Olbrich Botanical Gardens' outdoor areas are open daily, April through September from 8 AM to 8 PM, October from 9 AM to 6 PM and November through March from 9 AM to 4 PM. The Bolz Conservatory is open year-round, Monday through Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM and Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM. Admission to the outdoor gardens is free, while admission to the conservatory is $1 per person. Olbrich Botanical Gardens features three private event rental spaces for groups of 10 to 225 people, all located in the botanical center and overlooking the gardens.
The downtown Madison Overture Center for the Arts is a 400,000-square-foot world-class performing and visual arts facility home to 10 arts organizations, seven performing arts venues and several meeting venues. The center features more than 200
The downtown Madison Overture Center for the Arts is a 400,000-square-foot world-class performing and visual arts facility home to 10 arts organizations, seven performing arts venues and several meeting venues. The center features more than 200 performances, exhibitions, educational events and community events each year. Venues include the Overture Hall and soaring glass lobby, Playhouse Theatre, Wisconsin Studio, Rotunda Stage, Wisconsin Academy's James Watrous Gallery, Promenade hall and Terrace, Promenade Lounge, Capitol Theater and four community visual arts galleries. The Overture Center for the Arts offers tours on its history and architecture as well as tailored special topic tours for groups.
Celebrating Wisconsin's rich history, the Wisconsin Historical Museum examines state history from pre-historic to present times. Located on Capitol Square, the museum houses more than 110,000 historical objects and 393,000 archaeological artifacts on
Celebrating Wisconsin's rich history, the Wisconsin Historical Museum examines state history from pre-historic to present times. Located on Capitol Square, the museum houses more than 110,000 historical objects and 393,000 archaeological artifacts on anthropology, history, business, politics and military life. Museum exhibits also include photographs, full-scale dioramas, audio-visual presentations and interactive multimedia programs.
The Wisconsin Historical Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 AM to 4 PM. Admission is $4 for adults and $3 for children under 18 years old.
Completed in 1917, the beautiful Wisconsin State Capitol building is bordered by Lake Monona and Lake Mendota. The building features the only granite dome in the United States; measuring 284 feet high, the dome's interior contains 43 stone varieties
Completed in 1917, the beautiful Wisconsin State Capitol building is bordered by Lake Monona and Lake Mendota. The building features the only granite dome in the United States; measuring 284 feet high, the dome's interior contains 43 stone varieties from around the world, while the building features decorative murals, glass mosaics and hand-carved furniture. The Governor's Conference Room is styled after the council chambers in Doge's Palace in Venice, while the Senate Chamber features a beautiful skylight and French and Italian marble.
Guided tours are offered year-round, Monday through Saturday at 9, 10 and 11 AM and 1, 2 and 3 PM, as well as Sunday at 1, 2 and 3 PM. Tours are free.
The nationally recognized Wisconsin Veterans Museum honors the state's citizen-soldiers through large-scale exhibits, displays and presentations. Located on Capitol Square, the 10,000-square-foot museum examines Wisconsin history from the Civil War
The nationally recognized Wisconsin Veterans Museum honors the state's citizen-soldiers through large-scale exhibits, displays and presentations. Located on Capitol Square, the 10,000-square-foot museum examines Wisconsin history from the Civil War to the present time. The Wisconsin Veterans Museum is open year-round, Monday through Saturday from 9 AM to 4:30 PM, with Sunday hours from noon to 4 PM April through September. Admission is free. Group tours, scavenger hunts and events are available at the museum.
Specializing in contemporary American cuisine, Bonfyre American Grill serves hand-cut, wood-fired steaks and shops, fresh seafood, rotisserie chicken, pastas and signature salads. Entree options include four cheese ravioli with creamy lobster sauce,
Specializing in contemporary American cuisine, Bonfyre American Grill serves hand-cut, wood-fired steaks and shops, fresh seafood, rotisserie chicken, pastas and signature salads. Entree options include four cheese ravioli with creamy lobster sauce, mushrooms and sauteed spinach, miso salmon with sticky rice, sake butter, asparagus and cucumber relish and pork tenderloin with citrus rum sauce, black bean mango salsa and spinach. The restaurant interior features sleek banquettes, dark wood and exposed stone, making it a cozy, upscale casual space.
Bonfyre American Grill serves lunch and dinner Monday through Friday starting at 11 AM and Friday and Saturday starting at 10 AM. Entrees range from $13 to $28. Private dining is available.
An award-winning farm-to-table restaurant, Harvest features an evolving menu highlighting local and organic ingredients. Located on Capitol Square in downtown Madison, Harvest has been named by Organic Style magazine as one of the top 20 restaurants
An award-winning farm-to-table restaurant, Harvest features an evolving menu highlighting local and organic ingredients. Located on Capitol Square in downtown Madison, Harvest has been named by Organic Style magazine as one of the top 20 restaurants in America. Menu options include house-made cavatelli pasta with pesto trapenese and arugula, cornmeal-crusted fluke with spinach, potatoes, bacon and mussels and grass-fed grilled flat iron steak, chickpea fries, harissa, pickled red onions and mint. Guests sit at sleek tables graced with white linens, overlooking the Capitol Building.
Harvest serves dinner Monday through Thursday starting at 5:30 PM and Friday and Saturday from 5 PM. Entrees range from $18 to $42. Harvest features two private rooms for 8 to 60 guests.
Voted Madison's best steakhouse, Johnny Delmonico's specializes in robust, classic dishes in classic steakhouse style, with modern flair, featuring a gorgeous mahogany bar, dark wood paneling and Art Deco-inspired metallic trim. Entree options
Voted Madison's best steakhouse, Johnny Delmonico's specializes in robust, classic dishes in classic steakhouse style, with modern flair, featuring a gorgeous mahogany bar, dark wood paneling and Art Deco-inspired metallic trim. Entree options include tenderloin, ribeye and top sirloin, as well as oven-roasted jumbo prawns with crawfish, English peas, orecchiette pasta and truffle butter, herb and goat cheese-stuffed chicken breast with summer squash, roasted pearl onions, fingerling potatoes and garlic jus and port wine-braised short ribs with sauteed mushrooms and creamy polenta.
Johnny Delmonico's serves lunch Monday through Friday from 11 AM to 2 PM and dinner Sunday through Thursday from 5 to 9 PM and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10 PM. Entrees range from $18 to $40.
Utilizing local farms' best ingredients and cooking with the seasons, L'Etoile offers a la carte and tasting menus that give Chef Tory the opportunity to express his creativity time and again. A powerhouse in sustainability, the sophisticated
Utilizing local farms' best ingredients and cooking with the seasons, L'Etoile offers a la carte and tasting menus that give Chef Tory the opportunity to express his creativity time and again. A powerhouse in sustainability, the sophisticated restaurant serves such entrees as Rhode Island day boat fluke with potatoes, dill-scented cucumbers, mint citrus salad and Meyer lemon butter sauce as well as lamb loin with grilled Kalamata olive sausage, sun gold tomato potato hash, sheep's milk feta and kale gratin and brown butter caper sauce.
L'Etoile is located off the Capitol Square and serves dinner Monday through Thursday starting at 5:30 PM and Friday and Saturday starting at 5 PM. Entrees range from $36 to $39. Private and semi-private dining is available for 8 to 65 guests.
Indulge in a taste of Brazil right in the middle of downtown Madison at the sleek Samba Brazilian Grill. Housed in the historic Woman's Club Building, Samba features a unique two-course dining experience with unlimited artisanal appetizers and
Indulge in a taste of Brazil right in the middle of downtown Madison at the sleek Samba Brazilian Grill. Housed in the historic Woman's Club Building, Samba features a unique two-course dining experience with unlimited artisanal appetizers and salads, as well as rodizio service of fresh-grilled meats carved tableside. Salad options range from sweet potato salad with orange-chipotle dressing to calamari salad, while artisanal appetizers include black Mission figs and balsamic-glazed goat cheese. Rodizio meats include such options as beef tenderloin with sake soy-vinaigrette; leg of lamb marinated in onion and baharit sauces and pork tenderloin with parmesan and roasted garlic.
Samba Brazilian Grill serves dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 10 PM and Sunday from 4 to 9 PM, with Sunday brunch from 9:30 AM to 3 PM. Unlimited dining costs $35.95 for adults and $15.95 for children ages 10 and under; children ages 3 and under dine free. Samba Brazilian Grill features two private dining rooms for 25 and 32 people, as well as an upper mezzanine area for 100 people.
