Downtown Madison, combined with the large University of Wisconsin-Madison, has a large number of restaurants, bookstores, cafes and brewpubs making this college town a great place to visit. There are more than 250 parks to choose from. If you visit the campus, be sure to try the famous Babcock Ice Cream at Memorial Union or Babcock Hall, after a visit to the Elvehjem Museum of Art's collection of Greek, Roman and Egyptian antiquities. Other places to visit include the Madison Children’s Museum, and the Olbrich Botanical Gardens.
For architecture, visit several of Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings including the First Unitarian Meeting House of Madison and Monona Terrace. Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright's estate, is 40 miles east in Spring Green and the famous SC Johnson headquarters are in Racine (100 miles west), on the shores of Lake Michigan.
If touring by bike is your way to go, Madison has 200 miles of scenic bike trails to ride on, and you can hop on to the trail network from our backyard! Beyond the city boundaries there are hundreds of miles of country roads that are popular with road bikers and there is a huge biking community in the area, both recreational and competitive (Trek, the bike manufacturer is headquartered in nearby Waterloo).
Summer in Madison also includes lots of live music with free outdoor concerts by the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Jazz at Five, and Live on King Street. To see more, check out this link: www.visitmadison.com
Chicago is only 3 hours away and makes for a great weekend getaway with lots to do and see! Door County, a popular area for all sorts of outdoor activities, is a 3 hour drive to the Northeast of Madison.