Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
M
University of Wisconsin-Madison Campus:
Hereyou'llfindaweekend'sworth
of museums, the Memorial Union, and gorgeous lakeside trails (
click here
).
M
University of Wisconsin Arboretum:
The entire city population walks and jogs
at a restoration project to re-create the landscape of the state in its virgin form (
click
M
National Mustard Museum:
At this highly serious foodie heaven, you can learn
about mustard, then sample 100 types (
click here
).
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Olbrich Botanical Gardens:
These 16 mammoth, magnificent gardens feature a
reflectingpool,atraditionalEnglishgarden,andaserenitygardenofcottonwoodand
cherry trees next to a gorgeous Thai pavilion (
click here
).
No hype: Madison is a lovely town, ensconced erratically on an isthmus between two
lakes. Civic pride runneth over. It's no surprise, then, that Madison was named by
Money
magazineasthebestplacetoliveinAmerica;itwouldlaterrepeatthehonor.(Justdoaweb
search on “Madison” and “best” and see how many media have celebrated the city.)
PerhapsthebestwaytoexplaintheMadCity:Madisonispopulatedbydrovesofpeople
who came for college and never left (myself included).
The Mad City makes for a fabulous weekend. Base yourself downtown and spend the first
day walking between
Lakes Monona and Mendota
(i.e., the
Monona Terrace
to the
cap-
itol
to the
University of Wisconsin
via State Street), and roll to the
University of Wiscon-
sin Arboretum
and/or the
Olbrich Botanical Gardens
the second day. If you're rolling
through here to otherwheres or only have a day, any one of the above makes for a great
stop-off and leg stretch (you'll also find much better food in downtown Madison than any-
where on an interstate).
