While our stay there was brief, it was more than long enough to figure out that we absolutely adore Madison. I seriously cannot sing the praises of the place high enough. Madison is attractive and clean, easy to get around, and the people of that city are the friendliest group of local citzenry that we have ever encountered in our travels.
Sandwiched between two gorgeous lakes, the downtown area is situated on a skinny strip of land, which then widens as one drives further from the city's center. Madison, or "Mad City" as it is affectionately known, is big enough to be interesting but not so big as to be intimidating to first time visitors. The whole place gives off the welcoming vibe of a small midwestern town, but with the slightly artsy and totally funky-cool edge of a much larger city.
Once my business obligations were concluded, we wasted no time in getting to know the city. The highlight of Friday evening, and a must-do for any Madison visitor, was a stop at the Great Dane Pub downtown. This cozy brewery and restaurant offers about a dozen specialty beers on tap and a huge menu of dining options. For us, the food choice was simple, as we knew we had to try the brat and bacon pretzel burger. Aptly described as the flavors of Wisconsin in a sandwich, the giant burger consists of grilled patties of both beef and bratwurst, topped with caramelized onions, applewood smoked bacon, and cheddar cheese, served on a soft pretzel roll . The Food Network recently named it the best burger in Wisconsin and, after tasting one, we have no doubts why.
Come Saturday morning, we first hit the weekly farmers' market held downtown on the treelawns surrounding the capitol building. There, we strolled leisurely amongst the gathered crowd, oohing and awing over the items for sale at the various tents and stalls.
We quickly devloped farmers' market-envy, wishing our hometown summer market was something like Madison's. There were breads and other baked goods straight from local ovens...
and all sorts of fresh cut flowers and plants for sale.
As with most farmers' markets, the real highlight was the huge variety of vegetables, fresh from the dirt and displayed on each vendor's stand in mounded heaps of fabulous color.
Last, but far from least, was the selection of local Wisconsin cheeses.
After one full pass through this amazing market, we decided to ponder what to purchase for our lunch while we toured Wisconsin's historic and now beautifully restored capitol building. We had read that the capitol in Madison is one of the most lovely in the country and, while we have not seen them all, we certainly have to agree from our own experience.
The capitol is an imposing structure, built of gleaming white granite and topped with a massive dome on which stands a graceful bronze statue called "Wisconsin".
Inside, the capitol was even better. Painstakingly renovated over a fourteen year period and completed in 2002, the interior features gorgeous polished stone floors with intricate mosaic inlays, sleek green marble Corinthian columns accented with rich gold leaf, soaring vaulted ceilings and arches throughout, period lighting fixtures and other hardware, elegantly carved stone pediments and moldings, all crowned by beautiful painted murals and then the glorious sunlit dome.
The building is truly something to see, and we also loved that there is a rooftop terrace providing great views of downtown Madison and the surrounding lakes. All the more amazing (and a tribute to the spirit of the Wisconsin people) is the fact that, in this paranoid post-9/11 world, all doors to the building stand open all day, with no metal detectors, no need for visitors to present I.D. or otherwise be screened, and no appreciable security presence. The state of Wisconsin quite clearly takes "of the people, by the people, and for the people" to heart, and we thoroughly enjoyed our capitol tour.
Stomachs growling, we made another pass through the farmers' market, purchasing a small round loaf of onion dill rye bread from the Silly Yak Bakery and Bread Barn, and two kinds of cheese (a pungent pesto and sundried tomato Havarti and a mild Colby) from Forgotten Valley Cheese. Needing a place to sit and eat, we walked two blocks to the Monona Terrace and Convention Center. Perched right on the edge of Lake Monona, this modern white structure was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and has a wonderful rooftop garden and sitting area. From there, we took in the great views in all directions while we lunched on our delicious bread and cheese.
After spending that time downtown, we hopped in the car and drove just a couple miles northeast to the Olbrich Botanical Gardens. These gardens, which are free to visit, totally blew us away. Considering the price of admission, we did not exactly expect to be wowed, but it turned out that this botanical garden is one of the best we have ever seen. Sprawling over 15 acres of land, the gardens are beautifully planned out, impeccably maintained, and contain a huge variety of gorgeous trees, plants and flowers, garden structures and water features.
Once done at the botanical gardens, we were startled to realize that it was only mid-afternoon, after what already seemed like a full day. Not exactly sure what to do next, a quick check of our guide book and map led to the decision to drive thirty miles west of the city to Springreen, the heart of Wisconsin's "Frank Lloyd Wright country."
That decision resulted in a great little side excursion through the farmlands surrounding Madison, which are dotted with charming small towns every few miles. While we arrived at the Frank Lloyd Wright visitor center too late for a tour of the architect's nearby masterpiece, Taliesin, the drive there and back was wonderful. We took in the scenery, visited a couple of quirky antique shops and, on the way home, made a pitstop in the tiny town of Cross Plains. There, we ended our day by enjoying cold beers on the patio of a local tavern, served alongside a basket of deep fried white cheddar cheese curds, another madatory snack when visiting Wisconsin.
Our Sunday morning flight home to Ohio came all too quickly. We would love to go back to Madison for another visit, something I have been babbling about nonstop since we returned. The flight between Ohio and Madison is a super quick three hours airport to airport trip (the three hours even including a plane change in Chicago), which makes it easy to do in a long weekend. While Scott has vetoed my suggestion that we spend a weekend there every month (the veto being for rather obvious reasons but, still, what a killjoy), I am still quite certain we will return to Madison sooner rather than later. We are indeed mad about Mad City, and cannot wait to go back.
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