Summertime in Madison, and the Livin’ Is Easy

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On May 10, the city of Madison breathed a collective sigh of relief as the University of Wisconsin graduates tossed their mortarboards in the air, and the vast majority of the UW’s record 50,662 students disembarked for home. Summer was here, the students were leaving, and everyone else could enjoy a more leisurely pace of life.

Summer is also a great time to visit Madison. Traffic volume is lighter and there are more places to park downtown and on campus. It’s a city that is imminently walkable and bikeable, with many parks, greenways, and bike trails to aid in your exploration. Plainly put, there is a lot to see and do just a mere 90 minutes from Milwaukee.

Water, Water Everywhere

Although there is nothing as formidable as having Lake Michigan at your doorstep, Madison is known as The City of Five Lakes. Lakes Mendota and Monona (the latter of which claimed the life of soul singer Otis Redding on Dec. 10, 1967) flank the isthmus on which the downtown area and the State Capitol Building sit, and Lakes Wingra, Waubesa and Kegonsa spread out south of town. The Yahara River connects them in a chain of lakes perfect for boating, kayaking and other forms of water sports. You can rent gear at the UW Memorial Union Terrace Hoofers Club (hoofers.org), Rutabaga Paddlesports (rutabagashop.com), and other outfitters.

It's a Capital Idea!

If there is a keystone for the Badger State, it’s likely the 9.5-acre Capitol Park, the well-manicured home of the Wisconsin State Capitol. The Beaux Arts building itself is a historical jewel and made for wandering through and gawking. The park itself hosts a variety of weekly and seasonal events during the summer months, including:

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  • Dane County Farmers Market, open every Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring roughly 150 vendors selling everything from locally grown fresh produce to popcorn to flowers, meats and cheeses in what’s touted as the largest famers market in the country. The vendors ring all four sides of Capitol Park, a slightly more than half-mile walk. If you’re lucky a cadre of nude bicycle riders may join the crowd as they have in the past. (dcfm.org)
  • Concerts on the Square, free weekly performances by the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra that attract thousands of picnicking listeners each Wednesday night from June 26 – July 31. The July 3 concert features Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture complete with cannons! (wcoconcerts.org)
  • Art Fair on the Square, the annual event scheduled for July 13-14 this year, brings together dozens of participating artists with hundreds of buyers, browsers, and art fanciers from throughout the Midwest. (mmoca.org/event/art-fair-on-the-square/)
  • Taste of Madison, scheduled for Aug. 31-Sept. 1, is the city’s favorite Labor Day Weekend activity. It’s like the Art Fair, but with food and drink prepared by 80 local restaurants and vendors. (tasteofmadison.com)

Enjoying the “Breese”

The area just east of downtown is rapidly gentrifying, and one of the most active spots is Breese Stevens Field, built as a baseball stadium in 1926 and now home to everything from the Forward Madison Football (Soccer) Club and the Madison Radicals ultimate frisbee team to concerts featuring everyone from Willie Nelson and Family to the Pixies and Modest Mouse. (breesestevensfield.com)

And Points West

Madison also is the perfect stepping off point for further vacation destinations, including Wisconsin Dells, Devil’s Lake State Park, American Players Theatre, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin and others. Time to pack your bags, gas your cars, and go west, young travelers!